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DevOps Engineer Roles and Responsibilities – A Complete Guide

The introduction of DevOps has brought about a significant change in the world of software development and IT operations. DevOps, among other things, is a core principle for technology companies today which facilitates processes relating to collaboration between developing and operations departments. The role of a DevOps Engineer is central to this transformation as it is essential in any company that heavily relies on information technology.

In this article, we will cover DevOps Engineer roles and responsibilities. We will see the qualifications, and technical and soft skills required to become a great DevOps Engineer. Apart from this, we will learn about the Tools and technologies that a DevOps engineer needs in his/her day-to-day activities.

What is DevOps?

DevOps is a field of computer science that is revolutionising the software development process by integrating the operations process like testing and support practices. A business can provide applications and services more quickly by utilising a combination of cultural concepts, practices, and tools known as DevOps. It creates a link between software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops), encouraging cooperation and communication across groups that have historically operated in isolation.

The best practices and experience gained from overseeing the development, testing, and support phases of a software development project life cycle have given rise to the DevOps methodology. By using these techniques, organisations may handle development, tool deployment, integrated testing, and support more quickly and efficiently. DevOps aims to reduce the duration of software development and provide regular updates, patches, and features that closely match business goals.

But how does the organisation achieve both software development and operations processes? The organisation does this with the help of a DevOps Engineer. In response to the growing need for high-performance web solutions in the current business environment, DevOps engineers manage a streamlined and effective development process by utilising cloud flexibility for quick software delivery.

Evolution of DevOps

The difficulties that organisations encounter when deploying code to production settings can be linked to the evolution of DevOps. Development and operations teams have historically operated autonomously, which has resulted in inefficiencies, misunderstandings, and sluggish deployments. DevOps was made possible by the advent of Agile approaches in the early 2000s, which prioritised iterative development, continuous integration, and client needs.

DevOps came up alongside cloud computing growth and the increasing demand for faster more reliable software releases. Nowadays, DevOps has become an indispensable part of the IT industry and all kinds of businesses use it as a means of remaining competitive. Most large enterprises today use DevOps in their development process and they employ highly paid DevOps engineers.

Who is a DevOps Engineer?

DevOps Engineer ensures smooth operation of both software development procedure and IT infrastructure. A DevOps engineer works closely with the operations team and software developers to make sure that every stage in the software development life cycle is properly organised leading to top quality final product.

DevOps engineers are responsible for releasing code regularly, often, and safely through bridging gaps between development & operations. A combination of software development, IT operations, and business goal comprehension skills are needed for this position. A DevOps engineer needs to be well-versed in both development and operations procedures in addition to having a solid technical foundation to succeed in this position.

Education Qualifications Needed for a DevOps Engineer

To become a DevOps engineer, having a formal education in a relevant field can be very beneficial but not required sometimes. Here’s an overview of the formal education required for a DevOps Engineer:

• Bachelors/Masters Degree in Computer Science/Information Technology/Software Engineering/Cloud Computing or other related fields.
• Diploma or Advanced Diploma or Certifications

Any degree that provides a strong foundation in programming, IT infrastructure, or systems programming would be enough to become a DevOps engineer.

DevOps Engineer Job Description

When we create a Job Description for a DevOps Engineer, it outlines the roles &  responsibilities, and required skills. Creating and maintaining infrastructure as code, resolving production difficulties, and creating and implementing automated deployment and testing pipelines are common duties included in this job description of a DevOps Engineer.

• A DevOps Engineer’s Job Description (JD) usually consists of multiple essential parts that describe duties, expectations, and requirements for the position. The job title and a brief overview outlining the role’s function within the company should come first when creating a JD.
• Describe the main duties, which frequently include working with development and operations teams, automating infrastructure, maintaining system dependability, and managing CI/CD pipelines.
• Mention the necessary credentials, which often include a degree in computer science or a similar discipline, relevant work experience, and specialised technical abilities including command of scripting, configuration management tools, and cloud platforms.
• Any desired credentials or certifications, like proficiency with Kubernetes or as a Google Cloud Professional Certified DevOps Engineer, should also be mentioned in the job description.
• It may also include other information on the reporting structure, working environment, working hours, job place, or salary range, etc.

