DevOps Engineer Roles and Responsibilities

So, you want to be a DevOps engineer? There is no better time than now to pursue this career path.

In today’s ever-evolving tech industry, a DevOps engineer plays an important role in the success of any software development team. But what exactly does a DevOps engineer do?

This blog will cover the roles and responsibilities of a DevOps engineer, as well as the skills and tools they use to fulfill their duties.

Table of Contents

Defining the Role

A DevOps engineer is an IT professional who excels in organization and management, with a solid grasp of product development lifecycles and customer business processes.

With an IT background, DevOps engineers come equipped with a wide range of skills in both development and operations. They know their stuff when it comes to coding, managing infrastructure, system administration, and DevOps tools. Plus, they’re familiar with the usual developer toolkit, like source control, code reviews, unit tests, and agile principles.

Importantly, DevOps engineers are great communicators and team players. They work across departments to create a more collaborative atmosphere.

DevOps Engineer vs Software Engineer

Wondering how DevOps engineers and software engineers relate to software developers? Well, a DevOps specialist wears many hats, covering more ground than a software engineer, which is why you can’t jumpstart an IT career as a DevOps engineer right away. Additionally, their salaries tend to be higher than those of software programmers.

While software engineers focus on crafting clean, efficient code, DevOps specialists dive into a bit of project management. When you compare them, it shows that DevOps developers ensure smooth teamwork between software developers and the DevOps team, checking that every software piece functions as intended and aligning the project with what the customer needs.

DevOps Engineer Responsibilities

Modern software development methods, with their focus on agility and quick release times, have made DevOps engineers highly sought after in today’s market. This really highlights the diverse responsibilities they handle.

So, what does a day-to-day look like in a DevOps engineer role? Their main responsibilities include:

Building and Managing IT Infrastructure

In essence, DevOps engineers are responsible for making sure that a company’s IT infrastructure is running smoothly. This includes:

Setting up and monitoring company networks and servers
Writing, reviewing, and testing software code
Managing tools like physical servers, switches, and storage devices
Overseeing cloud-based infrastructure
Ensuring software systems, networks, and servers are safe from security threats

It’s apparent that DevOps engineers have a lot on their plate, and this is what makes them critical components of any development team. They work tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure everything runs like clockwork.

Automating Processes

Automation is key in DevOps engineering, and it’s up to DevOps engineers to streamline and automate various processes in the software delivery lifecycle.

DevOps experts are like the architects who design how companies use automation tools to boost software performance.

Firstly, they need to spot which processes can be automated. At the same time, they know how to smoothly transition from doing things manually to automating them. Think of it like automating traditional software tests like regression and API tests, which saves time and labor.

The whole concept of continuous delivery/continuous improvement is built on a company’s ability to visualize and execute automation processes. Whenever DevOps engineers can figure out which areas need improvement, they are able to use their knowledge of KPIs to come up with ways of improving them.

Monitoring and Reporting

A DevOps engineer is responsible for the health and performance of a company’s IT systems. This means looking out for any signs of trouble in the digital watchtower and responding quickly when issues arise.

DevOps engineers are always in the loop, using the right tools to automate monitoring and set up troubleshooting responses that keep issues in check. It’s all about staying in tune with software health and spotting potential vulnerabilities before they become a problem.

Once they have identified and resolved any issues, DevOps engineers then report their findings to the rest of the team. This ensures that everyone is aware of any potential problems and can work together to prevent them in the future.

Collaborating with Developers and Operations Teams

DevOps engineers work closely with the development and operations teams to create a smooth workflow.

In DevOps practices, communication and collaboration are the lifeblood of efficient software delivery. Staying aware of evolving security risks, discovering new tools, and understanding user expectations for software experiences are all part of the journey.

Every day, DevOps pros communicate with a diverse group of people, including:

Development teams
Operation teams
C-suite executives
Key stakeholders, consumers, and third-party users

Maintaining a line of communication is important. Project management tools, like JIRA and Asana, can help keep everyone on track and ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards a common goal.

Technical Skills of DevOps Engineers

In a DevOps engineer job description, you may find several requirements that may seem unfamiliar. This is because DevOps engineers need a diverse skill set to handle their responsibilities.

