DevOps Roadmap for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Getting Started

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DevOps Roadmap

For beginners, the roadmap starts with learning the basics of agile development, continuous integration and delivery, and tools like Docker and Kubernetes. From there, it’s important to develop strong communication, collaboration, and automation skills to streamline the DevOps process and drive business impact.

This is the prologue to the epilogue. Stay tuned for more!

Basics of Linux OS

Linux is an open-source operating system with a range of tools and functions that are useful for developers. It is highly configurable and can be tailored to meet the needs of various industries. One advantage of Linux is that it can be customized to meet the needs of different types of users.

There are many Linux commands that are useful for developers in DevOps. Some essential commands include how to navigate the file system, how to move, copy and delete files, how to view the contents of a file, how to search for a particular string in a file, how to manipulate file permissions, how to process data using filters, and so on.

To navigate the file system, developers can use the ‘cd’ or change directory command to switch directories, the ‘ls’ command to list the contents of a directory, and the ‘pwd’ command to display the current working directory.

To process data using filters, Linux offers a range of commands such as ‘grep’ to search for text patterns in a file, ‘sed’ to manipulate text and ‘awk’ to process and output data in various formats.

Other important Linux commands that are useful for DevOps include ‘chmod’, ‘chown’ and ‘umask’ commands to manipulate file permissions, and the ‘mkdir’ and ‘rmdir’ commands to create and remove directories.

These commands (and more) will be covered in depth.

ACCESS IT HERE – A Comprehensive Guide to Linux for DevOps

Networking Basics

Networking is a crucial aspect of DevOps. In this part, we’ll cover some of the basics of networking that DevOps engineers should be familiar with.

In DevOps, it’s important to be aware of the various networking protocols that are commonly used, such as TCP/IP, HTTP, and DNS. For example, TCP/IP is the protocol that allows devices to connect and communicate with each other over the internet.

Another critical aspect of networking in DevOps is security. DevOps engineers must understand the different security protocols and technologies used to secure networks, such as firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), and encryption.

Finally, it’s important to understand how different application architectures can impact networking. For example, microservices architecture can place a heavy load on the network due to the increased number of communication pathways between services.

Linux Terminal

This part will cover the Linux terminal, which is crucial for DevOps teams as it provides a powerful command-line interface to manage various tasks such as deployments, monitoring, and debugging. With a wide range of command-line utilities available, developers can perform most of the tasks from the terminal. This helps reduce the reliance on GUI-based tools and makes scripts and automation a lot simpler.

The terminal allows developers to create scripts to automate repetitive tasks, such as setting up environments or deploying code to servers. Shell scripting on the terminal can allow for powerful logic and complex automation. Furthermore, using the terminal can make it easier to manage infrastructure, as tools such as SSH allow for remote server access.

One of the most important aspects of the terminal for DevOps is using version control systems such as git. Linux is the preferred operating system for git, as the terminal allows the developer to interact with the code repositories more effectively. DevOps teams can use the terminal to deploy code directly to servers and monitor processes running on them with tools such as top, htop, and tail.

Virtualization

Virtualization is an essential part of DevOps as it allows more efficient use of resources and enables developers to create and test their applications in a controlled environment. Virtualization allows developers to create multiple “virtual” machines on a single physical machine, each with its own operating system, software and settings. This way, developers can test their applications in different environments without the need for multiple physical machines, which saves time and money.

In addition to testing, virtualization also enables teams to create a reproducible infrastructure. By defining the necessary components of an application environment, building an infrastructure, and then saving a snapshot of that infrastructure as a virtual image, developers can then easily recreate that environment anywhere it’s needed.

Furthermore, virtualization allows for easy scaling and deployment, crucial for modern cloud-based technologies. By virtualizing infrastructure, developers can easily deploy applications to the cloud via containers, which also have their own benefits to DevOps as a whole.

Text Editors (Vim/Nano)

Both Vim and Nano are widely used text editors in the DevOps world. They are both lightweight and terminal-based, making them ideal for managing files and configurations on remote servers.

Vim is a popular editor among Linux users due to its flexibility and powerful shortcuts. It has many features that can be customized to match the user’s workflow, such as support for multiple modes (normal, insert, visual, etc.), plugins, syntax highlighting and search/replace functionality. Vim can also be used in combination with other tools to improve DevOps tasks such as Git, Docker, and Kubernetes.

Nano, on the other hand, is a simpler alternative to Vim and is often the default text editor on many Linux distributions. It has a more intuitive user interface and is easier to learn, making it more accessible for beginners. Nano has some features similar to Vim, such as syntax highlighting and shortcut keys, but it’s not as powerful or customizable as Vim.

Bash Scripting

Bash scripting can be a powerful tool for automation in a DevOps environment. With Bash, you can write scripts to perform tasks such as deploying code, configuring servers, and monitoring systems.

