What are the most important skills for DevOps professionals?

I'll simplify the question, is coding require in DevOps? Yes, you are sharing space with the development teams, and you'll need to not only manage cloud resources but also deal with package managers, containerization/virtualization, and automate tasks (scripting). You'll less likely need to work on logical programming but rather learn to automate tasks, procure Infrastructre using Code (IaC) and Configuration Management (Ansible).

Some skills need to have: - network and infrastructure - git - Cloud - IAC - Config Management - Code - CICD - Monitoring & Obsevability

Coding and scripting skills are absolutely necessary for DevOps Engineers who want to evolve overtime. Some will say that programming is not necessary to be a DevOps and only need to know how to make use of some tools and solutions. But that is not absolutely true in my opinion. We, as DevOps engineers, may not need to write logical programming for business use-cases but we need to have the deep understanding of how a programming language works and how we can run and debug the code whenever necessary.

DevOps professionals require a multifaceted skill set. Key skills include proficiency in automation tools, coding/scripting (e.g. Python), understanding of version control systems, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), cloud platforms, and containerization (e.g., Docker). Collaboration and communication skills are crucial, as DevOps emphasizes teamwork and seamless integration between development and operations. Problem-solving, adaptability, and a strong focus on security are also essential for successful DevOps practitioners. Continuous learning and a holistic understanding of the software development lifecycle round out the skill set.

DevOps is a practice which is adopted differently by software companies. It does include, but never limited to infrastructure, streamlining software build, packaging and faster go-to-market strategy. As DevOps you work on design principles developing software pieces that would work hand-in-hand business critical solutions, which we also categorise as non-functional features. So, to me a DevOps has equal contribution to the overall SDLC.

DevOps professionals require a multifaceted skill set with proficiency in automation, scripting, configuration management, and version control. Competence in CI/CD tools and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for automating development pipelines and managing infrastructure efficiently. Adept at monitoring and logging tools to ensure system performance and possess expertise in containerization and orchestration tools like Kubernetes. Collaboration and communication skills are key for bridging the gap between development and operations teams. Familiarity with cloud platforms, problem-solving abilities, and a commitment to continuous learning round out the pivotal skills needed to navigate the dynamic and evolving landscape of DevOps.

DevOps professionals must require multiple skill sets with automation, scripting, networking, and a solid understanding of cloud and cloud-native tools. As regards Infrastructure and cloud, Infrastructure as a code is the main part of the DevOps category. We can do our all cloud infrastructure build processes using code like Terraform, Ansible, AWS Cloudformation, etc. Software development process developers and professionals must understand these infrastructure things and containerize platforms like docker and Kubernetes. One suggestion is regarding infrastructure and the cloud one important thing is monitoring. So we build infrastructure correctly and after that DevOps professionals must monitor this infrastructure time.

For junior DevOps engineers, knowing how to code isn’t an immediate requirement. However, as you progress within your role and encounter different technologies it’s ideal to learn python and popular tools. This will help you expand your knowledge e.g. creating lambda functions, but it will also make you an asset within your company as not many people are proficient in certain tools e.g. Kubernetes. When getting started, the main things you should focus your learning on are Git, Linux/Bash, Terraform, CI/CD pipelines, Agile, computer networking, and specialising in one of the main cloud providers. The most important thing is that you’re actively trying to learn and understand things without stretching yourself too thin.

Regardless of the cloud platform, for beginners learning terraform will be a perfect start as it is cloud agnostic. Infrastructure as a Code has become a benchmark process set by many enterprises. Every company doesn’t need to follow terraform.There are many companies which follow different IaaC such as companies who use Azure are use bicep/ARM Templates, for was are using Cloud formation,etc. There are many tools like ansible, Jenkins which will take care of maintaining the infrastructure.

Demonstrating the use of not only skills such as Infrastructure and Cloud but also FinOps brings maximum value to the project, reduces maintenance costs, allows the use of freed up resources due to optimization or proper planning for project improvement and experimentation.

