Navigating the DevOps Roadmap

In my previous blog, The Rise and Rise of DevOps Adoption, I explored the remarkable rise in popularity of DevOps and the rapid adoption of DevOps practices across the tech industry. DevOps consists of diverse tools and technologies, each vital in bringing a software product to life. However, this abundance of choices can be overwhelming for aspiring DevOps engineers.

In this blog, I will outline a comprehensive DevOps roadmap and delve into the roles of popular DevOps tools at each stage of the development and operational processes. 

Plan

The planning stage lays the foundation for any software product, defining the scope, objectives, requirements, and strategies.

Planning and Jira go hand in hand. Jira is a popular project management tool developed by Atlassian, and it is widely used in software development to plan, track, and manage projects. It supports various project management methodologies, including Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and more. 

Code

The coding phase involves writing and managing the source code.

As several developers collaborate on bringing software to life, we use a Version Control System (VCS) that helps track and manage changes to source code over time. Git is arguably the most widely used VCS that maintains a source code repository and offers branching and merging capabilities. 

Developers follow design patterns to translate requirements into programming code. This code can be written in various programming languages depending on the project’s requirements. Some popular programming languages across the industry are Java, JavaScript, C++, Python, and Go. 

Build 

Next, we need to convert our high-level code to binary, since computers only understand the language of ones and zeros. The build phase automates compiling source code, linking libraries, and creating executables from the source code.

Maven, Bazel, Ant, and Gradle are popular build tools. 

Test

Testing is a critical phase to meet quality and reliability standards. There are several testing strategies to ensure the product meets user expectations and performs as intended. A few popular strategies are unit testing, integration testing, white box testing, and regression testing.

Testers use tools that automate testing, including popular ones such as Selenium, SonarQube, PyTest, and Cucumber. 

Release

At this stage, software is prepared for deployment and released to customers. The integration and deployment process is automated and pipelined into a continuous integration and continuous delivery/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. CI/CD pipelines automate the build, test, and deployment processes, allowing seamless transitions between development and releases.

GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, and Travis CI are popular tools for automating software releases. 

Watch a hands-on CI/CD tutorial in Snack Minute Ep. 114, available on the Cisco U. by Learning and Certifications YouTube Channel.

Deploy

In this phase, the software goes live in a production environment. Container technology has taken the software industry by storm. It is a lightweight form of virtualization that offers a way to package an application and its dependencies into a single unit. From there, it can be easily distributed and executed consistently across different computing environments. Docker is one of the most popular containerization platforms. 

Modern deployments are also carried out through cloud providers using IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS offerings. Cloud deployments help organizations access a large volume of storage and disc space while reducing operational costs. AWS is a popular choice for hosting applications, services, and resources.  

Discover Cisco Multicloud Specialist certifications

Read “Up, Up, and Away to the Clouds” by Hank Preston. Read now

Operate

This phase involves the administration of the infrastructure hosting the deployed application. The popular choice for managing containers is Kubernetes (K8). It helps automate containerized applications’ deployment, scaling, management, and operation. 

Several infrastructure automation tools, such as Terraform and Ansible, also come into action at this stage. Terraform provides and manages infrastructure resources, while Ansible focuses on configuration management, application deployment, and task automation. 

New to Terraform? Read “Making your first Terraform doesn’t have to be scary” by Quinn Snyder. Read now

Watch Ansible for Network Automation | Snack Minute Ep 97 to learn how Ansible streamlines automation and drives efficiency across various network devices and operating systems, such as IOS/IOS-XE, NX-OS, and IOS-XR.

Monitor

This phase involves continuous monitoring and analysis of various applications, services, and infrastructure aspects. Monitoring includes tracking application-specific metrics, resource utilization, and errors.

ELK Stack and Prometheus are popular tools to monitor deployed applications.  

Start your DevOps journey 

Cisco offers a Cisco Certified Specialist – DevOps certification. You earn the DevOps Specialist certification by passing one exam, designed to assess your DevOps skills; 300-910 DEVOPS: Implementing DevOps Solutions and Practices using Cisco Platforms. Earning this Professional-level Cisco certification can be a valuable asset in showcasing your expertise in DevOps and enhancing your career opportunities in tech.

Get started by visiting the Cisco Learning Network to download the 300-910 DEVOPS exam topics join the DevNet Certifications Community. Then, head to Cisco U., to explore 240+ DEVOPS learning resources, including Learning Paths, individual courses, free tutorials, and more.

Read next: Exploring Default Docker Networking Part 1 by Hank Preston

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