DevOps Engineer Roadmap

From Zero to Advanced - Your Path to DevOps Mastery
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About DevOps Engineers

Who is a DevOps Engineer?

A DevOps Engineer is an IT professional who works with software developers, system operators, and other production IT staff to oversee code releases and deployments. They combine an understanding of both engineering and coding to bridge gaps between software development and IT operations teams.

What Do They Do?

  • Implement and manage CI/CD pipelines
  • Automate infrastructure provisioning and configuration
  • Monitor system performance and reliability
  • Ensure security throughout the development lifecycle
  • Collaborate with development and operations teams
  • Manage cloud infrastructure and container orchestration

Average Salary in India

According to industry reports (2023):

  • Entry-level: ₹6-10 LPA
  • Mid-level: ₹12-20 LPA
  • Senior-level: ₹22-35+ LPA

Salaries vary based on experience, location, and company size.

Key Skills Required

  • Linux/Unix administration
  • Scripting languages (Python, Bash)
  • Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
  • Containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible)
  • CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI)
  • Monitoring and logging tools

DevOps Roadmap Timeline

1
Linux Fundamentals

Master the foundation of most server environments and container technologies.

  • CLI (Bash) commands and scripting
  • Process management & permissions (ps, kill, chmod)
  • Package managers (apt, yum)
  • Text editors (vim)
2
Networking & Security Concepts

Understand how systems communicate and how to secure them.

  • OSI & TCP/IP models
  • HTTP, HTTPS, SSH protocols
  • IP addresses, DNS, subnetting
  • Firewalls & proxy servers
  • Basic load balancers & caching servers
3
Scripting

Automate tasks and build tools with scripting languages.

  • Languages: Python, Ruby, Golang
  • Syntax fundamentals
  • File handling
  • Useful libraries for DevOps
  • Automation scripts
4
Git & Version Control

Manage code changes and collaborate effectively with teams.

  • Repository operations: init, clone, add, commit, push
  • Collaboration: pull, merge, rebase
  • Branching strategies
  • Conflict resolution
5
Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Deploy and manage applications in cloud environments.

  • Compute services (EC2, VMs)
  • Storage services (S3, Blob Storage)
  • Database services (RDS, Cosmos DB)
  • Identity and Access Management (IAM)
  • Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
6
Microservices & Containers (Docker)

Package and run applications consistently across environments.

  • Virtualization vs containerization
  • Docker images and containers
  • Dockerfile creation
  • Docker compose for multi-container apps
7
CI/CD Pipelines

Automate testing and deployment processes.

  • Tools: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI
  • Pipeline creation and management
  • Automated testing integration
  • Deployment strategies
8
Infrastructure as Code

Manage infrastructure through code for consistency and repeatability.

  • Terraform for cloud resource provisioning
  • Ansible for configuration management
  • CloudFormation (AWS)
  • ARM Templates (Azure)
9
Orchestration (Kubernetes)

Manage containerized applications at scale.

  • Cluster management
  • Deployments, Services, Pods
  • kubectl commands (apply, delete, logs)
  • Helm for package management
10
Monitoring & Logging

Gain visibility into system performance and troubleshoot issues.

  • Tools: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, CloudWatch
  • Metrics collection and visualization
  • Log aggregation and analysis
  • Alerting and incident response

DevOps Lifecycle

The DevOps lifecycle consists of eight phases that represent the processes, capabilities, and tools needed for development and operations.

DevOps
Lifecycle
1
Plan
2
Develop
3
Build
4
Test
5
Release
6
Deploy
7
Operate
8
Monitor

1. Plan

The planning phase involves defining requirements, creating project timelines, and establishing goals for the development process.

Key Activities:

  • Requirements gathering and analysis
  • Project planning and scheduling
  • Resource allocation
  • Risk assessment and mitigation planning
  • Stakeholder communication

Common Tools: Jira, Trello, Asana, Confluence

2. Develop

During development, engineers write code according to requirements and implement features using version control systems.

Key Activities:

  • Code development and implementation
  • Version control management
  • Code review processes
  • Unit testing
  • Integration with CI/CD pipelines

Common Tools: Git, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Visual Studio Code

3. Build

The build phase involves compiling code, running tests, and packaging applications into deployable artifacts.

Key Activities:

  • Code compilation and packaging
  • Dependency management
  • Container image creation
  • Artifact repository management
  • Build automation

Common Tools: Maven, Gradle, Docker, Jenkins, Artifactory

4. Test

Testing ensures software quality through automated and manual testing processes before deployment.

Key Activities:

  • Automated testing execution
  • Performance and load testing
  • Security vulnerability scanning
  • User acceptance testing
  • Test environment management

Common Tools: Selenium, JUnit, JMeter, SonarQube, OWASP ZAP

5. Release

The release phase involves preparing the application for deployment, including final approvals and scheduling.

Key Activities:

  • Release planning and coordination
  • Change management
  • Deployment scheduling
  • Release documentation
  • Stakeholder communication

Common Tools: ServiceNow, Jira Service Management, XL Deploy

6. Deploy

Deployment involves moving the application to production environments, either through automated or manual processes.

Key Activities:

  • Infrastructure provisioning
  • Application deployment
  • Database migrations
  • Configuration management
  • Rollback planning

Common Tools: Ansible, Chef, Puppet, Kubernetes, Terraform

7. Operate

Operation involves managing the infrastructure and services in production to ensure availability and performance.

Key Activities:

  • Infrastructure management
  • Incident response
  • Performance optimization
  • Capacity planning
  • Disaster recovery

Common Tools: Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, AWS EC2, Azure VMs

8. Monitor

Monitoring involves tracking application and infrastructure performance to identify issues and optimize systems.

Key Activities:

  • Application performance monitoring
  • Infrastructure monitoring
  • Log aggregation and analysis
  • Alert management
  • Performance reporting

Common Tools: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, Datadog, New Relic


Click on any stage in the DevOps lifecycle to learn more about it.

Documentation Hub

Official documentation and resources for essential DevOps tools and technologies.

Docker
Container platform documentation
View Docs
AWS
Amazon Web Services documentation
View Docs
Azure
Microsoft Azure documentation
View Docs
Google Cloud
GCP documentation and guides
View Docs
Jenkins
CI/CD automation server
View Docs
Git
Version control system
View Docs
Kubernetes
Container orchestration
View Docs
Terraform
Infrastructure as Code
View Docs
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