As a DevOps engineer, it must be a culture to have the mindset of you need to have test/stage environment and have the capability to monitor your infrastructure and applications before utilizing test and monitoring tools.

This also become a key points on DevOps how we ensure delivery to user/customer more valuable, do test and monitored it. With test at least we can detect early if any problem, and we monitoring to understand the impact also you can't improved if you cant measured it.

DevOps professionals are not only building infrastructure and automation things. Yes, their major priority is building and automation. But need to focus on testing and monitoring as well. Regarding testing DevOps developers use continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for use like jankings, Argocd, etc. Monitoring is another main factor. Why do we need monitoring? So DevOps professionals need to monitor their infrastructure to identify issues quickly and easily. So we can use lots of monitoring tools like Grafana, Prometheus, AWS CloudWatch, Azure Monitoring, and Datadog for the monitoring part. So monitoring is useful for identifying system performance and issues. This is a very important skill for DevOps.

Testing and monitoring are critical skills for DevOps professionals, ensuring high-quality software delivery. Proficiency with testing tools like Selenium, JUnit, PyTest, and Cucumber is necessary for performing unit, integration, functional, and performance testing. Familiarity with monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, and Datadog is essential for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing metrics, logs, and alerts. In an interview, demonstrate your ability to write, execute, and report on test cases, and use monitoring tools to identify and resolve issues.

testing and monitoring are crucial for delivering high-quality software rapidly. I have used tools like Selenium, JUnit, and PyTest for various types of testing, ensuring robust and reliable applications. An example is integrating Prometheus and Grafana for real-time monitoring and alerting in a microservices architecture, which helped identify and resolve issues promptly. To showcase these skills in an interview, I demonstrate my ability to write, execute, and report on test cases, as well as use monitoring tools to analyze metrics, logs, and alerts effectively.

I feel communication and collaboration are two biggest factors in becoming a successful devops. Devops engineer should be smart enough to figure out blockers, slowing down software development lifecycle and then communicate about those and collaborate with other teams to find a solution to those problems. It’s not always that problems would be devops specific, but the ability to navigate cultural dynamics and team politics to be able to get things done, that in my experience is the biggest asset of a devops engineer .

The paramount skill is communication and collaboration, it breaks down silos, aligning goals across teams—development, operations, testing, and security. Effective communication ensures complex technical issues are understood by all, facilitating informed decision-making. Collaboration leverages diverse skills for innovation and problem-solving. Using tools like Slack and Jira, DevOps professionals must excel in listening, empathizing, and adapting. Successful DevOps culture hinges not just on tools, but on interpersonal skills, fostering an environment of mutual respect and trust. Demonstrating these skills, through examples of teamwork and problem-solving, is key to proving one's capability in a DevOps role.

The effective communication and collaboration skills are essential for working in cross-functional teams. DevOps professionals should be able to communicate ideas, share knowledge, and collaborate with developers, operations teams, and other stakeholders.

For me personally, these are the two biggest factors in a DevOps Engineers growth and success. DevOps in itself is not a job title, but a methodology with people at the forefront. People over process over tools.

Communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills are vital, as DevOps requires working closely with various teams and resolving complex issues.

Devops engineers are often faced with complex problems that require creative solutions. They should be able to think critically and come up with innovative ways to address issues.

Problem solving and troubleshooting has got to be the forefront skills of any software engineer, my practical takeaways, ? Prepare Test Plan and Rollback plan for problem solving and solution implementation ? Perform RCA and prepare documentation, helps you deep-dive into problems ? Reflect and discuss ideas with team, gets you new perspectives and establish feedback loop.