Aside from having a computer science degree or IT certifications, DevOps engineers are expected to have these technical skills:

Coding and Scripting Skills

When you think of DevOps engineer skills, coding is usually the first thing that pops into your head. They need to know how to code, especially in scripting languages like:

Java: Java code is a go-to programming language that’s versatile across many industries and skill sets.
JavaScript: Javascript is used to create dynamic visual elements and interactive website elements.
Python: When it comes to development tasks like creating scripts for system administration, deploying applications, and testing code changes, Python is one of the best tools.
Ruby: Ruby is a simple and efficient tool for developing web applications and tracking data.
Shell/Bash: Shell and Bash scripting are used in automation, CI/CD applications, and tasks related to tracking and optimization.
PHP: A widely-used, open-source scripting language that’s ideal for lots of scalable, performance-based apps.

Being proficient in these (and other) programming languages gives DevOps engineers the power to automate repetitive tasks, manage infrastructure as code, and smooth out the deployment process.

CI/CD Pipelines

CI/CD pipelines are an essential part of the software development process for which DevOps engineers are responsible.

Simply put, they need to be skilled in using continuous integration tools like Jenkins, Bamboo, or CircleCI, as well as understanding how to use version control systems like Git.

DevOps professionals need to be able to set up, configure, and maintain these tools for their organizations. They also need to ensure that processes are optimized, automated, and updated regularly.

If you want to know popular DevOps tools, find out more about them in our 10 Open Source Tools for DevOps blog.

Containers and container orchestration

Another skill that a DevOps engineer needs to have is the use of containers and container orchestrators.

Containerization makes deploying and managing apps a breeze by packaging them with their dependencies and runtime environments. The big win here is portability—containers create a consistent, isolated environment, so your app runs the same no matter where you put it. This is handy for DevOps engineers who need to move apps between development, testing, and production environments.

Popularized by Docker, containerization bundles the application code and runtime in one image, reducing the need for traditional configuration tools. Scalability is another advantage, as platforms like Kubernetes allow scaling based on demand.

Managing containers has its own set of challenges, so getting the hang of tools like Docker Swarm or Kubernetes, known as “container orchestrators,” is a must-have skill for any DevOps engineer.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

DevOps engineers are at the forefront of creating and maintaining IaC, using tools like Terraform, Ansible, or AWS CloudFormation. They design and refine IaC templates to automate infrastructure setup, configuration, and management. This approach ensures consistent deployments across different environments and reduces the risks tied to manual setups.

Moreover, these engineers work closely with DevOps teams to turn infrastructure needs into real-world solutions while promoting best practices. By applying DevOps principles and their IaC know-how, they boost the scalability and resilience of applications in production.

Configuration management

Configuration management is another key skill for DevOps engineers. They use tools like Chef, Puppet, and Ansible to configure system settings, deploy updates, or install software packages.

Configuration management helps ensure consistency across deployments. It can be automated to keep systems up-to-date and reduce the risks of misconfigurations that may lead to security vulnerabilities.

Certifications for DevOps Engineers

DevOps certifications validate an engineer’s skills and knowledge. Popular certifications include:

Certified Kubernetes Administrator: Provides deep knowledge of this container-based language.
Puppet Enterprise Certification: A well-known tool that improves automation and efficiency.
CompTIA Linux+: This course covers Linux administration fundamentals like command-line basics, system configuration, and shell scripting.
Microsoft Certified DevOps Engineer Expert: Offers respected programs requiring prerequisites for Azure and introductory courses.
DevOps on AWS Specialization: Covers AWS methodologies related to Amazon Web Services, a high-demand skill.

These certifications can build a successful DevOps engineer career and set up a strong foundation for mastering the skills required in this role.

Hire a DevOps Engineer for Your Software Development Team

The importance of DevOps engineers cannot be overstated in today’s fast-paced software development world.

By hiring a DevOps engineer to be in your software development team, you can gain access to these skills and take your organization’s development processes to the next level.

Startechup offers skilled DevOps engineers to be part of your team. If you need help with infrastructure automation, CI/CD pipelines, or container orchestration, we can provide the right talent to support your project.