WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS IN FOLLOWING DEVOPS PRACTICES?

 

INTRO

DevOps is a combination of the word’s "development" and "operations." In practice, it signifies a collaboration between development and operations teams. DevOps is a software development methodology that is frequently viewed as a process, a culture, or a framework of principles that enables organizations to deliver products quickly and on an ongoing basis.

 

KEY PURPOSE OF DEVOPS

DevOps was developed to address the problems arising from the traditional practice of having isolated teams—where development, testing, and operations work separately on a single product. This separation often leads to inefficiencies, as each team has distinct priorities, tasks, and schedules that may not align with one another. The primary aim of DevOps is to establish a more unified development cycle. Additionally, embracing a DevOps culture can lead to greater team efficiency, quicker release cycles, and more effective feedback systems.

 

DEVOPS PRACTICES

A few essential practices define DevOps. These include:

Continuous integration (CI): Continuous integration involves the ongoing incorporation of feedback from stakeholders and fixes into a product. This can involve automating the integration of fixes and fostering a culture where continuous integration is the norm.

Continuous delivery (CD): Continuous delivery refers to the automatic integration of changes to a product, typically code. This rapid delivery method ensures that the product is always in a deployable state, allowing for code deployments in short intervals (daily, weekly, etc.).

Continuous testing: This process aims to enhance software development efficiency by testing and gathering automated feedback throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC). By deploying all code changes to a testing environment after the build stage, teams can identify bugs before they escalate into larger problems.

Together, continuous integration and continuous delivery are commonly known as CI/CD. Taking these practices further, continuous deployment introduces a routine of real-time monitoring, testing, and updating products post-launch. In a DevOps environment, organizations often opt for smaller, more frequent product updates that respond more effectively to customer feedback, as opposed to the large, labor-intensive updates that isolated teams might implement.

 

DEVOPS LIFECYCLE

The DevOps lifecycle, which is occasionally called the continuous delivery pipeline when shown in a linear format, consists of a series of iterative and automated development processes, or workflows. These workflows are part of a larger automated and iterative development lifecycle that aims to improve the rapid delivery of high-quality software. The eight different steps of lifecycle are as follows: 

                                                               

 

PLANNING

In this process, teams identify new features and functions for the upcoming release by considering prioritized user feedback, case studies, and contributions from all internal stakeholders. The aim of the planning phase is to optimize the product's business value by creating a backlog of features that improve its overall value.

 CODING

        In this programming step, developers focus on coding and refining features based on user stories and backlog items. They frequently utilize practices such as test-driven development (TDD), pair programming, and peer code reviews. Typically, developers write and test their code on local workstations before it enters the continuous delivery pipeline.

 BUILDING

        During this workflow, new code is integrated into the existing code base, after which it is tested and prepared for release and deployment. Common automation tasks include merging code changes into a master version, verifying code from a source code repository, and automating the compilation, unit testing, and packaging into an executable file. It is considered best practice to store the output from the CI phase in a binary repository for the next stage.

 TESTING

        Teams implement testing, often through automation, to ensure that the application meets established standards and requirements. Traditionally, the DevOps methodology includes a distinct test phase situated between building and release. However, DevOps has progressed, allowing testing activities to occur at multiple points such as planning (behavior-driven development), development (unit testing, contract testing), integration (static code scans, CVE scans, linting), deployment (smoke testing, penetration testing, configuration testing), operations (chaos testing, compliance testing), and learning (A/B testing). Continuous testing serves as a robust means of identifying risks and vulnerabilities, providing IT with chances to accept, mitigate, or address these risks. Additionally, shift-left testing focuses on incorporating testing activities earlier in the software development cycle, leading to improved product quality, greater test coverage, consistent feedback loops, and a quicker time to market.

RELEASE

        The release stage is the final step before users can access the application. In this phase, the runtime build output from integration is deployed to a runtime environment, typically a development environment, where runtime tests are conducted to ensure quality, compliance, and security. If any errors or defects are detected, developers have the opportunity to address and fix these issues before users encounter them. Generally, there are separate environments for development, testing, and production, with each requiring increasingly stringent quality checks. Once developers have resolved all identified issues and the application meets the necessary requirements, the operations team verifies that it is ready for deployment and integrates it into the production environment.

 DEPLOY

        Deployment refers to the process of moving a project into a production environment, allowing users to access the updated application. This involves setting up and configuring the necessary infrastructure, often utilizing infrastructure as code, followed by the deployment of the application code. A recommended approach for deploying to a production environment is to initially release the changes to a small group of end users, and then gradually roll it out to all users once stability has been confirmed.

 OPERATE

        During this phase, teams ensure that all features are functioning properly and that there are no service disruptions. They verify that the network, storage, platform, computing, and security systems are all in good condition. If any issues arise, the operations teams will identify the incident, notify the appropriate personnel, troubleshoot the problems, and implement solutions.

 MONITOR

        This is the collection of feedback from users and customers regarding features, functions, performance, and business value, which will be used to inform planning for enhancements and new features in the next release. It also encompasses any insights and backlog items from operational activities that can assist developers in proactively preventing known incidents from happening again. This marks the transition back to the planning phase, fostering continuous improvement.

 

  BENEFITS

       Some benefits of DevOps include:

·        Faster, better product delivery

·        Faster issue resolution and reduced complexity

·        Greater scalability and availability

·        More stable operating environments

·        Better resource utilization

·        Greater automation

·        Greater visibility into system outcomes

·        Greater innovation

 

DEVOPS TOOLS

While DevOps is primarily a mindset, there are various automation tools that can enhance the efficiency of DevOps processes:

Git: Git serves as a version control system. In the context of DevOps, it helps track code changes and facilitates collaboration among team members on projects, allowing for updates to existing code.

Docker: Docker is utilized for containerizing applications, which involves packaging an application into a single software unit.

Jenkins: Jenkins is a tool designed for creating CI/CD pipelines, enabling developers to build, test, and deploy software seamlessly.

Kubernetes: Often used in DevOps, Kubernetes acts as a container orchestration tool.     

 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, implementing DevOps practices provides a range of benefits that can significantly improve an organization’s software development and delivery processes. By creating a culture of collaboration and communication between development and operations teams, DevOps allows for faster and more reliable software releases. Automating repetitive tasks and utilizing continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines helps to streamline workflows, reduce errors, and enhance overall efficiency. Additionally, DevOps practices encourage a proactive approach to monitoring and maintenance, which leads to quicker identification and resolution of issues. Ultimately, the adoption of DevOps practices results in higher-quality software, increased customer satisfaction, and a more agile and responsive organization.