What is DevOps?
In my opinion DevOps is a philosophy rather than a rigid set of tools and practices.
DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to shorten the life cycle of software development and provide continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD), with high software quality. It aims to establish a culture and environment where building, testing, and releasing software can happen rapidly, frequently, and more reliably.
DevOps aims to automate the process of software delivery and infrastructure changes, while ensuring infrastructure as code(IaC) and continuous testing. This can help organizations to deliver products and services at a faster pace, with fewer errors and increased reliability.
Why is DevOps important?
Before we know DevOps importance, DevOps help to promote a culture of collaboration, communication, and experimentation, which can lead to improved productivity, better-quality software, and increased customer satisfaction.
DevOps is important because it helps organizations to deliver products and services at a faster pace, with fewer errors and increased reliability. By combining software development and IT operations, DevOps enables teams to work together more closely and effectively, which leads to faster delivery of new features and improvements.
DevOps also allows teams to implement Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) practices, which helps to automate the software development process and catch errors early on in the development cycle. This allows teams to detect and fix issues before they become major problems, which can save time and money.
In summary, DevOps enables organizations to deliver software faster and with higher quality, which can help organizations to stay competitive and respond to changing market conditions more quickly.
DevOps certifications worth having
There are several DevOps certifications that can be valuable for individuals looking to advance their careers in this field. Here are a few examples:
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer: This certification is offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and demonstrates the individual’s ability to design and implement scalable, highly available, and fault-tolerant systems on the AWS platform.
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA): This certification is offered by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and demonstrates the individual’s ability to deploy, scale, and troubleshoot Kubernetes clusters.
- Google Cloud Professional DevOps Engineer: This certification is offered by Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and demonstrates the individual’s ability to design and implement continuous delivery systems and infrastructure on the GCP platform.
- Azure DevOps Engineer Expert: This certification is offered by Microsoft Azure and demonstrates the individual’s ability to implement DevOps practices using Azure services.
- Jenkins Engineer: This certification is offered by CloudBees and demonstrates the individual’s ability to implement and manage Jenkins-based CI/CD pipeline.
- Docker Certified Associate: This certification is offered by Docker and demonstrates the individual’s ability to deploy, manage, and troubleshoot Docker containers.
It’s worth noting that, depending on the company and the specific role, different certifications may be more or less relevant, so it’s a good idea to research the specific certifications that will be most valuable in your target job market and align with the technologies you are working with.
How to prepare for a DevOps certification
Preparing for a DevOps certification can take some time and effort, but with the right approach, you can be well-prepared for the exam. Here are a few steps that can help you prepare:
- Understand the exam objectives: Review the exam objectives for the certification you are interested in, and make sure you understand what is covered on the exam. This will give you a clear idea of what you need to study and will help you focus your efforts.
- Study the material: Review the material that is covered on the exam, and make sure you have a good understanding of the concepts, tools, and technologies that are covered. Some certifications have training providers or official study materials, use them to get a more comprehensive understanding.
- Get hands-on experience: Practicing with the tools and technologies that are covered on the exam can be extremely beneficial. This will help you to gain a deeper understanding of the material and will also give you the opportunity to apply what you have learned in a real-world context.
- Take practice exams: Take practice exams to help you get familiar with the format of the test and the types of questions that will be asked. This can help you identify areas where you need to focus your study efforts.
- Join online communities: Joining online communities such as forums, social media groups, or meetups specific for the certification you’re aiming for, can help you connect with other people who are preparing for the exam, and can provide you with valuable resources and tips.
- Stay current: DevOps is a rapidly evolving field, so it’s important to stay current with the latest tools, technologies, and best practices. This can help you to be better prepared for the exam and can also help you to advance your career in the long term.
It’s important to manage your time effectively, keep yourself motivated and have a plan in place to prepare for the exam. With the right approach, you can be well-prepared for your DevOps certification exam and be on your way to advancing your career in the field.
Best free DevOps certifications and trainings.
There are several free DevOps certifications and training resources that can help you learn about the field and advance your career. Here are a few examples:
- Linux Foundation’s Introduction to Kubernetes: This free online course provides an introduction to Kubernetes, one of the most popular open-source container orchestration systems. The course covers the basics of containerization, Kubernetes architecture, and the Kubernetes API.
- AWS Free Tier: Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers a free tier that allows you to use certain AWS services at no cost. You can use this free tier to learn about AWS and its services, and to gain hands-on experience with the platform.
- Azure DevOps Labs: Microsoft Azure offers a collection of free online labs that provide hands-on experience with Azure DevOps services. The labs cover topics such as Azure Boards, Azure Repos, and Azure Test Plans.
- Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Free Tier: GCP offers a free tier that includes a limited number of resources for you to use each month. You can use this free tier to learn about GCP and its services, and to gain hands-on experience with the platform.
- Jenkins: Jenkins is a popular open-source tool for continuous integration and continuous delivery. The Jenkins website offers a wealth of documentation and tutorials to help you learn about the tool.
- Docker: Docker is a popular open-source platform for containerization. The Docker website offers a variety of tutorials, documentation, and other resources to help you learn about the platform and how to use it.
- OpenShift by Red Hat: OpenShift is a popular open-source platform for container orchestration, built on Kubernetes. Red Hat offers a free trial version of OpenShift, and also provides a variety of online resources to help you learn about the platform and how to use it.
- Udemy: Udemy is an online learning platform that offers a wide variety of courses on different topics, including DevOps. Many of the courses are paid but you can also find some free courses to learn the basics of DevOps.
These resources can be a great way to learn about DevOps and gain hands-on experience with the tools and technologies that are used in the field, but it’s worth noting that the quality and completeness of the free resources can vary. It’s a good idea to research the specific resource and make sure it aligns with your learning goals.