One advantage of Bash scripting in DevOps is its simplicity and ease of use. Bash scripts can be written quickly and easily, allowing DevOps teams to automate repetitive tasks and focus on more complex work.

Another advantage of Bash scripting is its versatility. Bash can be used on any Unix-like system, making it an ideal choice for DevOps teams that need to work across multiple platforms.

However, it is important to note that Bash scripting does require some knowledge and experience. DevOps teams should ensure that their members are properly trained and have a good understanding of Bash scripting best practices before implementing it in their workflow and in this part, bash scripting will be introduced.

Web Server Software

When it comes to web server software, the two most commonly used options are Apache and nginx. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and as a devops professional, it’s important to understand the differences between the two.

Apache is a tried-and-true solution that has been around since the mid-1990s. It’s known for its stability and feature-richness, with a wide range of modules available to extend its functionality. Apache is often used in conjunction with the PHP programming language and the MySQL database management system, forming the popular LAMP stack.

nginx, on the other hand, is a more modern solution that has gained popularity in recent years due to its speed and efficiency. It’s designed to handle large amounts of concurrent connections with minimal memory usage, which makes it a good choice for high-traffic websites and web applications. nginx is often used as a reverse proxy, load balancer, or caching server.

As a devops professional, you’ll need to be familiar with both Apache and nginx, as well as other web server software options. You’ll need to know how to configure these servers for optimal performance and security, and how to troubleshoot and diagnose problems that may arise. Whether you opt for Apache, nginx, or another web server software, it’s critical to stay up-to-date with the latest updates and security patches to keep your applications running smoothly.

Proxy and Load Balancing with Nginx

Load balancing and proxying are useful tools in devops for distributing traffic across multiple servers. Nginx, a popular web server and proxy server, can be used to effectively balance traffic to improve overall system performance.

Load balancing with Nginx involves distributing incoming traffic among multiple servers to improve server utilization and reduce downtime. With Nginx, it is possible to configure various load balancing algorithms, such as round-robin, IP hash, and least connections. These algorithms can be used to distribute traffic in different ways based on server load, server performance, or other factors.

Proxying with Nginx involves forwarding requests from clients to one or more servers. Nginx can be configured as a reverse proxy, forwarding requests from the internet to internal systems. This adds an extra layer of security by hiding the internal systems from direct internet access. Nginx can also be used as a forward proxy to control access to external resources and to cache frequently used resources.

Additionally, Nginx supports SSL termination, which decrypts incoming traffic and re-encrypts it for transmission to internal systems. This improves security by reducing the number of systems that must maintain an SSL certificate.

Linux Containers

Linux Containers have become an essential part of the DevOps approach to software development and deployment. DevOps teams use Linux Containers to create isolated environments that can run different applications or services with their dependencies, configurations, and libraries. This makes it easier to develop, test, and deploy software across different environments, without worrying about compatibility issues or conflicts.

One significant advantage of using Linux Containers in DevOps is that they provide a consistent and reproducible environment for software development and deployment. With Linux Containers, DevOps teams can create identical environments for development, testing, and production stages, ensuring that the software behaves the same way across all stages. This makes it easier to find and fix bugs, and it reduces the risk of issues occurring in production.

Moreover, Linux Containers are lightweight compared with traditional virtual machines, making them faster and more efficient. They make it possible to deploy and scale applications quickly, without the need to provision and configure new infrastructure.

Introduction to Docker

Docker has become an increasingly popular tool for DevOps teams due to its ability to simplify the process of deploying and managing applications. Docker containers isolate applications within a system, allowing developers to package all the necessary components of an application, including dependencies and libraries, into a single deployable unit. This creates a consistent and repeatable environment, making it easier for developers to test and deploy their applications. Docker also allows for seamless deployment in a variety of environments, from development to production, making it a powerful tool for DevOps teams.

Introduction to LXC

LXC, or Linux Containers, is a lightweight virtualization technology that has gained popularity in the DevOps community due to its flexibility and scalability. With LXC, developers and system administrators can easily create and manage isolated environments that mimic production environments, without the overhead of traditional virtual machines.

LXC uses a container runtime to isolate applications and services, allowing them to run securely on a shared host without interfering with each other. This makes it a valuable tool for DevOps teams that need to deploy complex applications across multiple environments and platforms.

LXC also offers a range of tools for managing containers, including command-line tools, APIs, and web interfaces. This makes it easy to automate container management tasks and integrate LXC into existing DevOps workflows.

What’s Next?

For the Epilogue, I will cover the following topics (but not limited to):

• Versioning with Git
• Infrastructure Management
• CI/CD Tools
• Monitoring
• Cloud Platforms

… and more. Stay tuned!

Stay tuned for the next part of the series! Access the complete DevOps series by clicking HERE