En el tiempo de experiencia que tengo en el mundo devops, es fundamental y la más importante para mi la capacidad de lograr encontrar una solución sostenible ante diferentes tipos de problemas y además tener la capacidad de poder explicar dicha solución y aceptar las modificaciones que te hagan, con el tiempo tendrás un grupos de herramientas que te permitirá resolver problemas con mayor prontitud pero siempre hay que estar listo para algo completamente diferente

Juggling rapid release cycles while maintaining reliability demands creative solutions to unexpected issues. When production incidents inevitably occur, DevOps engineers must investigate root causes through thoughtful analysis of system interactions rather than jumping to conclusions. Implementing new tools and infrastructure requires evaluating tradeoffs between options and charting an optimal path forward. Collaboration with other teams also relies on tactfully explaining technical constraints or challenges to find the best way to move forward together. By approaching problems with patience and logic rather than reactionary panic, DevOps teams provide the stable foundations that ambitious engineering organizations need to thrive.

In my previous experiences, beyond fast learning, problem-solving, and critical thinking, one of the most important aspects and soft skills is proactivity. Being proactive makes all the difference in this field, as you need to always be alert to what is happening in your environment, as well as outside, to understand how your own infrastructure can be improved.

To be a successful DevOps professional, you must strive to learn every day. Being hungry for new knowledge is crucial as the technology is constantly evolving. Having a membership to a continuous learning platform is a must if you want to grow your career. Being ahead of the pack will grant you more opportunities for growth and better compensation. Become a leader by learning something new at every opportunity.

Mastering the technical skills and fundamentals DevOps professionals get bright in this very competitive field with continuous learning and curiosity. This DevOps field highly demands an insatiable appetite for the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. So continuous learning is very important and showcase your learning sources those blogs, podcasts, courses, and personal projects fueled by curiosity and demonstrate that your thirst for knowledge is as boundless as the potential of DevOps itself. Always share your knowledge with others using blog posts, YouTube videos, and other things. In this field continuous learning and curiosity a very important factors to survive your job role.

You need to have a "How can I automate this" mindset. Most things in DevOps revolve around automating manual processes, and having such a mindset helps.

Don't get addicted to tools. Tools only exist to solve problems. As a devops engineer, you're in the problem solving business not tool fixation.

Like Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment are the fundamental principles of DevOps culture, continuous learning is the most important skill for DevOps professionals. Each project has different requirements and one has to have the eagerness to learn the new tools, technolgies, cloud platforms etc. I would say that all other technical skills can be achieved if there is enough passion for the continuous learning.

DevOps is a journey: + It is a philosophy. + It is a culture. + It's a set of practices and methodologies for delivering value to customers. + It's about communication, empathy, and a willingness to grow beyond one's comfort zone. + It's pragmatic + It's a partnership DevOps is NOT: + It is not a job title. + It's not a checkbox for the resume. + It is not a team. + It is not a tool. + It is not CI/CD + It is not K8s + It's not about technology + It is not a race. It takes time, effort, and the understanding that you'll never truly be done -- there's always something else to improve. I'd suggest looking at Gene Kim's "The Three Ways" for more information.

Besides everything already mentioned (Coding and Scripting, Infrastructure and Cloud, Testing and Monitoring, Communication and Collaboration, Problem solving and critical thinking, Continuous Learning and Curiosity), I would like to suggest incorporating these additional considerations into your skill set to further enhance your effectiveness as a "DevOps professional" and contribute to the success of your organization's DevOps Initiatives: Agile Methodologies, Version Control, Configuration Management, Container Orchestration, DevOps Culture and Practices, Performance Optimization, Compliance and Governance, and some soft skills such as empathy, adaptability, and resiliency.

Le DevOps est souvent mal compris surtout dans un contexte d'entreprise. Le plus souvent, nous avons un gestionnaire qui veut que tout soit automatisé mais ne veux pas accepter que son équipe prenne du temps pour changer non seulement ses pratiques (amélioration de la communication, accepter les erreurs, etc.). Une automatisation sans changement de mentalité est vouée à l'échec.

There’s a lot of theory around what is DevOps, it’s basis and the technical skill set required, so it varies as well. Some times you work to make software delivery cycle faster and seamless and sometimes to save different aspects of costs alongside but the basic need is the skill to accept that technology changes will keep happening, and being DevOps touched by all sort of development and operational tools, only the right attitude to keep the learning going and the self motivation to help other teams would prevail.