The term "DevOps" is a compound of "development" and "operations," which is a software development methodology that combines software development (Dev) with information technology operations (Ops). The goal of DevOps is to shorten the system development life cycle while delivering features, fixes, and updates frequently in close alignment with business objectives.
This glossary entry will delve into the intricate details of DevOps, its history, its role in the software lifecycle, its use cases, and specific examples of its application. We will also explore the various stages of the DevOps lifecycle, the tools used, and the benefits and challenges of implementing DevOps.
Definition of DevOps
DevOps is a set of practices that automates the processes between software development and IT teams, allowing them to build, test, and release software more rapidly, frequently, and reliably. The concept of DevOps is founded on building a culture of collaboration between teams that historically functioned in relative siloes.
The term DevOps is used in several ways. In its broadest meaning, DevOps is a philosophy or cultural approach that promotes better communication between the two teams as more elements of operations become programmable. In its most narrow sense, DevOps describes the part of an organization’s IT team that creates and maintains infrastructure.
DevOps as a Culture
DevOps is more than just a methodology. It's a culture that promotes collaboration between Development and Operations Team to deploy code to production faster in an automated & repeatable way. The word 'DevOps' is a combination of two words 'development' and 'operations.' DevOps helps to increase an organization's speed to deliver applications and services. It allows organizations to serve their customers better and compete more strongly in the market.
In a DevOps culture, development and operations teams work together, share many responsibilities, and combine their workflows. This reduces inefficiencies and saves time (fewer handoffs). Teams can focus on their core competencies and share the skills they don't have with the other team. This collaboration also leads to more understanding and trust between the two teams.
DevOps as a Practice
As a practice, DevOps is about automation. It's about automating everything that lets you deliver software more quickly, more reliably, and with fewer errors. This includes code deployment, infrastructure change, and even the establishment of a unified and collaborative culture.
DevOps practices include continuous integration, delivery, and deployment, automated testing, infrastructure as code, and monitoring and logging. These practices are designed to find and address bugs quicker, improve software quality, and reduce the time it takes to validate and release new software updates.
History of DevOps
The concept of DevOps originated from a need for teams to rapidly produce and deliver software in response to an ever-evolving business landscape. The history of DevOps can be traced back to the Agile System Administration and the Enterprise Systems Management (ESM) movements in 2008. The term "DevOps" was coined by Patrick Debois and Andrew Shafer in 2009.
DevOps was initially called Agile System Administration or Agile Operations. It was born from the need to keep up with the increased software velocity and throughput agile methodologies brought. The first DevOps Days was held in Ghent, Belgium in 2009. Since then, DevOps Days conferences have spread across the globe.
Evolution of DevOps
Over the years, DevOps has evolved from a niche concept to a mainstream software development approach. The evolution of DevOps can be categorized into three distinct phases: the pre-DevOps phase, the emergence of DevOps, and the era of enterprise DevOps.
In the pre-DevOps phase, development and operations teams worked in silos, leading to longer development cycles and delayed deliveries. The emergence of DevOps marked a shift towards a more collaborative and integrated approach to software development. The era of enterprise DevOps has seen the adoption of DevOps practices on a larger scale, with organizations leveraging DevOps to drive business growth and innovation.
DevOps Lifecycle
The DevOps lifecycle is a representation of the stages that a piece of software goes through from initial development to deployment. The lifecycle consists of several stages, including continuous development, continuous integration, continuous testing, continuous deployment, and continuous monitoring.
In the continuous development stage, coding is done using various tools, and the source code is managed using version control tools. Continuous integration involves integrating the code into a shared repository and verifying it with an automated build. Continuous testing involves testing the software in a production-like environment to ensure it functions as expected. Continuous deployment involves deploying the software to production, while continuous monitoring involves monitoring the software's performance and functionality in the production environment.
Continuous Development
In the continuous development phase, the development of the software takes place constantly. This stage involves the entire team's input to improve the software and develop new features. The software is developed in small pieces, which are integrated and tested continuously. This approach allows for faster detection and resolution of bugs, improving the quality of the software and reducing the time to market.
Continuous development is not just about writing code. It also involves other tasks such as planning, use case creation, and design. These tasks are performed in a continuous manner, with the team constantly iterating on the product and incorporating feedback from users and stakeholders.
