What is DevOps?

As the name suggests, DevOps combines development and operations, allowing modern businesses to create and iterate software more efficiently. This hybrid approach helps companies deliver high-quality products faster — and, ideally, beat their competitors to the punch.

DevOps is an engineering workflow methodology that brings together development and operations teams for seamless collaboration. These employees work closely together to design, build, and refine software applications.

The traditional software development model mostly separated operations and development teams. Software Developers would create an application, then hand it over to the operations team for deployment and management. If any issues occurred, the operations team would send it back for the Software Developers to correct — a process that could take days or even weeks.

DevOps breaks down these silos by encouraging collaboration and shortening feedback loops. Instead of working independently, all team members review applications at every stage. That way, they can catch issues early and make necessary improvements immediately.

While this approach might sound revolutionary, its core ideas have been around for over two decades(opens new window). In 2001, a group of tech professionals published the Agile Manifesto, introducing a new methodology for software development. The Manifesto emphasised the importance of frequent feedback, laying the foundation for DevOps.

In 2009, John Allspaw and Paul Hammond presented a paper at the Velocity Conference titled “10+ Deploys Per Day: Dev and Ops Cooperation at Flickr(opens new window).” Inspired by this paper and Agile practices, Patrick Debois organised the first DevOps Days in Belgium, officially starting a new movement.

The DevOps methodology is built on several guiding principles that businesses can adapt to their specific projects.

Most obviously, this model revolves around collaboration between cross-functional teams. Professionals work closely throughout the entire development process, sharing expertise and resources. This teamwork can empower them to create more innovative and effective products than they could have separately.

DevOps also encourages teams to automate processes to improve efficiency. For example, professionals might automate testing after every code change to double-check that the application still functions correctly. Many DevOps teams also use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to automatically configure and manage infrastructure. Automating these routine tasks can save significant time and reduce the risk of costly mistakes.

Building on Agile development principles, continuous feedback and improvement are also core DevOps values. Tools like Datadog and Prometheus help teams monitor performance and identify opportunities for improvement. For example, if you notice glitches recorded in the system logs, you can quickly review the code to find the root cause. DevOps teams also gather feedback from colleagues and users regularly, promoting a culture of transparency and continuous improvement.

DevOps offers several significant advantages, contributing to its widespread popularity.

DevOps speeds up software delivery by streamlining the development process. When projects move smoothly through every stage, time-to-market decreases, reducing project costs. Faster releases also improve customer satisfaction and retention.

Traditionally, development teams gathered feedback only near the end of the process — often when it was too late to make significant changes. By contrast, DevOps enables continuous feedback throughout the development lifecycle, allowing teams to address issues as they appear. The result? A more polished product, perfectly tailored to the end user.

Treating security like an afterthought can leave applications vulnerable to cyber threats and data breaches. Plus, there’s always the risk that last-minute security practices will negatively affect the software’s performance.

Businesses can avoid these issues by adopting DevSecOps. This model works like regular DevOps, but it also integrates the security team into the entire application lifecycle. By designing systems with security in mind from the very beginning, companies can increase compliance and mitigate vulnerabilities.

The DevOps lifecycle consists of five distinct phases:

The two teams collaborate to create a detailed project plan. This process involves prioritising tasks, setting deadlines, and developing a realistic budget. The collaborators also define their roles and delegate tasks, reducing the risk of future conflict or miscommunication.

This phase involves the nitty-gritty tasks of building an application, such as writing code and designing product features. Developers typically take the lead here, but the operations team is still closely involved throughout the process.

Individual team members typically often work on code independently, especially in remote work environments. Continuous integration allows them to frequently merge their code into a central repository. That way, every member can instantly see any changes made, reducing the risk of duplicate code.

This process is also essential for quality assurance, as it enables teams to continually check each other’s work. Catching errors earlier makes them easier and less expensive to fix.

DevOps doesn’t stop after a business officially releases an application. Dev and ops teams typically continue to refine the software after the launch, updating features and making improvements. With continuous deployment, they can automatically push new features and other changes to users, allowing them to quickly respond to customer feedback.

Once an application is live, the DevOps team must also monitor and maintain software performance. Many issues can arise in the blink of an eye, from cyberattacks to unexpected issues. By automatically tracking performance metrics and setting up alerts for potential issues, the team can intervene quickly and resolve incidents.

If you want to contribute to development and operations teams, you’ll need to understand a few essential practices:

There are plenty of resources available to help you learn these practices. For example, Coursera and Udemy offer free online courses on CI and CD. You can also watch tutorials on YouTube and other video platforms.

