DevOps It is a set of practices that automate processes between software development and IT teams so they can build, test, and release software more quickly and reliably. The concept of DevOps it is based on establishing a culture of collaboration among teams that traditionally worked in isolated groups. Among the advantages it promises are increased trust and faster software release times, the ability to quickly resolve critical issues, and better management of unforeseen work.

It is truly a cultural shift that fosters collaboration between traditionally opposing areas, such as development (Dev) and operations (Ops), in addition to quality assurance (QA), allowing software to be developed faster, more efficiently, and therefore with higher quality and at a lower cost.

It is important to understand that DevOps it is an iterative cycle made up of different phases that always seek to increase value and continuous improvement.

Phase 1: the plan

The first phase of the cycle DevOps it is based on enabling the necessary mechanisms to give any user the possibility to continuously contribute their ideas and that these can be transformed into requirements or objectives, being prioritized and included in future iterations in the form of user stories.

Phase 2: build

How many times have we heard a developer say, “It worked on my machine”? This statement is usually heard after seeing the software fail when another developer takes the functionality and builds upon it, or worse, when the code that was supposed to work is moved to an integration environment and it doesn't perform as expected. DevOps it helps in software development by providing mechanisms that can foster the creation of repeatable development environments, using technologies such as Docker.

Phase 3: Continuous Integration

Continuous integration (CI) is a technique that aims to detect potential software problems early, allowing them to be resolved before it's too late or the solution requires a major change to the application or component. This involves regularly (for example, several times a day) compiling the code (using Jenkins), running unit tests, reviewing code quality, and detecting vulnerabilities. The results of these actions can be displayed using appropriate tools that allow developers to visualize them quickly and easily.

Phase 4: Deployment

One of the main goals of DevOps it's about facilitating the transition of software under development to a functional version. A traditional methodology requires manual intervention from the initial development of the software to its deployment into production. DevOps It provides techniques that allow this transition to be automated, but also for the remedying of possible "catastrophes" that may occur.

Deployment scheduling. There are tools that allow you to schedule deployments, organizing the different user stories into versions, which also allows for complete traceability of what and when is deployed in each release.

Component compatibility. Ensuring that all components are compatible with each other. When we talk about components, we're not just referring to software, but also to external systems, hardware, and architectural requirements.

Transition between environments. Maintaining integrity is crucial as software moves between different environments: development, testing, staging, and production. It's not uncommon for software to undergo minor adjustments during this transition, so ensuring version integrity is maintained is essential.

Disaster relief. Although the techniques DevOps they help prevent an unstable version from reaching the production environment. There's always a small chance of encountering a bug that necessitates a rollback to the last stable state. Thanks to the automation offered by deployment tools, it's possible to quickly restore the application to proper working order.

Phase 5: Operation

Once a software version is functional, it is essential to track it:

Monitoring application and server performance. This involves automating the reading of parameters to trigger an alarm in case of failure.

Tracking problems, incidents, and changes. Clear communication between different people is essential to identify and resolve any problems that may arise.

Phase 6: Continuous feedback

It is very important to listen to what everyone involved has to say about software products. The culture DevOps It encourages the use of tools that facilitate a continuous flow of communication. Means such as surveys, ticketing tools, chats, or even social networks can be used to achieve this purpose.