In today’s fast-paced software development world, the ability to deliver high-quality code quickly and reliably is more important than ever. That’s where DevOps comes in—a methodology that bridges the gap between development and operations. But what exactly does the DevOps lifecycle look like from start to finish?
In this post, we’ll walk through each stage of the DevOps lifecycle, from writing code all the way to deployment and monitoring, giving you a clear understanding of how modern software delivery pipelines function.
1. Plan: Aligning Goals and Defining Scope
Every successful DevOps pipeline begins with planning. This phase involves:
- Gathering requirements
- Defining objectives
- Estimating timelines
- Planning sprints (if you’re following Agile)
Tools commonly used: Jira, Trello, Azure Boards
This stage sets the direction for the entire lifecycle. Strong communication between development, operations, and business teams is critical here.
2. Develop: Writing the Code
Once the plan is in place, developers begin writing the code. In a DevOps culture, this isn’t just about functionality—it’s also about writing testable, maintainable, and deployable code.
Features of this stage include:
- Version control with Git
- Branching strategies (e.g., Git Flow)
- Peer reviews and code collaboration
Tools commonly used: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
3. Build: Continuous Integration (CI)
After development, the code is pushed to a repository where automated builds begin. This is the heart of CI.
The build phase involves:
- Compiling the code
- Running unit tests
- Checking for code quality issues
Tools commonly used: Jenkins, Travis CI, CircleCI
This phase helps catch issues early, making the next stages smoother.
4. Test: Automated and Manual Testing
Testing ensures the application behaves as expected. In DevOps, testing is often automated to speed up feedback loops.
Types of testing:
- Unit Testing
- Integration Testing
- UI/Functional Testing
- Security & Performance Testing
Tools commonly used: Selenium, JUnit, Postman, TestNG
Continuous testing reduces the chances of bugs making it into production.
5. Release: Preparing for Deployment
Before pushing to production, the release must be validated and approved. This step often includes:
- Version tagging
- Artifact storage
- Release notes/documentation
Some organizations use feature flags to release new features to select users before a full rollout.
Tools commonly used: Spinnaker, Octopus Deploy, Harness
6. Deploy: Going Live
Deployment is where the application is pushed to production environments. DevOps encourages Continuous Deployment (CD), where every change that passes tests is deployed automatically.
Key practices:
- Blue/Green Deployment
- Canary Releases
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Tools commonly used: Kubernetes, Docker, Ansible, AWS CodeDeploy
7. Operate: Managing the Environment
Once deployed, the app needs to run smoothly. This involves monitoring, scaling, and ensuring uptime.
Important aspects:
- Infrastructure management
- Load balancing
- Logging and alerting
Tools commonly used: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, Datadog
8. Monitor: Feedback and Optimization
Monitoring helps gather data on application performance, usage, and errors. Feedback from users and system metrics loops back into the planning phase.
Continuous feedback allows for:
- Rapid bug fixes
- Performance tuning
- Better user experience
Tools commonly used: New Relic, Splunk, Sentry, Azure Monitor
Conclusion
The DevOps lifecycle is a continuous loop that fosters collaboration, automation, and efficiency. From planning and coding to deploying and monitoring, each phase is designed to deliver better software faster.
If your team is looking to shorten release cycles, reduce deployment risks, and improve system reliability, adopting the DevOps lifecycle could be your game-changer.
Got questions or insights on your own DevOps journey? Drop a comment below or let’s connect!