What Even is DevOps?
Picture this: you’re running a business. A developer on your team has coded up an awesome website for you. Everything is great! Except one thing. The website is running on their computer, and of course, a Windows update is requiring a restart. Which will bring your whole site down! Tragedy! So, how do you fix […]
Picture this: you’re running a business. A developer on your team has coded up an awesome website for you. Everything is great! Except one thing. The website is running on their computer, and of course, a Windows update is requiring a restart. Which will bring your whole site down! Tragedy! So, how do you fix this problem? Your first thought is probably “PUT IT IN THE CLOUD! CLOUD SOLVES EVERYTHING!” Well, kind of. Getting web servers running on a cloud server takes a different skillset than what your developer has. So, you hire a systems admin to get all that going for you. Perfect! Butterflies, flowers, that sort of thing. What could go wrong? Then, a routine deployment fails. The pipeline is flawless! It must be the app! The system admin doesn’t know what’s wrong with the code; they didn’t write it. And the developer is sipping a Mai Thai on a beach somewhere in Hawaii. Mayhem! Fortunately, this is where DevOps fits in.
DevOps is not a tool or technology. Rather, it is a philosophy that seeks to bridge the gap between developers and IT operations teams (sometimes led by system administrators). In the past these teams worked separately, as developers focus on writing code and operations teams are responsible for deploying and maintaining software. This separation often led to delays and communication issues. Developers and operations teams had different priorities and goals. DevOps aims to break down silos between these two teams and encourage collaboration and communication to ensure the smooth and efficient delivery of software products.
DevOps also emphasizes automation, continuous integration and delivery, and agile methodologies (such as Scrum and Kanban). By automating processes such as testing and deployment, development teams can release software more frequently and with greater confidence in its quality.
At its core, DevOps is about fostering a culture of continuous improvement. It encourages experimentation, iteration, and learning from mistakes in order to deliver better software faster.
The DevOps philosophy can benefit organizations in a number of ways, including:
- Faster time to market: By streamlining the development and delivery process, organizations can release software more quickly and respond to changing market demands faster.
- Improved quality: By using automation to test software and catch issues early in the development process, organizations can deliver higher quality products that are less likely to have bugs or other issues.
- Greater collaboration: By bringing together developers and operations teams, organizations can foster better communication and collaboration, leading to better products and a more efficient development process.
- Increased efficiency: By automating manual processes and streamlining workflows, organizations can reduce the time and resources needed to develop and release software.
Overall, DevOps is about breaking down barriers by improving communication and collaboration in the software development process. Through adopting a DevOps philosophy and using the tools and practices associated with it, organizations can deliver higher quality software more quickly and efficiently.
Will loves all things science, especially space! He is a full-stack software engineer as well as a certified scrum master and product owner. He has a passion for learning and teaching and is currently pursuing his MBA from West Virginia University. Will has a background in hospitality, mobile networks and devices, and supply chain and logistics. During his free time, he enjoys reading, traveling, and hanging out with his cat, Kitterson.