Prerequisites Before Going Deep in DevOps

Cloud computing and DevOps are two of the most powerful forces shaping the modern IT industry. But before jumping into tools like Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD, or even Terraform, you need a strong foundation.

This blog post is a personal roadmap I created based on my own learning journey. It's not AI-generated or copied—this is my raw, honest guide for anyone starting from scratch, especially Windows users.

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📆 7-Day Plan to Build a Strong DevOps Base

Each day focuses on a specific pillar you must master before going deeper into DevOps and Cloud.

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✅ Day 1: Understanding Linux Fundamentals

Even if you're a Windows user, you need to know Linux. Why?

• Almost all servers and cloud-native tools run on Linux.

• Commands, scripting, and configuration all happen in the shell.

Topics to Learn:

• File structure: /etc, /var, /home, /usr

• Permissions: chmod, chown, ls -l

• Basic commands: cd, ls, mv, rm, grep, cat, nano, vim

• Package management: apt, dnf, yum

• System services: systemctl, journalctl

Prompt for ChatGPT: "Explain basic Linux file structure and commands for a complete beginner. Include examples."

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✅ Day 2: Setting Up Your Lab Environment (WSL2 + AWS CLI)

Instead of messing with VMs or local VirtualBox setups, go with this combo:

• WSL2: Lightweight Linux inside Windows

• AWS CLI: Manage cloud resources from terminal

Steps:

1. Install Ubuntu 22.04 on WSL2

2. Install AWS CLI

3. Create an AWS Free Tier account

4. Configure AWS CLI

Prompt for ChatGPT: "How to install WSL2 and AWS CLI on Windows step-by-step with explanations."

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✅ Day 3: Linux Networking Basics

Before jumping into Docker containers or cloud VMs, understand how networking works in Linux.

Topics to Learn:

• IP addresses (IPv4), ip a

• Ports & protocols (HTTP:80, HTTPS:443, SSH:22)

• DNS basics & /etc/hosts

• Routing: ip route, gateways

• Network tools: ping, curl, dig, netstat, ss

Prompt for ChatGPT: "Explain basic Linux networking concepts like IP addresses, ports, and routing with beginner-friendly commands."

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✅ Day 4: Mastering JSON, YAML, and JSONPath

DevOps is all about automation, and automation needs configuration files. Most tools use JSON or YAML.

Learn:

• What JSON and YAML look like

• Convert between them

• Use tools like jq and yq

• Try simple parsing with JSONPath

Prompt for ChatGPT: "What is the difference between JSON and YAML? Show examples and how to convert them."

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✅ Day 5: Intro to Application Deployment (From Ops Perspective)

You're not building apps, you're deploying them. Learn how to:

• Install runtimes: Java, NodeJS, Python

• Clone a repo: git clone https://github.com/...

• Install dependencies: npm install, pip install -r requirements.txt

• Start apps and keep them running

Prompt for ChatGPT: "How to deploy a basic NodeJS or Python app using GitHub repo and run it on Linux."

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✅ Day 6: Web & App Servers

You will work a lot with web servers like NGINX and Apache.

Learn:

• Install NGINX: sudo apt install nginx

• Configure it as a reverse proxy

• Serve a sample app on localhost

• Understand how domains map to apps via configs

Prompt for ChatGPT: "Explain how to install and configure NGINX to serve a simple NodeJS app with reverse proxy."

Bonus: Host a static site using AWS S3: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/WebsiteHosting.html

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✅ Day 7: SQL vs NoSQL Basics + Installations

Databases are at the heart of every app. Understand the difference:

• SQL: Structured data (MySQL, PostgreSQL)

• NoSQL: Unstructured or JSON-like data (MongoDB, Redis)

Learn:

• Install MySQL/MongoDB on WSL2

• Basic commands to create DBs, users, tables, documents

• Connect to DBs using CLI clients

Prompt for ChatGPT: "What is the difference between SQL and NoSQL? How do I install MySQL and MongoDB on Ubuntu and use them via terminal?"

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🖚 Final Thoughts

This 7-day plan is everything I wish I had when I started. It gives you confidence before jumping into Docker, Jenkins, Kubernetes, or Terraform.

💻 You don’t need high-end systems. Just:

• Windows 10/11

• WSL2

• AWS Free Tier

• 2–4 hours daily for practice

Stick to this roadmap.

This guide is 100% made by me based on my personal journey. If it helped you, share it with your friends who are starting out.