Learning Path to Become a Novice DevOps Engineer

1. Understanding the Basics

Cloud Computing

• Introduction: Learn what cloud computing is and its importance in modern IT.
• Types of Cloud Services:
  • IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service): e.g., AWS EC2, Google Compute Engine.
  • PaaS (Platform as a Service): e.g., Heroku, Google App Engine.
  • SaaS (Software as a Service): e.g., Google Workspace, Salesforce.

DevOps Fundamentals

• Definition and Principles: Understand what DevOps is, its goals, and core principles.
• Key Practices: Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Deployment (CD), Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Monitoring and Logging.

Learn more about the fundamentals

2. Core Concepts and Tools

Version Control Systems

• Learn Git and platforms like GitHub or GitLab.

Learn more about Git

Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

• Tools: Jenkins, CircleCI, Travis CI.
• Concepts: Automated testing, deployment pipelines.

Learn more about Jenkins

Learn more about CircleCI

Learn more about Travis CI

Configuration Management

• Tools: Ansible, Puppet, Chef.
• Concepts: Managing and automating software configurations.

Containerization

• Tools: Docker, Podman.
• Concepts: Container orchestration with Kubernetes.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

• Tools: Terraform, AWS CloudFormation.
• Concepts: Writing code to manage infrastructure.

3. Cloud Platforms

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Core Services: EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda.
• AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate: Consider getting certified.

Microsoft Azure

• Core Services: VMs, Blob Storage, Azure Functions.
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals: Basic certification.

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

• Core Services: Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, Cloud Functions.
• Google Associate Cloud Engineer: Entry-level certification.

4. Learning Resources

Online Courses

• Coursera: Courses on Cloud Computing and DevOps.
• Udemy: Wide range of courses on specific tools and platforms.
• Pluralsight: Comprehensive training paths for DevOps and cloud.

Books

• "The Phoenix Project" by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford.
• "The DevOps Handbook" by Gene Kim, Patrick Debois, John Willis, and Jez Humble.
• "Infrastructure as Code" by Kief Morris.

Blogs and Tutorials

• DevOps.com: Articles and tutorials.
• AWS Blog, Azure Blog, Google Cloud Blog: Updates and best practices.

Documentation

• Official Docs: AWS, Azure, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform.

5. Practical Experience

Hands-On Projects

• Set up a CI/CD pipeline using Jenkins.
• Deploy applications using Docker and Kubernetes.
• Manage infrastructure with Terraform.

Labs and Sandboxes

• AWS Free Tier: Experiment with AWS services.
• Google Cloud Free Tier: Explore GCP services.
• Microsoft Learn: Interactive tutorials and sandboxes for Azure.

6. Community and Networking

Join Communities

• Reddit: r/devops, r/cloudcomputing.
• Stack Overflow: Participate in Q&A.
• Meetup: Local DevOps and cloud meetups.

Follow Influencers

• Kelsey Hightower: Kubernetes expert.
• Gene Kim: DevOps evangelist.
• Mitchell Hashimoto: Creator of Terraform.

Next Steps

1. Start with Online Courses: Begin with introductory courses on Coursera or Udemy.
2. Set Up a Home Lab: Use free tiers from AWS, GCP, or Azure.
3. Read Essential Books: Start with "The Phoenix Project" for an engaging introduction.
4. Engage with the Community: Join online forums and local meetups.