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Shivansh Barapatre
Shivansh Barapatre

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My DevOps Learning Journey: Beginner to AWS DevOps in 2025

#devops #aws #learning #tutorial

My DevOps Learning Journey — Beginner to AWS DevOps Engineer (Complete 2025 Roadmap)

When I started learning DevOps, I made one of the biggest mistakes beginners often do:

I jumped straight into AWS without understanding Linux, networking, or core DevOps tools.

That left me overwhelmed by cloud concepts and confused by endless documentation.

This post outlines the roadmap I wish I'd had—based on my learning experience, recruiter job insights, and what DevOps engineers truly need in 2025.

Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid

  • Skipping Linux, Git, and networking entirely
  • Trying to learn all the tools at once without building real projects
  • Ignoring monitoring and security—despite their importance in job listings
  • Documenting apps poorly or not at all—readers want to see your thinking
  • Avoiding automation—manual steps don’t scale in real-world DevOps

My DevOps Roadmap — From Zero to AWS-Ready (90–120 Days)

Phase 0-1

Phase 0 — Foundations First (Weeks 1–2)

Goal: Build skills that make cloud learning intuitive.

  1. Linux Fundamentals

    Command line, permissions, processes, packages

    Practice on an Ubuntu EC2 instance via AWS Free Tier

    Resource: Linux Journey

  2. Networking Basics

    IP addressing, DNS, HTTP/S, SSH, ufw/iptables

    Guide: Networking Basics – GeeksforGeeks

  3. Server Management with Vagrant

    Services (systemctl), logs (journalctl), users/groups

    Vagrant Getting Started

  4. Starter Project — VProfile

    Spin up multiple VMs with Vagrant. Configure services. Deploy and troubleshoot.

Phase 1 — Core DevOps Skills (Weeks 3–6)

Goal: Automate and collaborate.

  1. Git & GitHub

    Branching, commits, PRs — connect to AWS CodePipeline → S3

    Resources: Pro Git Book, GitHub Actions Docs

  2. Bash Scripting

    Automate tasks, loops, conditionals — use startup scripts for EC2

    Resource: Bash Beginner Guide

  3. CI/CD with Jenkins & GitHub Actions

  4. Containers & Kubernetes

    Docker basics: images, volumes, networking

    Kubernetes fundamentals: pods, services

    Push to ECR and deploy via ECS/EKS

    Resources: Docker Docs, Kubernetes Basics

Phase 2

Phase 2 — AWS Specialization (Weeks 7–12)

Goal: Build AWS-focused end-to-end projects.

  1. AWS Core Services

    IAM, EC2, S3, VPC, CloudWatch

    Hands-on via AWS Skill Builder Free Courses

  2. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

    Use Terraform (Getting Started) or CloudFormation (Docs)

  3. Monitoring & Logging

    Prometheus + Grafana dashboards (Guide)

    AWS CloudWatch for metrics/logs

    Build a real Grafana dashboard for your app on AWS.

  4. Security Essentials

    IAM best practices, KMS encryption, Secrets Manager

    Guidance: AWS Security Best Practices

12-Week Learning Plan at a Glance 

Weeks | Focus
------|------
1–2   | Linux, Networking, Vagrant
3–4   | Git, Bash, CI/CD
5–6   | Docker, Kubernetes
7–8   | AWS Core Services
9–10  | IaC + Monitoring
11–12 | Security + Final AWS Project
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Pro Tips to Accelerate Your Journey

  1. Use Al-assisted coding - GitHub Copilot suggests code and helps you learn faster.

  2. Publish weekly updates on Linkedin to share progress and catch recruiter eyes.

  3. Join local AWS or DevOps meetups- networking + real-world insight go a long way.

  4. Write clear READMEs with diagrams-good documentation speaks louder than code.

  5. Optional: Boost credibility with the AWS
    Solutions Architect - Associate certification.

I hope this helps anyone starting DevOps in 2025. It's what I wish I'd had at the beginning of my journey.

Let's stay connected—share your roadmaps, progress, and projects!

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