What is DevOps? | DevOps explained

DevOps is a way of building better digital products. Modern organisations now look to DevOps to plan, build and manage software more efficiently, providing a better results for end users.

As a term and as a practice, DevOps combines software development and IT operations — two functions which were traditionally managed by different teams within companies. Frustrated by a model of software development which saw the people writing code completely separated from those who deploy and run it, the DevOps community emerged in the late 2000s. It has now become a major philosophy championed by companies around the world for its focus on collaboration, automation, and agile methodologies.

In DevOps, everyone shares responsibility for the quality of the end product across its entire lifetime, from initial design, build and release all the way through successive iterations and updates.

The mindset that everyone has an equal stake in building and running the product bridges the traditional gap between development and operations. It gives developers insight into the needs of the end user, and enables operations staff to integrate maintenance requirements into the design of the product, ultimately improving results. This is all facilitated by transparency, effective communication and constant feedback.

Another cornerstone of DevOps is speed. Teams that embrace DevOps release products more quickly, thanks to open communication and automation.