Devops is a complex concept that combines practices, tools and cultural values. It’s proactively transforming software development by bridging the gap between development and operations/ IT teams. Its main goal is to reduce the systems development lifecycle while providing excellent software products. DevOps reduces complexity, increases teamwork efficiency, and provides means for fast building, testing, and release of software, which is why it is considered valuable in the modern IT industry.
The use of DevOps reflects its culture of collaboration, automation, and a continuous cycle of feedback. It attempts to automate and integrate the various phases of the software development life cycle by planning, coding, building, testing, releasing, deploying, operating and monitoring in a single pipeline. It speeds up software delivery and delivers higher quality, more reliable, and more stable systems.
Also Read: DevOps Tutorial: A Comprehensive Beginner’s Guide
Cloud Computing
Cloud, in particular, is a model for deploying computing resources, including storage, processing, networking, databases, and software applications, through the Internet without directly utilising a local server or computer. These services are located on web servers outside the organisation and managed by cloud service providers. The words “cloud” originate from the symbol conventionally used in diagrams to symbolise the Internet.
Evolution of Cloud Computing
A detailed explanation of the evolution of cloud computing through points.
- 1960s – 1990s: In the 1960s, the idea of using a central computer to share resources among multiple users through time-sharing was introduced. This laid the groundwork for cloud computing by allowing users to access computing resources without owning them.
- 1990s – 2000s: In the 1990s, companies like Salesforce introduced software as a service (SaaS), offering enterprise software over the Internet. This marked the beginning of offering IT services as a utility.
- 2006 – 2010: Amazon revolutionised cloud computing by launching an elastic compute cloud (EC2), allowing businesses to rent computing power on demand. This is considered one of the most significant events in cloud computing history.
IAAS (Infrastructure as a Service)
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) refers to a cloud computing model that provides clients with physical IT resources over the Internet.IaaS helps to avoid total ownership and management of physical IT resources in a business because a CSP offers such items as servers, storage, networking and virtualisation technology for rent, networking and virtualisation technology from a cloud service provider rather than owning and maintaining physical hardware.
SAAS (Software as a Service)
Software as a Service (SaaS) refers to subscribing to applications from a service provider via the Internet and using software over the Internet. In contrast to conventional software, licensed and deployed on the client-side hardware and equipment, SaaS applications are available and operated over the Internet using a Web browser only.
PaaS(Platform as a Service)
Another cloud computing model is Platform as a Service (PaaS), where the clients receive a platform for business customers to develop, operate, and maintain applications without worrying about the basic requirements of physical infrastructure. PaaS is developed from the cloud structures, known as IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service and refers to a platform suitable for application development without concern for the hardware, software or servers.
Private, Public and Hybrid Cloud
The explanation of private, public, and hybrid clouds is simple.
- Private Cloud: They are dedicated to a single organisation, offering control and security.
- Public Cloud: Shares resources from third-party providers, scalable and cost-effective.
- Hybrid Cloud: Combines private and public clouds for flexibility and optimised cost.
Public Clouds
It is a cloud computing service and solution provided by third parties that own and manage the existing infrastructure from where these services are delivered to the entire public and large industries. These clouds are expected to provide business solutions that are elastic, malleable, and inexpensive so that organizations can obtain computing services, including servers, storage, and applications, among others, over the Internet without investing in their IT infrastructure.
Also Read: Cloud Computing Technology: A Detailed Guide
Linux Basic and Admin
Linux is an open-source Unix-like kernel that forms the base of multiple operating systems known as distributions or distros. This is used in PCs, servers, mobile handsets, consumer electronics, embedded systems, and many more due to its reliability, security, and versatility.
Importance of Linux in DevOps
Linux plays a critical role in DevOps due to its reliability, flexibility, open-source nature, and the fact that it’s widely used in server environments.
- Open-Source and Customizable: Linux is an open source so that DevOps engineers can modify the code according to their preferences. For this reason, they can modify, adjust, or customise the operating system to work as best suits the project required.
- Stability and Reliability: Stability and reliability are characteristics that Linux is famous for. This is particularly important in DevOps, where deployment and integration to a production system is done continually. The system remains very reliable in avoiding breaks when it is undergoing an automated process.
- Cost Effective: Linux is free, and organisation can reduce costs by using Linux-based servers instead of paying for proprietary systems like Windows. This is particularly beneficial for businesses aiming to scale infrastructure in cost-effective ways.
- Command-Line Interface(CLI): Linux’s powerful CLI allows DevOps engineers to perform tasks quickly, automate processes, and efficiently manage systems through scripts. Many DevOps tools and scripts are designed to be used with Linux’s terminal, providing an efficient workflow.
- Containerisation and Virtualization: Docker relies heavily on Linux, or other containerisation technologies are developed based on that. The provision of containers makes it easy for the DevOps team to create a lightweight, portable, and reliable environment in development and production. Another system found to be used in the organisation of containers is known as Kubernetes, and it runs effectively under Linux as well.
- Integration with Cloud Platforms: Most cloud platforms, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, support Linux-based instances, making it a key component of cloud-based DevOps processes. DevOps teams often use Linux to deploy scalable applications and automate cloud infrastructure management.
- Community Support: The open-source Linux benefits from a large community of developers and contributors. This active community ensures continuous improvements and offers a wealth of resources, forums, and documentation that DevOps teams can leverage for troubleshooting and learning.
Shell Scripting
Shell scripting is a convenient approach to performing repetitive tasks on a Linux or Unix-based operating system. Specifically, a Shell is a prompt or programming interface that enables users to enter commands the operating system interprets. Shell scripting is a way of entering several commands in a text file, called a script, and then running through the file to execute the commands.
Continuous Integration – Jenkins
Jenkins is an open-source automation tool utilised to do different tasks based on pre-set configurations or a series of steps it calls builds typically used for Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD). Jenkins allows developers to check in code to a repository often, where it tests the code, builds the application and prepares it for deployment by ensuring the code is always ready for installation.
Version Control – Git
Version control is a system that helps software developers track and manage changes to source code over time. This allows multiple developers to work collaboratively on a project while maintaining a history of every modification made to the source codebase. Version control ensures that you can track who made what changes, why, and when, and it allows you to revert to previous source code versions if necessary.
Build Tool – Maven
Maven is a powerful and popular build automation tool primarily used for Java projects. It simplifies managing project dependencies, building, testing, packaging, and deploying Java applications. Maven helps to standardise the build process, making it easier for developers to manage and maintain the project lifecycle. It is highly extensive, flexible, and can be integrated with various development environments and tools.
Ansible
Ansible is the configuration management, application deployment and task automation tool derived from open source. For IT infrastructure management, it means that otherwise repetitive tasks are automated, so there can be no inconsistency or human error. In contrast to most other automation tools, Ansible has an agentless model, meaning no programs must be installed on target systems. Instead, it speaks directly over SSH (or WinRM if on Widows) to handle configurations and deployments.
Docker
Docker is an open-source technology that helps develop, build, package, and run applications such as portable containers. It implements a uniform platform from which applications can be run across diverse computing environments, thus making it easier to write, launch, and maintain apps. Docker is used by DevOps, implementation of CI/CD, and features as a microservices realisation.
Also Read: Docker and Kubernetes: What’s the Difference?