We will now see the roles and responsibilities of a DevOps engineer.

DevOps Engineer Roles & Responsibilities

The DevOps Engineer manages the software development and IT operations process to ensure the highest quality software. He or she is responsible for facilitating the collaboration between development and operations so that continuous delivery of new releases can occur at a rapid pace while maintaining stability, performance, and security. In addition to technical work, a DevOps Engineer also manages some aspects of project management.

DevOps Engineer roles and responsibilities may include:

CI/CD Management

It is not an exaggeration to state that CI/CD or continuous integration and continuous deployment are the heart of development and IT operations. The DevOps engineer is entrusted with the task of creation and maintenance of CI/CD pipelines. Those pipelines are prepared to automate the building, testing, and deploying of the code which in turn results in teams getting the ability to deliver new features and updates fast and efficiently.

Responsibilities:

• CI: Continuous integration means that when multiple developers merge code changes into a shared repository, such as using version control systems, Git or Github here, frequently automated test cases are run not only to merge those codes or to verify that the new code does not break the old one and is working as expected but also to verify if there are any issues with linting/ formatting, etc.
• CD: Continuous deployment works on top of CI. This means that not only are code changes integrated automatically but they are also moved into production environments whereby further human involvement is reduced.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

DevOps engineers use machine-readable scripts, as opposed to manual processes, to manage and provision computing infrastructure in IaC. They can achieve consistent and repeatable infrastructure configurations, reduce errors, and rapidly scale infrastructure.

Responsibilities: Developing and managing IaC scripts ensuring version control, monitoring, and consistency across environments in infrastructure.

Monitoring and Logging

A good monitoring system should be implemented to keep an eye on applications’ health status as well as their performance. Monitoring is very important for every organisation as it checks for system performance, downtime, etc. To do this a DevOps engineer will set up monitoring tools that will provide real-time insights into the system through dashboards.

Responsibilities: They work together with developers when it comes to debugging issues and monitoring the system health by use of tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or Datadog.

Collaboration and Communication

More a cultural movement than it is a set of software tools and processes. A DevOps engineer encourages cooperation between development and operations teams to achieve common goals. This includes things like establishing communication channels, holding regular meetings, and ensuring team transparency.

Responsibilities: Facilitating communication between teams, promoting shared responsibility culture, and organising retrospectives for continuous process improvement.

Security and Compliance

Security is important for every software company. It is important that the methodologies used in integrating security practices with the DevOps lifecycle referred to as DevSecOps must ensure application and data protection. For instance, a DevOps engineer would ensure that security is not just handled at the end but added into the entire development.

Responsibilities: Security controls implementation, security testing automation, industry standards compliance, and vulnerability management.

Automation

DevOps is all about automation. Efficiency can be realised to high levels as well as minimising human error by automating those repetitive tasks that the DevOps engineers undertake. This is what is referred to as Automation. This commonly includes deployment plus testing monitoring and even incident response automation.

Responsibilities: The engineer’s responsibility may include but is not limited to identifying automation opportunities, scripting or tool configuration for task automation, and sustaining automation frameworks.

Cloud Services Management

With the rise in the usage of cloud computing, managing cloud resources has also become part of DevOps engineer’s work. Hence to effectively and efficiently manage systems that are deployed on the cloud, DevOps engineers should have good hands on cloud computing to eliminate any extra cost on computing, resources, etc.

Responsibilities: May include managing cloud resources, reducing costs, ensuring high availability, and implementing disaster recovery plans.

DevOps Engineer Required Skills and Knowledge

DevOps is a software development methodology that combines software development with information technology operations to reduce the time between a company’s new software implementation and delivery. DevOps engineers are responsible for the design, development, deployment, and maintenance of software applications and services; hence the need for many skills in their field of practice.

