This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Ogunkola Adeola
DevOps is a cultural and technical movement aimed at unifying software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops). It emphasizes automation, collaboration, and monitoring throughout the software development lifecycle.
If you're interested in a DevOps career, this guide will help you get started with the right skills, tools, and practices in a step-by-step roadmap.
🚀 Why DevOps?
Before jumping in, here’s why DevOps is in demand:
- Faster software releases
- Improved collaboration between dev & ops teams
- Increased automation = fewer errors
- Scalable and reliable infrastructure
🧭 DevOps Learning Roadmap
Here’s a structured roadmap split into 8 essential stages:
📘 1. Learn the Basics of Operating Systems & Networking
🧠 What to Learn:
- Linux command-line basics (shell, file systems, permissions)
- Networking fundamentals (IP, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS, firewalls)
🛠️ Tools:
- Linux (Ubuntu) – Preferred OS for DevOps
- Terminal/Shell – bash, zsh
🔧 How to Install Linux:
- Use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) on Windows:
wsl --install
- Or install Ubuntu via VirtualBox or dual-boot.
🌐 2. Version Control with Git
🧠 What to Learn:
- Git commands (clone, add, commit, push, pull, branch, merge)
- Git workflows (feature branching, pull requests)
🛠️ Tool:
- Git
- GitHub / GitLab / Bitbucket
🔧 How to Install Git:
- On Linux:
sudo apt update && sudo apt install git
- On Windows/Mac: Download from Git official site
🧪 3. Learn a Scripting Language
🧠 What to Learn:
- Shell scripting (bash)
- Python basics (variables, loops, modules)
🛠️ Tools:
- Bash
- Python
🔧 How to Install Python:
- On Linux:
sudo apt install python3 pip
- On Windows/Mac: Download from Python.org
📦 4. Understand Package Managers & Repositories
🧠 What to Learn:
- Install, update, and remove packages
- Use repositories and third-party sources
🛠️ Tools:
- apt (Debian/Ubuntu)
- yum or dnf (CentOS/Fedora)
- brew (macOS)
🐳 5. Containers & Virtualization
🧠 What to Learn:
- Difference between VM and containers
- Docker concepts (images, containers, volumes, networking)
🛠️ Tools:
- Docker
- Docker Compose
🔧 How to Install Docker:
- On Ubuntu:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker.io
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
- On Windows/Mac: Download Docker Desktop
☸️ 6. Container Orchestration (Kubernetes)
🧠 What to Learn:
- Kubernetes basics (pods, deployments, services)
- YAML configuration
- Helm for package management
🛠️ Tools:
- Kubernetes (minikube or kind for local use)
- kubectl – CLI for Kubernetes
- Helm
🔧 How to Install Minikube:
- Pre-requisites: Docker & kubectl
- On Linux/macOS:
curl -LO https://storage.googleapis.com/minikube/releases/latest/minikube-linux-amd64
sudo install minikube-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/minikube
minikube start
🔁 7. CI/CD Pipelines
🧠 What to Learn:
- Continuous Integration & Deployment concepts
- Building pipelines: test → build → deploy
🛠️ Tools:
- Jenkins (most beginner-friendly)
- GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or CircleCI
🔧 How to Install Jenkins:
- On Ubuntu:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install openjdk-11-jdk
curl -fsSL https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable/jenkins.io.key | sudo tee \
/usr/share/keyrings/jenkins-keyring.asc > /dev/null
echo deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/jenkins-keyring.asc] \
https://pkg.jenkins.io/debian-stable binary/ | sudo tee \
/etc/apt/sources.list.d/jenkins.list > /dev/null
sudo apt update
sudo apt install jenkins
📡 8. Monitoring & Logging
🧠 What to Learn:
- Metrics collection and alerting
- Log aggregation and visualization
🛠️ Tools:
- Prometheus – Monitoring
- Grafana – Dashboards
- ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) – Logging
🔧 How to Install Prometheus & Grafana (Docker):
docker run -d -p 9090:9090 prom/prometheus
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 grafana/grafana
📂 Bonus Skills to Explore Later
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Terraform, Ansible
- Cloud Providers: AWS, Azure, GCP
- Security and compliance in DevOps (DevSecOps)
- GitOps and advanced Kubernetes tools
🎓 Learning Resources
| Resource Type | Source |
|---|---|
| Free Linux Courses | Linux Journey, OverTheWire |
| Git Practice | learngitbranching.js.org |
| Docker & K8s | Play with Docker, Katacoda |
| DevOps Labs | KodeKloud, [FreeCodeCamp YouTube] |
🧭 Final Thoughts
Starting a career in DevOps can feel overwhelming, but the key is to start small and build step by step. Practice by:
- Automating personal projects
- Setting up CI/CD for your code
- Running containerized apps
- Deploying apps to the cloud
DevOps is not just about tools—it's about culture, mindset, and continuous improvement.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Ogunkola Adeola
Ogunkola Adeola | Sciencx (2025-09-06T20:30:57+00:00) 🛠️ DevOps Roadmap for Beginners: What to Learn, Tools to Master & How to Install, Configure & Use. 🛠️. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/09/06/%f0%9f%9b%a0%ef%b8%8f-devops-roadmap-for-beginners-what-to-learn-tools-to-master-how-to-install-configure-use-%f0%9f%9b%a0%ef%b8%8f/
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