Day 3: DevOps Lifecycle & Core Practices – From Code to Customer

Welcome to Day 3 of the #90DaysOfDevOps series! Today, we will dive into the DevOps lifecycle and explore the core practices that power continuous delivery and collaboration in the modern software world.

What Is the DevOps Lifecycle?

DevOps is not just about automation or tools; it’s a complete lifecycle that guides the movement of code from the developer's laptop all the way to the live environment serving real users. Every step in the lifecycle matters in delivering software quickly, efficiently, and with high quality.

Let’s take a look at the 7 key stages in the DevOps lifecycle.

The DevOps Lifecycle: 7 Key Stages

Here’s how software moves through the DevOps pipeline:

1. Plan

• Teams collaborate to define requirements, user stories, and tasks.

• Tools like Jira, Trello, or Azure Boards are used.

• Planning is often Agile-based, using sprints and backlogs.

Analogy: Just like planning a trip—you decide where to go, what to pack, and your route.

2. Develop

• Developers write code using languages like Python, Java, Go, etc.

• They use version control (like Git) to track and share code.

• Code is pushed to a repository (e.g., GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket).

Tools: Git, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket
Analogy: Writing and saving your recipe in a shared Google Doc everyone can see and edit.

3. Build

• The code is compiled (if needed) and packaged.

• Dependencies are installed.

• If this stage fails, deployment stops here.

Tools: Jenkins, Maven, Gradle, Docker

Illustration: Turning raw ingredients (code) into a ready-to-cook pizza base (a build artifact).

4. Test

• Automated tests are run: unit tests, integration tests, etc.

• Ensures bugs are caught early.

Tools: Selenium, JUnit, PyTest, SonarQube

Analogy: Like a food inspector tasting before the meal is served.

5. Release

• Approved builds are released to staging or production.

• Often controlled using feature flags or canary releases.

Tools: Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Spinnaker
Illustration: Publishing a book after proofreading and editor approval.

6. Deploy

• The software is pushed to production environments.

• Tools like Kubernetes, Docker, and Terraform manage infrastructure.

Deployment Types:

• Rolling (gradual updates)

• Blue-Green (switch traffic between versions)

• Canary (test with a small % of users first)

Analogy: Like deploying multiple pizza delivery bikes to ensure hot pizza reaches customers fast.

7. Operate & Monitor

• Once deployed, the app is monitored for performance, uptime, and errors.

• Logs, metrics, and alerts help teams respond quickly.

Tools: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, CloudWatch

Analogy: Like having a dashboard showing how many pizzas are delivered, how fast, and which ones were returned cold!

Core DevOps Practices

To make the lifecycle smooth, DevOps uses these key practices:

1. CI/CD (Continuous Integration & Continuous Delivery/Deployment)

• Automates code integration, testing, and release.

• Saves time, reduces errors.

2. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

• Servers and resources are created using code (e.g., Terraform).

• Enables consistent environments across dev/staging/prod.

3. Automated Testing

• Tests run automatically with every change to catch bugs early.

4. Monitoring & Feedback Loops

• Data is collected from production to improve future versions.

5. Collaboration & Communication

• Dev + Ops + QA work together using tools like Slack, Teams, Zoom.

Why This Lifecycle Matters

Without a lifecycle:

• Teams rely on manual steps

• Bugs slip through the cracks

• Releases are slow and risky

With DevOps:

• Releases are fast, frequent, and reliable

• Feedback loops are tight

• Teams stay in sync

Conclusion

The DevOps lifecycle is at the heart of continuous software delivery. By breaking down silos and using automation, teams can deliver software faster, more reliably, and with fewer errors.

Thank you for following along with #90DaysOfDevOps. Stay tuned for Day 4 when we’ll dive deeper into the Key Concepts: CI/CD, Automation, IaC and Monitoring - the core practices that power the DevOps lifecycle.

Coming Up Next:

Day 4 – Key Concepts: CI/CD, Automation, IaC and Monitoring
Stay tuned! 🚀