An Overview of DevOps
At Flickr, the popular video- and photo-sharing website, the live software platform undergoes updates a minimum of 10 times per day. This continuous delivery model relies on an automated testing cycle that includes thorough unit testing and integration testing across all levels of the software stack in a realistic staging environment. Successfully passing these tests leads to code tagging, release, building, and deployment into production.
This agile and dynamic approach to software delivery aligns closely with the vision of agile founders who aimed for a streamlined and nimble process for developing and deploying software while incorporating constant user feedback and adapting to new requirements. DevOps, a software development concept that integrates development and operations staff and tools, plays a crucial role in achieving this rapid and continuous deployment.
The landscape of software development processes is ever-evolving. A decade ago, most software development environments were segregated, with software developers in one silo and IT professionals maintaining mainframes in another.
The advent of virtualization marked a significant shift in software development. Previously, acquiring a new server for a web application involved ordering, shipping, racking, installing, provisioning, and configuring, creating substantial delays before actual development work could commence.
Today, virtualization allows for the instant creation and proliferation of virtual machines. Developers can simply click a button to create a virtual machine, enabling immediate availability. This capability forms the foundation for various modern technologies, such as Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), offering resizable compute capacity in the cloud.
This newfound immediacy underpins technologies like OpenStack, Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions (e.g., Heroku, Microsoft’s Windows Azure), and tools like Vagrant, impacting the infrastructures of contemporary enterprises. Simultaneously, these technologies facilitate task automation, allowing for the command of larger, more powerful infrastructures, enhancing the efficiency of software development operations.
‘It Works on My Machine’
A common refrain among young developers is ‘it works on my machine.’ This phrase reflects the tendency of developers, especially early in their careers, to write code, test it locally, and assume it’s ready for deployment. However, when installed on a customer’s system, discrepancies in system configurations often lead to issues. DevOps addresses this problem by leveraging tools like Vagrant to create a consistent environment for each software project, ensuring parity across local development, testing, staging, and production clouds.
This approach not only mitigates deployment issues but also streamlines onboarding for new developers. The ability to check configuration files into source control enables teams to update, share, and version both the project environment and the code itself.
A New Paradigm for Software Development
Another transformative aspect of software development emphasizes collaboration between developers and operations teams. DevOps, originating in 2009 with Belgian developers hosting ‘DevOps’ days, underscores the importance of collaboration and interaction between these two entities throughout the software development lifecycle. This collaboration contrasts with traditional practices where developers and operations staff worked independently until the final stages of deployment.
DevOps asserts that infrastructure should support both production capability and development activities. The concept envisions a merged environment where operations teams remain engaged throughout the software development lifecycle, ensuring a seamless transition and deployment. Security and deployment concerns are addressed iteratively rather than as afterthoughts, promoting a smoother and more efficient development process.
Automated DevOps
In an August 2011 article, Jez Humble and Joanne Molesky emphasized the importance of automation in achieving low lead times and rapid feedback in the context of DevOps. Automation of build, deployment, and testing processes, along with centralized storage of configuration details, contributes to efficient continuous delivery.
Embracing innovation, particularly in automation, is crucial for software organizations aiming to maintain a competitive edge.