Effective DevOps

Chapter 4. Foundational Terminology and Concepts

Building a strong foundation for effective devops requires discussing some key terms and concepts. Some of these concepts may be familiar to readers; many have been mentioned in the preceding history of software engineering or will be well known to readers who have experience with various software development methodologies.

Throughout the history of computer engineering, a number of methodologies have been described to improve and ease the process of software development and operations. Each methodology splits work into phases, each with a distinct set of activities. One issue with many methodologies is a focus on the development process as something separate from operations work, leading to conflicting goals between teams. Additionally, forcing other teams to follow particular methodologies can cause resentment and frustration if the work doesn’t fit their processes and goals. Understanding how these different methodologies work and what benefits each might bring can help increase understanding and reduce this friction.

Tip

Devops is not so rigidly defined as to prohibit any particular methodology. While devops arose from practitioners who were advocating for Agile system administration and cooperation between development and operations teams, the details of its practice are unique per environment. Throughout this book, we will reiterate that a key part of devops is being able to assess and evaluate different tools and processes ...