Tech professionals rely on a wide range of tools to streamline and automate DevOps workflows. While mastering every technology isn’t necessary, especially at the beginning of your career, you should at least be familiar with key tools you might encounter on the job.

Jenkins(opens new window) is an open-source automation software that enables continuous integration and continuous delivery. DevOps professionals use this tool to build and test applications. The platform features hundreds of plugins for easy integration with other services, such as Amazon Web Services and Zoho.

Kubernetes(opens new window) and Docker(opens new window) often go hand-in-hand to develop and deploy software. Docker allows users to build and operate container applications that don’t require their own infrastructure. Developers can then use Kubernetes to manage and scale these containers. These applications save time, allowing DevOps teams to focus on designing unique software instead of creating everything from scratch.

For monitoring and analytics, many DevOps teams turn to two free tools: Prometheus(opens new window) and Grafana(opens new window). Prometheus is a powerful open-source monitoring tool that continuously tracks your application’s performance. It offers real-time alerting, so you can instantly get notified of any problems.

Meanwhile, Grafana is an open-source analytics tool. It integrates with Prometheus and many other data sources, allowing you to compile all your performance data in one place. You can also transform this information into accessible data visualisations, making it easy to spot trends. For example, if you notice that your software tends to log errors at a specific time, you can investigate more closely to determine the reason.

As more companies adopt DevOps, it’s become one of the highest-paying tech jobs. According to Glassdoor, DevOps Engineers in the UK earn an average salary of £49K. It’s also a top career choice for introverts who balance a mixture of independent work and energetic collaboration.

Of course, you don’t need to become a DevOps Engineer to embrace this methodology. No matter your role, you can help promote a DevOps culture in your organisation by following these steps.

Convincing colleagues and managers to try DevOps practices can feel like an uphill battle. If your development and operations teams are firmly siloed, they might resist your invitation to collaborate. Plus, many people get attached to their familiar software delivery process and feel reluctant to overhaul it.

Luckily, you don’t need to jump into the deep end with DevOps right away. Instead, start gradually with low-stakes pilot projects. For example, you might practice monitoring an older project with Prometheus or encourage your team to give each other feedback using a tool like GitHub. These initiatives will help you introduce the DevOps process without the pressure of strict deadlines or major risks.

As your team gains confidence, you can slowly begin integrating more DevOps best practices into your projects. This could involve setting up a continuous integration tool like Jenkins or GitLab or adding continuous delivery for minor features. This gradual approach will allow your team to see the benefits of DevOps for themselves without overwhelming them.

DevOps isn’t the responsibility of one individual or team; it’s an organisational philosophy requiring universal support to implement. Many people, however, are wary about new tech frameworks. Change can be scary, especially for people who are used to working a different way.

Earning stakeholder buy-in is key to DevOps success. Start by gaining the support of leadership by educating them about the benefits of DevOps, such as improved collaboration and faster time-to-market. Consider using case studies and statistics to make your appeal more compelling. You could also develop a pilot project so the stakeholders can see the results of DevOps for themselves.

Once you’ve secured leadership support, it’s time to get the development and operations teams to buy in. This might be trickier, but don’t feel discouraged. Emphasise how DevOps can streamline their workloads by automating repetitive tasks and prioritising continuous feedback. Additionally, be sure to tout the benefits of increased collaboration and efficiency, which can reduce stress and boost productivity.

At its core, DevOps is all about striving for continuous improvement. The best DevOps teams are dedicated to perfecting their products, returning to them as often as needed to keep everything working flawlessly.

At first, this process might sound exhausting or frustrating — after all, you don’t want to get stuck in an endless cycle of adjustments and updates. However, prioritising continuous improvement will help you provide the best user experience and maintain customer satisfaction. It can also save time in the long-run by allowing you to develop a strong foundation for your applications. That way, you’re less likely to encounter significant issues like bugs or security vulnerabilities when you deploy the finished product.

DevOps has surged in popularity as organisations search for new ways to increase efficiency and gain a competitive edge. In 2024, approximately 10% of permanent tech job postings(opens new window) in the UK required DevOps skills, underscoring its growing importance.

A Multiverse tech apprenticeship can help you gain hands-on experience with DevOps methodologies and tools. Our 15-month Software Engineering programme teaches you how to develop full-stack applications in agile environments. Our structured modules cover a wide array of topics, from automation to CI/CD. Our knowledgeable coaches can also help you chart a career progression framework in tech to grow on your existing career path and interests.

Take the next step on your DevOps journey(opens new window) by completing our quick application today.