Continuous Integration
Continuous integration (CI) is a software development practice where developers regularly merge their code changes into a central repository, after which automated builds and tests are run. The key goals of CI are to find and address bugs quicker, improve software quality, and reduce the time it takes to validate and release new software updates.
CI encourages developers to share their code and unit tests by merging their changes into a shared version control repository after every small task completion. Committing code triggers an automated build system to grab the latest code from the shared repository and to build, test, and validate the full master branch (also known as the trunk or main).
Use Cases of DevOps
DevOps has a wide range of use cases across various industries. It is used in software development companies to improve the speed and quality of software delivery. It is also used in IT service management to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of IT service delivery. Other industries where DevOps is used include retail, banking, healthcare, and manufacturing.
Some specific use cases of DevOps include cloud development, mobile application development, microservices development, API development, and platform development. In all these use cases, DevOps enables teams to deliver software more quickly, with higher quality, and with less risk.
Cloud Development
Cloud development is a key use case for DevOps. With the rise of cloud computing, companies are increasingly developing applications that are designed to run in the cloud. DevOps practices such as continuous integration and continuous delivery are essential for cloud development, as they enable teams to deliver software quickly and reliably.
Furthermore, the use of infrastructure as code (IAC), a key DevOps practice, allows teams to manage and provision their cloud resources efficiently. IAC enables developers to use code to automate the process of setting up and configuring their cloud infrastructure, reducing the risk of human error and improving the speed and consistency of infrastructure setup.
Mobile Application Development
Mobile application development is another important use case for DevOps. As the demand for high-quality mobile applications continues to grow, developers are under pressure to deliver updates and new features at a rapid pace. DevOps practices such as continuous integration, continuous delivery, and automated testing can help mobile application developers meet these demands.
By integrating and testing their code frequently, developers can detect and fix bugs early in the development process, improving the quality of the application. Automated testing can also help to ensure that the application works correctly on a wide range of devices and operating systems.
Examples of DevOps
Many organizations have successfully implemented DevOps practices to improve their software delivery process. Some notable examples include Amazon, Netflix, and Facebook. These companies have used DevOps to deliver software more quickly, improve operational efficiency, and innovate at scale.
Amazon, for example, has used DevOps to automate its software delivery process, enabling it to deploy code up to every 11.6 seconds. Netflix, on the other hand, has used DevOps to create a culture of freedom and responsibility, where developers are given the autonomy to innovate and the responsibility to ensure the quality of their code. Facebook has used DevOps to facilitate collaboration between its development and operations teams, leading to faster and more reliable software delivery.
Amazon's Use of DevOps
Amazon is a prime example of a company that has successfully implemented DevOps practices. The company has a strong culture of automation, with developers responsible for the end-to-end delivery of their applications, including testing, deployment, and monitoring. This has enabled Amazon to deploy code rapidly and reliably, leading to faster delivery of features and improvements to customers.
One of the key DevOps practices used by Amazon is continuous delivery. This involves automatically deploying all code changes to a testing or production environment after the build stage. By automating the deployment process, Amazon has been able to reduce the risk of deployment failures and improve the speed and reliability of its software delivery.
Netflix's Use of DevOps
Netflix is another company that has embraced DevOps practices. The company has a culture of freedom and responsibility, where developers are given the autonomy to make decisions and the responsibility to ensure the quality of their code. This culture, combined with DevOps practices such as continuous integration and continuous delivery, has enabled Netflix to innovate rapidly and deliver high-quality software.
Netflix also makes extensive use of microservices, a software architecture style that structures an application as a collection of loosely coupled services. This approach, combined with DevOps practices, has allowed Netflix to scale its services rapidly and reliably, enabling it to handle the large volumes of traffic it receives each day.
Conclusion
DevOps is a powerful approach to software development that promotes collaboration between development and operations teams, automates the software delivery process, and enables rapid delivery of high-quality software. By breaking down silos and promoting a culture of shared responsibility, DevOps can help organizations deliver software more quickly, reliably, and efficiently.
While implementing DevOps can be challenging, the benefits it offers in terms of improved software quality, faster delivery times, and increased operational efficiency make it a worthwhile investment for many organizations. By understanding the principles and practices of DevOps, organizations can take the first steps towards a more efficient and effective software delivery process.