In case you ask most folk to explain the highest DevOps traits in 2024, you’ll seemingly hear buzzwords like AI or DevSecOps.
These are definitely fashionable subjects. However primarily based on the work I do on an on a regular basis foundation serving to companies plan and execute DevOps methods, I’m noticing a unique set of salient traits on the planet of DevOps. Though a lot is being mentioned about how applied sciences like AI may impression DevOps, the largest adjustments I’m seeing proper now contain different sorts of options and strategies.
Right here’s a have a look at what I view because the three most essential DevOps traits at current, in addition to a breakdown of how they’re poised to vary DevOps instruments and processes.
Development 1: Coverage-based administration and IaC allow drive DevOps safety innovation
Safety has all the time been a precedence for many DevOps practitioners. However proper now, I’m seeing DevOps groups adopting new methods in a bid to enhance the safety of the functions and environments they help.
One large-scale change is bigger use of cloud-based coverage administration as a method of implementing safety finest practices in cloud environments. Groups are configuring cloud providers and assets utilizing the code-based configuration frameworks that cloud suppliers help, then scanning the configurations to detect dangers.
This strategy makes it attainable to implement cloud governance constantly, centrally and robotically. As an alternative of merely writing governance insurance policies and hoping that engineers bear in mind to comply with them when they’re configuring cloud assets, companies are more and more constructing automated governance guardrails by way of policy-based administration.
In an analogous vein, an increasing number of of the DevOps groups I work with are embracing static code evaluation of Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) templates as a method of detecting dangers. As with policy-based administration of cloud assets, an IaC-centric strategy to infrastructure provisioning makes it attainable not simply to automate infrastructure administration, but in addition to establish safety dangers earlier within the growth lifecycle.
What’s extra, some groups are making use of cloud coverage and IaC code scanning as a approach of warning one another about safety coverage adjustments that may trigger an utility or service to interrupt. They do that by inserting configuration adjustments into their code utilizing “audit” mode if their configuration framework helps it, or by merely configuring IaC scanners to flag adjustments if an audit function is just not accessible. This enables engineers to detect whether or not a change may trigger an issue for an present deployment.
That is essential as a result of inside many organizations, the safety staff operates individually from utility groups. When the 2 teams lack an environment friendly approach of speaking with one another about adjustments, they could find yourself disrupting one another’s operations – a problem I wish to name the “proper hand/left hand” downside. Configuration scanning offers a scientific approach of guaranteeing that every group is on the identical web page when it comes time to introduce adjustments – and the “audit” mode strategy offers a grace interval that permits time to react earlier than a change truly takes impact.
Development 2: Doubling down on DevOps automation with GitOps
One other overarching pattern that’s at the moment reshaping DevOps is using GitOps to make DevOps automation extra environment friendly and constant.
GitOps is using Git (or an analogous supply management system) to handle automated DevOps workflows. It includes defining configurations utilizing code, then making use of them by means of options like GitHub actions.
Once you go for GitOps, you progress DevOps automation controls from particular person workstations to centralized supply management repositories. The result’s the power to trace and handle all automated workflows by way of a central hub, which will increase effectivity and mitigates points like completely different engineers working with completely different variations of the identical automation frameworks on their private desktops.
As well as, GitOps robotically generates information of what has modified and the way it has modified, since each motion is logged by means of the supply management system. This isn’t precisely documentation within the conventional sense, but it surely does imply that GitOps comprehensively paperwork each change – which is helpful as a result of human engineers have a tendency to not be so thorough relating to documenting their actions.
To make certain, GitOps is just not with out its challenges. Implementing GitOps successfully requires further abilities – specifically, experience with each IaC frameworks and supply management methods – that not all DevOps engineers possess. I additionally discover a bent on the a part of some groups to arrange GitOps pipelines, however depend on handbook approvals as an alternative of automated actions to set off adjustments – an strategy that largely undercuts the worth of automating pipelines within the first place.
Nonetheless, these are challenges that groups can clear up by means of training and by totally leaning into GitOps. As well as, strategies like automated testing of GitOps configuration code will help to construct groups’ confidence in automations and scale back reliance on handbook approvals.
Going ahead, count on to see an increasing number of adoption of GitOps strategies amongst groups searching for to level-up their strategy to DevOps automation. Automating particular person DevOps processes like software program testing and deployment received’t be sufficient; really environment friendly organizations will flip to GitOps as a approach of automating their whole DevOps workflows, from end-to-end.
Development 3: Investing in developer expertise
Making software program supply processes extra predictable and environment friendly is merely a step towards the final word purpose of DevOps, which is to assist builders turn out to be extra productive and glad with their jobs.
To that finish, I’m noticing quite a lot of curiosity and funding proper now within the realm of developer expertise. That is taking part in out by means of two interrelated sorts of initiatives.
One is platform engineering, which includes creating DevOps groups who specialise in sure features – corresponding to community administration or safety – and designating them to help these features all through the group. This strategy reduces cognitive overhead for builders by releasing them from having to deal with sorts of work that aren’t their foremost focus. In different phrases, as an alternative of forcing builders to be DevOps generalists, platform engineering lets completely different groups concentrate on doing what they know and revel in finest – resulting in larger productiveness and better ranges of job satisfaction.
The opposite main pattern at the moment taking part in out within the realm of developer expertise is developer self-service. This implies the power of builders to acquire the technical options they want on-demand, with no difficult procurement course of. Most often, organizations allow self-service by implementing Inside Growth Platforms, or IDPs, which host ready-made infrastructure assets and software program environments that builders can deploy on a self-service foundation.
There are dangers inherent in these traits. They require specialised sorts of abilities, and when poorly applied, platform engineering and IDP options can create extra issues than they clear up. Nonetheless, when you make sure that your groups have the requisite experience, and if you deploy a rigorously deliberate IDP that provides builders entry to the assets they really want, you’re prone to see a big discount in friction inside your group, and a lift in developer productiveness and happiness.
Conclusion
Admittedly, discussing DevOps traits that middle on safety, automation and developer expertise might not be as thrilling as debating whether or not AI will take away DevOps engineers’ jobs. However if you wish to know what’s truly altering on the planet of DevOps – versus which conversations are most hype-worthy – these are the locations to look.
Safety, automation and developer expertise are additionally among the many domains of DevOps the place there’s quite a lot of alternative at current to innovate – and, certainly, the place adopting new instruments and strategies will probably be crucial for organizations that don’t wish to be left behind as DevOps evolves.
