Introduction Azure DevOps Certification Engineer
Beginning this article by defining what Azure DevOps is, it is a combination of development tools and services that are provided by Microsoft to work as catalysts and enhance the software development and deployment processes. This provides a common platform for managing the entire software development lifecycle, starting from planning and coding to building, testing, and releasing software applications. To be precise, Azure DevOps is Software as a Service (SaaS) by Microsoft, which means it provides a DevOps toolchain for developing and deploying software.
While being SaaS, Azure DevOps services are reliable, scalable, and globally available. It is assisted by an SLA of 99.9% uptime and 24*7 support, adding to it Azure DevOps users get access to the latest features. A DevOps culture promotes collaboration among development, operations, and quality assurance teams, resulting in high-quality software delivered more quickly and skillfully.
Azure DevOps Engineer Roles and Responsibilities
The eminent roles and responsibilities of a DevOps engineer are that they work with developers and the IT team to manage the code releases. Often, developers who get engrossed in deployment and network operations or sysadmins who have dedication for scripting and coding move into the development side, where they can enhance the planning of tests and deployment. Adding to it, there is various scope for frequent changes in the code, which adds to continuous automation and deployment. Though it might not be habitual to write the code right from scratch, choosing the right combination of coding and how to integrate several elements of SQL data is a crucial part of a DevOps engineer role.
Roadmap to Azure DevOps Certification Engineer
The Azure DevOps training roadmap may seem like a frightening subject, but it is actually very smooth to pass through. Achieving a massive goal can be terrifying, but visualizing all the different steps has its own challenge. The Azure DevOps training roadmap covers a major concept within software development. This is because DevOps encompasses the entire software creation and maintenance processes, from development to operations, which stretch the entire technology stack.
8 Steps For Azure DevOps Certification Engineer
1. Learn Programming Languages
Though DevOps engineers do not often write source code, they do integrate databases, debug code from the development team, and automate processes. Automation is a crucial part of what gives the DevOps lifecycle its own speed, and a DevOps engineer also plays an eminent role in implementing a DevOps automation strategy.
Adding to it, a DevOps engineer should also have a working knowledge of the languages used in his team to help them understand existing code, review new code, and assist with debugging. The languages recommended to learn and included in the list for the DevOps Engineer are Python, Node.js, Ruby, and Go.
2. Studying Operating Systems
Operating systems (OSs) are a decisive piece of the technology stack that a DevOps team needs to function. The operating system simultaneously runs the server that hosts the team’s deployed applications and powers the local machines that the team uses to communicate and complete tasks. A DevOps engineer needs to learn the command line terminal so he is not reliant on the graphic user interface (GUI) to configure the servers. The command line simplifies tasks that require several clicks in a GUI, and some commands are only executable through the terminal. It is advisable to learn more than one OS, as every one of them is different. The popular OSs are Unix, Windows, and Linux. Being a DevOps Engineer, technical knowledge and conceptual knowledge are important on the same page.
3. Reviewing network security and protocols
It is mandatory to master how protocols assist different request types, as any web-based application uses protocols to transfer and receive information from the user. It is as important for the pursuer to know the risks of these transfer methods and how to secure them from bad actors intercepting the data or infiltrating the application. Even within the DevOps lifecycle, cybersecurity plays a crucial role, no matter what the role may be. The various networking protocols include HTTP, SSL, and SSH.
4. Understanding Infrastructure as Code
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) is a method for streamlining the provisioning of infrastructure to assist in application deployment. Networks, servers, and other structures are configured and managed with the use of template files to build an environment that meets your application’s exact requirements. It also allows us to automate the process for faster deployments and updates. Strategies to learn in IaC are containers, configuration management, container orchestration, and infrastructure provisioning.
5. Adopting Continuous Integration/ Continuous Deployment Tools
The prime principle that DevOps is founded on is Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD); the assimilation of development and operations, as well as constant iterations. Most often, DevOps teams turn to tools built to back up the DevOps lifecycle to achieve this ideology. To free up the team members, CI/CD tools support various phases of the pipeline and automate processes and handoffs.
6. Choosing the certification path and its Prerequisites and Skills
Arbitrate which Azure DevOps certification aligns with your career goals. The Microsoft certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400) is the certification designed for candidates who want to develop themselves in Azure DevOps practices.
Analyze the prerequisites for the chosen certification. For example, in AZ-400, Microsoft endorses having some experience in Azure administration, development, and familiarity with DevOps practices.
7. Study Cloud Providers
Cloud services serve various benefits, which include cost savings and scalability, which result when one no longer needs to host his own servers for his application. Ultimately, it is essential to understand the different cloud services available and their unique costs and perks so one can select the best hosting provider for the finished applications. The renowned cloud providers include AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, and Heroku.
8. Hands-on- Experience, Practice Exams and Certification Exam
Employ practice exams and sample questions to examine the knowledge and readiness for the certification exam. Also, Microsoft often provides official practice exams. Besides, the candidate is expected to create Azure DevOps pipelines, automate builds and deployments, and work on real projects to apply the learnings. Schedule and appear for the certification exam; concentrate on Azure DevOps services, CI/CD pipelines, release management, infrastructure as code, and security best practices.
Key Takeaways
- Leverage prior technical experience
- Prioritise concepts, not just tools
- Be generalist, not specialist
- Look for new learning opportunities
After successful completion of the cloud computing certification exam, the candidate may proudly call himself a certified Azure DevOps Engineer. The Azure DevOps technologies evolve, so regular learning and staying updated with the latest trends and best practices is mandatory for maintaining one’s expertise in this field.
