Become A DevOps Engineer: The Ultimate Guide

DevOps is one of the most sought-after job roles in IT. What was once a mere buzzword has become a real career path. But let's discuss what DevOps is:

DevOps is the combination of development and operations. It's a way of thinking about how to build software that you can run in production.

This article will examine what it takes to become a DevOps engineer and how you can get started yourself.

Learn to code

You can only be a practical DevOps engineer by knowing how to code. Thus, most DevOps jobs need some knowledge of scripting languages like Python or Ruby. There are many reasons why you might choose to learn a language. Although whatever your choice, make sure it will get you a job at the end of your training period.

Learn Linux

Linux is an essential part of any DevOps engineer's toolkit. While Windows is still a common choice for many businesses; Linux has become popular among IT departments due to its open-source nature and cost-effectiveness.

Learning Linux administration can take some time, start from your coding lessons or learn the basics by reading guides on websites. Such as Stack Overflow or watching YouTube tutorials. Once you've grasped file permissions, SELinux policies, and user groups, you can start administering Linux servers.

Learn to use git

Git is a version control system that helps you track changes in your code over time. It allows you to revert back to previous versions if something goes wrong with your latest update. It would help if you learned to use it as early as possible as it will be one of your most essential tools when working as a DevOps engineer.

Learn bash scripting and automation using scripts

Bash scripting is another essential skill for DevOps engineers because it lets them automate tasks and simplify tedious processes. The best way to learn this skill is by getting comfortable with the terminal and writing scripts for yourself!

Get familiar with Docker

Docker is an open-source container platform that allows you to isolate applications from their environment. As containers run on top of operating systems, they can be more efficient than virtual machines. Docker containers are often faster than VMs, especially when running many applications simultaneously. It gives us everything we need to run our applications in the cloud while ensuring they don't interfere with one another.

Gain experience with public cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Another essential part of becoming a DevOps Engineer is gaining experience with public cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure). Working on a project where you need to use multiple services from these providers will help you learn how they work with each other and how they can integrate them into an application.

Learn about containers and container orchestration (preferably Kubernetes)

Containers like Kubernetes allow you to deploy applications faster because they reduce the number of steps required for deployment by packaging everything into one file and saving it as an image to quickly create new instances of the same application. In addition, container orchestration allows you to manage these images across multiple servers so that when one example goes down or needs more resources, another instance can take over its function without any interruption in service.

Learn the basics of configuration management

Configuration management tools like Puppet and Chef let you create software configurations that one can use across multiple servers. By automating these tasks, you can ensure consistent results across your server infrastructure.

Understand infrastructure as code

Infrastructure as code is the idea that you should be able to write software scripts describing your server infrastructure. It helps to reproduce on another machine with no human intervention needed. Therefore, it ensures that configurations on each server will be identical across all devices in the network.

Get familiar with microservices architecture

Microservices are small pieces of code that perform one function well. They're ideal for creating flexible systems that can evolve quickly over time without causing significant disruptions in service delivery.

As they don't rely on a single piece of hardware or software failing for them not to work anymore.

CI/CD is a must for any DevOps engineer

It's critical to understand how to automate your pipelines and manage the process of building, testing, and deploying code.

To get started with CI/CD, you need to start small. The first step is to find a good tool for automating your pipelines. Once you've found a great tool, start building your pipeline. The goal is to have as few steps as possible between writing code and deploying it live; it should automate every effort.

Takeaway

We hope our roadmap has helped you discover a path to becoming the DevOps engineer you want to be. ​ DevOps is an area with a lot of room for growth, and few people will walk down precisely the same path.

If you are eager to learn more about DevOps, check out my other blog on DevOps: Learning new technologies an interactive guide

Hi! I am Safoor Safdar a Senior SRE. Read More. Don't hesitate to reach out! You can find me on Linkedin, or simply drop me an email at me@safoorsafdar.com