DevOps Advantages: How DevOps Benefits Developers, Admins and Users
Heard of DevOps, but wondering which benefits it brings? Asking why organizations are adopting containers, microservices, Continuous Integration platforms and other DevOps tools?
![DevOps Advantages: How DevOps Benefits Developers, Admins and Users DevOps Advantages: How DevOps Benefits Developers, Admins and Users](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt10e444bce2d36aa8/blt9d416ac8cc7f95a8/652466c8d3a7fe16ab545d11/DevOps_Thinkstock_1.jpg?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Traditionally, the team that developed software was different from the team that tested it, which was different from the team that installed it, which was different from the team that maintained it, which was different from … you get the idea.
One of the advantages of DevOps is to encourage all these teams to work together rather than operating in separate silos. The result is faster development, better communication and quicker resolution of problems.
By speeding software development and delivery, DevOps also leads to quicker feedback. It assures that team members are in constant communication with one another, and continuously aware of the current state of the software they are building.
That's a lot better than forcing your developers to wait months between finalizing code and receiving feedback about it from the people who test and install it — to say nothing of the end-users who actually run it.
In the old days, you decided before building an app which type of programming language and development tools you were going to use for it. Then you were pretty much stuck with them for the duration of the app's lifetime. Even if something better came along — if, for example, a newer, faster programming language or new type of database appeared — migrating to it would require revamping your entire operation.
Since DevOps emphasizes modularity and microservices, however, switching out one part of your development process for another is easy. It keeps things flexible and ensures that you're ready to take advantage of the latest tools.
DevOps means faster software testing because you don't have to wait for developers to roll out a new set of code before you can test it. Instead, you can test continuously, since your code is being continuously rolled out.
In turn, faster testing means fewer bugs, happier users and lower software support costs.
Continuous Delivery or Continous Deployment is one of the key catchphrases of the DevOps revolution. The concept refers to being able to write, test and ship updated code on a continuous basis.
That's different from the "waterfall" approach of old. In the past, developers issued code releases in a static fashion — say, once every six months — and the code in turn moved statically down the pipe line through the different stages (testing, deployment, maintenance) until a new release came back from the top.
With Continuous Delivery, in contrast, code flows constantly and smoothly. There's no waiting for updates. And there's no sudden rush to prepare for a new release according to a staccato rhythm.
Traditionally, software was not designed to be very modular. True, object-oriented programming made the code itself modular in some ways. But if you look at apps from ten years ago, they did not make it easy to take, say, one type of database and swap it out for another one.
Instead, they were monolithic. If you wanted to change one piece, you had to change the whole app.
In contrast, DevOps emphasizes modularity at all levels of app development and infrastructure. The result is greater simplicity and increased flexibility for developers and users alike.
The efficiencies that DevOps brings with it mean vendors can spend more time building software and less time testing and fixing it. That's good for everyone.
The efficiencies that DevOps brings with it mean vendors can spend more time building software and less time testing and fixing it. That's good for everyone.
Heard of DevOps, but wondering which benefits it brings? Asking why organizations are adopting containers, microservices, Continuous Integration platforms and other DevOps tools?
Here's a look at the advantages of a DevOps-inspired workflow for software delivery and integration.
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