DevOps Prerequisites [2025] - Things to Learn Before DevOps

DevOps is changing the way software is built, tested, and delivered. It helps teams work faster, fix problems sooner, and release updates more often. But before you start using tools like Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, or AWS, it’s important to learn the basics that make DevOps work.

This guide will help you understand the essential skills and knowledge you need before learning DevOps.

Prerequisites Before Learning DevOps

Here are some important prerequisites you should know before starting your DevOps journey:

1. Operating Systems & Networking

DevOps depends a lot on operating systems, especially Linux. As a DevOps engineer, you’ll often work on setting up servers, managing system processes, and fixing system issues. That’s why learning Linux commands, file systems, and shell scripting is very important. Knowing a bit about Windows systems can also help in some cases.

Networking is just as important. You should understand the basics like IP addresses, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS, and tools like firewalls, load balancers, and VPNs. These skills help systems communicate and keep everything running safely and smoothly.

What to learn:

• Common Linux commands like ls, cd, mkdir, top, ps
• Basics of the file system and shell scripting
• How to manage system users and processes

Also learn some networking basics:

• What is an IP address, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS?
• What are firewalls, VPNs, and load balancers?

Tip: Use tools like VirtualBox or online terminals to practice in real Linux environments.

2. Version Control with Git (VCS)

Version control is a must-have in DevOps. It helps track code changes and makes teamwork easy. Tools like Git let developers work on the same project without getting in each other’s way.

To use Git well, you should know basic commands like clone, commit, and merge. Platforms like GitHub and GitLab also make it easier to collaborate and connect with CI/CD pipelines for automatic deployments.

As you improve, you should also learn more advanced Git topics like branching and fixing merge conflicts. Using Git workflows like Git Flow or Trunk-Based Development helps teams manage large projects smoothly and avoid errors.

What to learn:

• Master Git commands: cloning, branching, merging, and resolving conflicts.
• Learn Git workflows, such as Git Flow and Trunk-Based Development.
• Explore Git platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket for collaboration.

Tip: Try making a small project and share it on GitHub to get hands-on practice.

3. Programming & Scripting Skills

In DevOps, knowing how to code and write scripts is very important. It helps you automate tasks and connect different tools. Python is a great language to start with because it’s easy to learn and has many built-in tools. It’s often used for things like checking logs or setting up servers. Go is another good language that’s fast and reliable for building DevOps tools.

Scripting is just as important. Using Bash (for Linux) or PowerShell (for Windows), you can write scripts to install software, run system commands, and manage servers.

When you know both programming and scripting, you can automate repetitive work, save time, and make your DevOps projects run more smoothly.

What to learn:

• Start with Python: easy to read and very useful
• Learn Bash or PowerShell for writing scripts
• Understand basics like loops, if-else conditions, file handling

Tip: Start by automating a boring task: like renaming files or creating folders.

4. Cloud Computing Basics

Cloud computing is a big part of DevOps today. It has changed how companies build and run their apps. Platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud let teams quickly set up servers, store data, and run apps without needing physical hardware.

As a DevOps engineer, you should understand cloud services like virtual machines, storage, and serverless functions. You’ll also need to learn about cloud-native features like auto-healing (self-fixing systems), scaling apps up or down, and working with multiple cloud providers.

Getting hands-on practice and even earning cloud certifications can help boost your skills and career.

Focus on:

• Trying services like EC2 (virtual machines) and S3 (storage)
• Learning how apps scale and fix themselves
• Practicing on AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud

Tip: Sign up for free-tier accounts on AWS or GCP and try creating a VM.

5. Learn CI/CD (Continuous Integration / Deployment)

CI/CD is one of the most powerful parts of DevOps as it helps teams build, test, and release software faster and more reliably.

• Continuous Integration (CI) means automatically testing and combining code changes to make sure nothing breaks.
• Continuous Deployment (CD) takes it further by automatically sending the tested code to production. Tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and GitLab CI are commonly used to create these pipelines.

A good CI/CD setup reduces mistakes, speeds up releases, and requires less manual work. DevOps engineers should know how to build and manage these pipelines, connect them with testing tools, and monitor how well they’re working.

What to learn:

• Tools like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI
• How to build pipelines that: Test code, Build apps, Deploy automatically
• Connect CI/CD with testing tools for quality control

Tip: Start by building a small pipeline using GitHub Actions on your own repo.

6. Containerization & Orchestration

Containerization makes it easy to run apps anywhere by packaging them with everything they need. Docker is the main tool for this. For larger setups, Kubernetes helps manage and scale these containers.

DevOps engineers should know how to build Docker images, set up Kubernetes, and manage container networks. This makes apps more scalable, reliable, and easier to manage.

What to learn:

• Docker: how to build, run, and share containers
• Kubernetes: manage many containers together
• Understand basic terms: pods, deployments, services
• Learn container networking and scaling apps.

Tip: Try containerizing a simple website and running it with Docker.

7. DevOps Security

Security in DevOps also called DevSecOps, is a key part of DevOps. Instead of adding security at the end, it’s better to build it into every step of software development.

What to learn:

• Use secure connections (SSH), encrypt sensitive data
• Set up firewalls to protect servers
• Tools like Trivy and OWASP ZAP help scan for security issues
• Add security checks into your CI/CD pipelines.

Tip: Think “security first” when writing code or deploying apps.

It’s also helpful to use security tools like Trivy and OWASP ZAP that can find problems early, so you can fix them before they cause harm. Adding security from the beginning helps protect your apps and data from attacks and system failures.

8. Communication & Collaboration Tools

Teamwork is just as important as tools in DevOps. Communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams help teams talk in real-time, while Jira and Trello help plan and track work. Documentation is also key. Tools like Confluence and Notion let teams share ideas, write down steps, and keep track of decisions in one place.

Good communication and clear documentation help everyone stay on the same page and create a strong DevOps culture.

What to learn:

• Project tools like Jira, Trello: for planning work
• Chat tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams: for daily discussions
• Docs tools like Confluence, Notion: for sharing knowledge and notes

Tip: Practice writing clear documentation, even for your personal projects.

Who Can Learn DevOps?

This Learning Path is ideal for:

• Beginners new to IT, cloud, or development
• Students or recent graduates
• Developers moving into operations
• QA engineers looking to automate
• System admins aiming to modernize skills

And no you don’t need a computer science degree or prior coding experience. Anyone can start learning DevOps who learn by seeing, enjoy practicing, or are excited to start learning something new.

Conclusion

DevOps offers endless opportunities to improve the way businesses create and deliver software. By building a strong foundation in the essential skills and staying open to learning, you can grow a successful career in this exciting field. As tools and practices continue to evolve, staying adaptable will help you drive innovation, improve processes, and contribute to the success of any organization you work with.