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Yash Sonawane
Yash Sonawane

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🚀 DevOps Roadmap 2025: From Zero to Hero in 6 Months

#devops #beginners #tutorial #cloud

The Hook

Let’s be honest — DevOps is the “gym membership” of tech. Everyone signs up, few actually stick to it, and most get lost somewhere between Docker and Kubernetes. 😅 But here’s the truth: if you follow the right roadmap, you can go from a complete beginner to building production-ready CI/CD pipelines in just 6 months.

Sounds bold? Stick with me — I’ll break it down step by step.

The Story (Why DevOps Feels Like a Maze)

When I first heard about DevOps, it felt like being dropped in an airport where every sign was in another language. Jenkins? Terraform? Istio? Prometheus? I had no idea which gate to take.

But here’s the thing: DevOps isn’t random. It’s more like building a city:

  • Linux is the land.
  • Git is your town’s history book.
  • Docker is the shipping container moving goods around.
  • Kubernetes is the airport — controlling arrivals, departures, and traffic.
  • CI/CD pipelines are highways keeping traffic smooth.

Once you see it like that, the roadmap makes sense.

DevOps Roadmap 2025 (Zero → Hero in 6 Months)

Month 1: Foundations (Linux + Git)

👉 Learn basic Linux commands:

ls, cd, cat, grep, find, chmod, chown, ps, top
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👉 Get comfortable with Git:

git init
git add .
git commit -m "first commit"
git push origin main
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Goal: Be able to manage files, processes, and code versions with confidence.

Month 2: Containers (Docker)

Think of Docker like Amazon delivery boxes. No matter what’s inside, the box looks the same and ships anywhere.
👉 Learn:

docker build -t myapp .
docker run -p 8080:8080 myapp
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👉 Explore Docker Hub, docker-compose for multi-container apps.
Goal: Containerize a simple Node.js or Python app.

Month 3: Orchestration (Kubernetes)

If Docker is a single truck, Kubernetes is FedEx logistics — deciding which truck goes where.
👉 Learn basics:

kubectl create deployment myapp --image=myapp:v1
kubectl expose deployment myapp --type=LoadBalancer --port=80
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👉 Understand Pods, Services, Deployments, Ingress.
Goal: Deploy a small app on Minikube or Kind.

Month 4: CI/CD Pipelines

This is where the magic happens — your code ships itself.
👉 Start with GitHub Actions or GitLab CI:

name: CI Pipeline
on: [push]
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v2
      - run: echo "Hello, CI/CD!"
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👉 Move to Jenkins for real-world pipeline jobs.
Goal: Automate build + test + deploy for your app.

Month 5: Infrastructure as Code (Terraform + Ansible)

  • Terraform = architect (designs cloud resources)
  • Ansible = interior designer (configures servers) 👉 Terraform basics: 
resource "aws_instance" "app" {
  ami = "ami-123456"
  instance_type = "t2.micro"
}
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Goal: Deploy an EC2 instance + configure it with Ansible.

Month 6: Monitoring + Cloud

No city survives without traffic lights and CCTV. 🚦

  • Monitoring → Prometheus + Grafana
  • Logging → ELK stack
  • Cloud → Pick AWS/GCP/Azure, learn the basics (IAM, EC2, S3, VPC). Goal: Deploy your app in cloud with monitoring & logging enabled.

My Biggest Mistake (Learn From Me)

When I started, I wasted 3 months stuck on Kubernetes deep-dives before even learning Git properly. Don’t repeat that. Follow the order — foundations first, then build upward.

Actionable Takeaways

✅ Don’t try to learn everything at once. Stick to the 6-month roadmap.
✅ Practice daily — even 1 hour/day is enough.
✅ Build small projects → blog apps, todo apps, simple APIs.
✅ Document your journey → post on LinkedIn/Twitter, join communities.

Final Words (Let’s Make It Community-Driven)

The DevOps world is huge, but the trick is starting simple and stacking skills.

👉 Now I want to hear from YOU: What’s your biggest struggle with DevOps right now — Docker, Kubernetes, or CI/CD? Drop it in the comments and let’s help each other out! 💬

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