Certain formal qualifications are required in some organisations, but not in others. The following are some fundamental technical and soft skills that a DevOps Engineer must possess:

Technical Skills

A solid technical foundation in software development, systems programming, networking, and cloud services is a prerequisite for becoming a DevOps engineer. Among the fundamental technical abilities are:

• Programming: Experience in programming languages like Python, Ruby, or JavaScript.
• Problem Solving: Data Structures and Algorithms.
• Scripting: Knowledge of shell scripting, Windows PowerShell, or Bash.
• VC Systems: Expertise in version control like Git, GitHub, or GitLab.
• Containerisation Tools: Expertise in containerisation tools like Kubernetes, Docker, etc.
• CI/CD Tools: Experience with Jenkins, GitLab CI, or CircleCI.
• Monitoring Tools: Experience in tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or Datadog.
• Configuration Management: Proficiency in tools like Ansible and Puppet.
• Cloud Platforms: Experience with cloud technologies like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

Soft Skills

To promote teamwork, communication, and leadership among other mates, a DevOps engineer needs to have excellent soft skills in addition to their technical expertise. Among them are:

• Communication: The capacity to explain intricate technological ideas to stakeholders who lack technical expertise.
• Cooperation: Managing cross-functional teams with efficiency.
• Problem-Solving: The capacity for rapid troubleshooting and analytical thought.
• Adaptability: The capacity to change to meet evolving business needs and technological demands.
• Leadership: Leading teams through transitions and encouraging the use of DevOps procedures.

DevOps Tools and Technologies

DevOps engineers accomplish their organisational goals by utilising tools and technologies designed to enhance productivity, streamline workflows, and ensure successful deployment and management of software applications.

Version Control Tools

Version control systems are tools to help in managing code changes and working with other developers. Git is the most popular VCS, it allows teams to track changes made, revert to old versions, and work together on code.

• Tools: Git, GitHub, GitLab, etc.

CI/CD Tools

The tools that we use for CI/CD automate the process of integrating new code changes, running tests on them and then deploying applications. Therefore, such tools are very key to having a fast and reliable software delivery pipeline.

• Tools: GitLab CI, Jenkins, SemaphoreCI, CircleCI, Bamboo.

Config Management Tools

The automation of configuration management can be defined as what is done by configuration management tools through managing and configuring servers and infrastructure to ensure uniformly configured systems that also can be easily scaled or replicated.

• Tools: Puppet, Ansible, SaltStack.

Infrastructure as a Code

IaC tools provide the ability for DevOps engineers to define and manage infrastructure through code thereby enabling version control. Automated provisioning plus ensuring consistent environments.

Tools: Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, Pulumi, Ansible.

Monitoring & Logging Tools

Monitoring and logging tools give real-time insights into the performance and health of applications and infrastructure. It helps DevOps engineers to detect and resolve issues pre-impact on users.

• Tools: Prometheus, Grafana, Nagios, Zabbix, New Relic.
• Logging Tools: ELK Stack, Splunk, Fluentd, Graylog.

Container & Orchestration Tools

Applications can be packaged with their dependencies (which is what Docker does) to ensure consistency across different environments. Orchestration tools are used to manage the deployment, scaling, service discovery, and operation of containers.

• Containerisation Tools: Docker, Podman
• Orchestration Tools: Kubernetes, Docker Swarm

Security Tools

Security tools are those that ensure the protection of applications and infrastructure against any possible harm. This means that DevOps engineers will have to integrate security into the CI/CD pipeline in addition to meeting compliance with industry standards.

• Tools: OWASP ZAP, Snyk, Aqua Security, HashiCorp Vault

Depending on the experience, location, industry, company size, and skill set of a given individual, salaries for DevOps Engineers can vary widely. DevOps Engineer Salary is one of the highest salaries in the world.

Experience-Level Salaries

Junior DevOps Engineers: Serving for fewer than 2 years should see average annual compensation anywhere from $62K to $85K. Those are just starting their career as a fresher.

Mid-Level DevOps Engineers: For 2-5 years of experience, on average, somewhere between $83,000 to $115,000 every year. Those functioning at this level are assumed to have in-depth knowledge of different tools, plus hands-on experience on the same, and also with various cloud platforms, etc.

