Beginner-Friendly Topic
Take your time - it's perfectly normal to re-read this topic 2-3 times. Try the interactive code editor below to run code yourself. Use the Q&A section to check your understanding before moving on. You've got this! 🚀
DevOps Lifecycle & SDLC
The DevOps lifecycle is an infinite loop of 8 phases - Plan, Code, Build, Test, Release, Deploy, Operate, Monitor - that continuously delivers value. Each phase feeds back into the next.
The 8 DevOps Lifecycle Phases
- Plan: Define features, create user stories, sprint planning (Jira, Linear, GitHub Issues)
- Code: Write code, create branches, raise pull requests (Git, GitHub, GitLab)
- Build: Compile code, resolve dependencies, create artifacts (npm build, Maven, Docker)
- Test: Automated unit, integration, e2e tests - run on every commit (Jest, Selenium)
- Release: Version the build, create release candidate, gate check (semantic versioning)
- