Cloud DevOps Roadmap - Phase 1

Author

Vishakha Sadhwani
April 14, 2025

Hello Tech Explorers,

Welcome to the first phase of our Cloud DevOps roadmap!

This journey is all about building a rock-solid base, then diving into the core of DevOps in the cloud, and eventually exploring some really interesting and specialized areas.

Think of this first phase as laying the groundwork – understanding the essential tools and ideas that everything else will build upon.

Let's get started!

Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC):

Understanding how software is built and deployed is crucial in DevOps. You should explore different SDLC models like Waterfall and Agile, and the importance of each stage in the development process – from planning to deployment and maintenance.

Operating Systems (Linux Focus):

At the heart of most cloud environments lies Linux. Getting comfortable with its fundamental aspects is crucial. We're talking about:

  • how files are organized (File Systems),

  • how software is installed and managed (Package Management like apt on Debian/Ubuntu or yum/dnf on Red Hat/CentOS), and

  • how services run in the background (Systemd). Understanding who can do what on a system (Permissions: User, Group, Ownership),

  • where to find error messages and activity logs (Logs), how storage is structured (Disk Management),

  • and how to keep an eye on running programs (Process Management) are all key pieces of this puzzle.

Resources:

Networking Fundamentals:

The cloud is all about interconnected systems, so grasping the basics of networking is essential. This includes:

  • understanding how data travels across networks (TCP/IP Model),

  • how website names are translated into addresses (DNS), the protocols that power the web (HTTP/HTTPS),

  • how to create secure connections (VPN),

  • how to distribute traffic (Load Balancers - just the basic idea for now),

  • and how to control network access (Firewalls - again, basic concepts).

  • We'll also touch on the language of networks (Network Protocols) and how networks are divided (Subnetting - just a foundational understanding).

Resources:

Scripting and Automation Basics

DevOps is heavily reliant on automation. Getting your feet wet with a scripting language is a great first step. You should focus on either Python or Shell (Bash) for basic automation tasks (having proficiency with both will be gold). This involves learning fundamental command-line operations and writing simple scripts to automate repetitive actions.

Resources:

Version Control:

Collaboration and tracking changes are vital in software development and infrastructure management. Git is the industry standard for version control. You should get yourself familiarized with Git and some basic commands like what these mean and how you execute them:

  •  clone (getting a copy of a project),

  •  add (staging changes),

  • commit (saving changes),

  • push (uploading changes), and

  • pull (downloading changes).

Understanding the concepts of branching (creating separate lines of development) and merging (combining changes) is also key

Resources:

Databases:

Databases are fundamental for storing and retrieving data. You need to understand the high-level differences between:

  • SQL (relational) and NoSQL (non-relational) databases.

  • Understand ACID properties (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability) which are crucial for reliable transactions in SQL databases,

  • Concept of Scalability (how well a database can handle increasing amounts of data and traffic), and

  • Basics of Data Modeling (how data is structured).

Resources:

Security:

Security is a non-negotiable aspect of Cloud DevOps. Start with foundational concepts like:

  • Encryption (making data unreadable without a key),

  • Authentication (verifying who a user is), and

  • Authorization (determining what an authenticated user can do).

Read about:

  • OWASP Top 10 (a list of common web security vulnerabilities),

  • the importance of Security Policies, the basics of Risk Assessment, and

  • the need to adhere to Compliance Standards (like GDPR or HIPAA, depending on the context).

Resources:

Storage:

The cloud offers various ways to store data. You should be able to differentiate between:

  • Block Storage (like virtual hard drives),

  • Object Storage (for large amounts of unstructured data like images),

  • File Storage (like shared network drives), and

  • specialized storage solutions like NAS (Network Attached Storage)

  • SAN (Storage Area Network).

Also touch upon the underlying hardware differences between:

  • SSD (Solid State Drives) and HDD (Hard Disk Drives).

Resources:

Cache:

Improving performance is a key goal in DevOps. You need to explore the concept of Caching – storing frequently accessed data closer to the user or application. This includes:

  • In-memory Caches and differences (like Redis and Memcached),

  • Content Delivery Networks (CDNs),

  • how to manage when cached data becomes outdated (Cache Invalidation),

  • What are the different ways to update the cache (Write-through vs. Write-back),

  • and how to measure cache effectiveness (Cache Hit Ratio).

Resources:

Disaster Recovery (DR):

Ensuring systems can recover from failures is critical. You need to understand DR strategies like:

  • Backup and Restore, Pilot Light (a minimal environment ready to scale),

  • Warm Standby (a scaled-down but running environment), and

  • Multi-site (running across multiple geographic locations).

  • metrics like RTO (Recovery Time Objective - how long it takes to restore service)

  • RPO (Recovery Point Objective - how much data might be lost).

Resources:

That wraps up Phase 1! Remember, the goal here is to build a foundational understanding. Don't worry about becoming an expert in everything right away. Take your time, explore the resources, and let these concepts sink in.

For a more comprehensive overview - check out DevOps Basics GitHub repository

Sample Role Descriptions (Relevant for Junior or Career Grads):

Here are a couple of sample role descriptions that might be relevant as you progress through this foundational phase:

Junior DevOps Engineer:

A Junior DevOps Engineer should know SDLC basics, Linux/Windows administration, networking fundamentals, and Git version control. They must write simple automation scripts (Bash/Python), assist with database backups, follow security best practices, and support storage, caching, and disaster recovery tasks.

Cloud Operations Associate:

We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Cloud Operations Associate to assist in the day-to-day management and maintenance of our cloud infrastructure. You will be involved in monitoring system health, responding to alerts, performing basic scripting tasks for automation, and assisting with deployment processes. A foundational understanding of operating systems (preferably Linux), networking basics, and a strong desire to learn cloud technologies are essential. This is an excellent opportunity for a recent graduate to build a career in the cloud computing and DevOps space.

Stay tuned for Phase 2, where we'll start diving into core DevOps practices in the cloud!