Senior DevOps Engineers: Individuals with over five years of experience are paid as much as $123,000 to $165,000 or more on an annual basis. They should have significant previous experience in design and implementation for complex infrastructure solutions, team leadership, and driving DevOps strategy across the whole organisation.

Geographical Salary Variations

San Francisco Bay Area: Earnings in this region are among the highest due to the high cost of living and concentration of tech companies in the area, with experienced professionals earning an average between $136,300 to $163,400 per year.

New York City: Competitive salaries are offered by this city too, but they’re slightly less than those in the Bay Area. Average pay can be between $143,300 and $167,560.

DevOps Engineer Salary based on a geographical area like country, Top cities, etc. The US is one of the major locations for every technical guy to expect a high salary.  Countries other than the US including the UK, India, and Canada will have a different salary range. Let’s see the difference in salaries of DevOps engineers in countries other than the US.

United Kingdom: Experienced DevOps Engineers in London may expect to make between £67,530 and £93,800 a year, but in other areas such as Manchester or Birmingham, the range of pay is between £47,830 and £68,500.

Canada: For mid-to senior-level positions, salaries in locations like Toronto and Vancouver range from CAD 98,300 to CAD 123,850 per year.

India: In big software hubs like Bangalore or Hyderabad, experienced DevOps experts can expect to make between INR 8,75,600 and INR 16,60,500 per year.

Industry Variations

Salaries are affected by the size and shape of an employer too. Comparatively, for example, tech giants and financial institutions provide better returns than start-ups or small businesses. The average annual salary for a DevOps Engineer in technology is around $150,000, in banking it’s around $130,000; healthcare is $125,000, and start-up ranges from $90,000 to $120,000.

DevOps Training and Certifications

DevOps engineers are trained with various skills and technologies, to stay up-to-date with the current industry practices. DevOps engineers are in great demand as businesses depend more and more on them to increase productivity and optimise procedures.

Choosing the Best Training Program

Opting for the right training program is important to succeed in any certification. Below are some of the considerations:

• Is Curriculum Relevant? Ensure that the curriculum includes leading tools and techniques used in the industry.
• How Good is the Instructor? Consider courses led by experienced practitioners with a practical understanding of DevOps.
• Does it Provide Hands-on Experience? Preferably, go through a course that has labs, projects, or real-life scenarios to practically apply your knowledge.
• Which Courses are Accredited and Recognised? Choose courses offered by reputable organisations or institutions that have been recognised by the industry.
• Are There Flexible Options That Can Be Accessed Easily? Such programs as online classes should be taken into account when planning your schedule.

Top DevOps Certifications

Here are some of the most recognised and valuable certifications in DevOps today:

1. AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional

This certification is for people with experience in AWS operations, management, and provisioning. It encompasses aspects such as continuous delivery methodologies, monitoring as well as logging infrastructure code, and incident response.

By demonstrating a person’s technical proficiency in setting up, running, and overseeing distributed application systems on the AWS platform, the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional credential enhances their reputation and confidence among peers, stakeholders, and clients.

2. Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert

This certification aims at professionals who integrate technology, processes, and individuals to regularly provide valuable products and services that meet business objectives and end-user needs.

3. Hero Vired Certificate Program in DevOps & Cloud Engineering

Offered in collaboration with Microsoft, the Certificate Program in DevOps & Cloud Engineering at Hero Vired covers trending topics such as Software Development Life Cycle, Python Programming, AWS Cloud Development, and Serverless Architecture, with industry-ready specialisations like Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud Platform.

4. Google Cloud Professional DevOps Engineer

Professional Cloud DevOps Engineers implement processes throughout the systems development lifecycle using Google-recommended methodologies and tools. The focus of this accreditation is on the development of efficient operations that balance service reliability with speed by using GCP technologies.

5. Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)

Kubernetes administrators, cloud administrators, among other IT professionals in charge of managing Kubernetes instances should get this certificate.

6. Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)

The RHCE credential is awarded to Red Hat Enterprise Linux system administrators who have acquired the skills to manage these environments in an automated manner. A RHCE applies automation for productivity and creativity while integrating Red Hat’s cutting-edge technologies.

DevOps Best Practices

To become a better DevOps Engineer, there are some best practices that every engineer needs to follow to become good at software development and IT infrastructure operations. Here are some of the best practices:

• Continuous Feedback and Improvement

Continuous feedback is essential in software development process improvement. Therefore, DevOps engineers must implement the use of system logs or monitoring tools for real-time performance information which would allow them to quickly discover as well as address problems. They could also draw user feedback to locate any shortfalls.

• Automation

DevOps principles are based on automation. Automation can help to avoid errors, increase efficiency, and standardise processes. It encompasses automating building, testing, and deploying as well as provisioning infrastructure and monitoring.

• Collaborative Culture

Collaboration is a key part of DevOps culture. Accordingly, it means that the culture of DevOps engineering should foster shared responsibility and open communication with software developers, operations teams, and other stakeholders. This can be achieved through regular meetings, transparent processes, and fostering a blameless culture.

• DevSecOps

Security needs to be viewed as an integral part of the DevOps process unlike being an afterthought. To realise this objective, DevOps engineers should include security control measures throughout the CI/CD pipeline, schedule regular security assessments, and ensure compliance with industry standards. Practices like DevSecOps are what organisations need to develop secure applications right from their initiation stage.

• Measure and Improve

DevOps’s primary tenet is continual improvement. To maximise the software delivery pipeline, DevOps engineers should routinely assess the effectiveness of their procedures and instruments, pinpoint problem areas, and make necessary adjustments.

Challenges of Being a DevOps Engineer

• Continuous feedback and implementation can sometimes become a challenge for some engineers to resist.
• Cultural resistance is one of the major challenges facing any organisation that wants to adopt DevOps. Given this, teams that have embraced silo-based operations may manifest unwillingness to change thereby making it difficult for them to implement their DevOps practices. The DevOps engineers should endeavour to free these barriers and create an environment where collaboration is inevitable.
• There are many options available to a DevOps engineer looking for tools suitable for his or her company. This can cause tool inundation leading to complexity hence managing different tools and integrating them can become complicated. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate each tool against the company’s requirements before using it.
• Not getting the complete business requirements from the organisation may also become a challenge for DevOps engineers to tackle the situation in the future.
• Integrating security into the DevOps process can be challenging, especially in organisations that are used to treating security as a separate function. For this reason, DevOps engineers must make sure that they move security left which implies having security measures integrated at each stage of the development process.
• Most times, legacy systems do not fit into any structure required by DevOps in terms of speed and agility. Due to this fact, DevOps engineers have had difficulties incorporating these systems into their respective pipelines and sometimes they have resorted to coming up with custom solutions and workarounds.
• In addition, it may require training and development budgets from organisations as finding skilled professionals who possess multiple qualities can be hard.

Future of DevOps

The future of DevOps engineers is bright, new technologies are coming on the way, and demand for engineers is increasing day by day, and they are expected to get a huge amount of salary in the future. There is continued growth and innovation in the field which makes the future of DevOps too bright. With the increased adoption of cloud computing, microservices, and AI/ML by organisations, there will be more demand for skilled DevOps engineers. Other emerging trends that shape the future of DevOps include GitOps, AIOps, and NoOps hence bringing new challenges and opportunities for DevOps engineers.

Conclusion

DevOps is a field that is booming nowadays, and DevOps engineers are in greater demand by technical and non-technical organisations. In this article, we have covered the DevOps engineer roles and responsibilities in detail along with the skills, and educational qualifications required to become a great DevOps engineer. Different tools and technologies, along with the training and certifications of DevOps Engineers have also been provided in the article.

The demand for skilled DevOps engineers will only increase as DevOps gains further traction. The future looks promising for DevOps engineers—and their salaries—across organisations. By embracing the latest tools and practices and continually refining their skills, DevOps engineers can position themselves for a rewarding, high-paying career in this exciting field.