In the dynamic world of DevOps, the gap between theory and practice can sometimes seem as vast as space itself. Reflecting on my journey through countless interviews with DevOps engineers, a pattern emerges: a disconnect between claimed experience and practical knowledge. It's a concerning trend that sees the essence of DevOps, a craft of precision and innovation, being diluted by superficial engagement.
Rewind to the days before DevOps became the industry buzzword. I was at the helm of creating a comprehensive DevOps platform for Geometric Ltd., integrating both commercial and open-source tools. This experience was more than just 'clicking buttons'; it was about architecting a seamless workflow that propelled projects forward.
For those aspiring to master DevOps, here's a distilled essence of my experience:
- Begin with the roots. Watch John Allspaw and Paul Hammond's seminal presentation at the Velocity 2009 conference. Let it be your DevOps genesis, and absorb its insights multiple times.
- Dive deep into Version Control Systems (VCS). Whether it's Git, Mercurial, or Subversion, understanding the intricacies of VCS is non-negotiable. They are the backbone of any robust DevOps strategy.
- Ensure everything is traceable. From source code to CI/CD configurations, every element should be version-controlled, allowing you to pinpoint changes with precision.
- Immerse yourself in the wisdom of pioneers. My recommended reads include 'Release It' by Michael Nygard, 'The Phoenix Project' by Gene Kim, and 'Accelerate' by Gene Kim and Jez Humble.
- Learn from the best. Study the engineering blogs of tech giants like Netflix, Google, and Facebook, Uber to stay abreast of cutting-edge practices.
DevOps is not just a role; it's a mindset of continuous improvement and relentless pursuit of excellence. Let's commit to upholding the true spirit of DevOps and nurturing the next generation of software craftsmen.
Posted on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7215942686271238144-7XjI
1 comment:
Well summarized!
Nitin, the experience I gained working with you on architecting DevOps systems was really rich & it has been helping me in my projects.
My two cents... I worked with an European auto manufacturing company for some time, who had very matured DevOps systems. One key takeaway I got is "Confidence Levels". The way they look at CI/CD is "At every step in continuous integration, I must have increased confidence on my code." And we assigned some scale. e.g. CL 5 means I can give my code to testers, CL 7 means it passes all security checks etc.
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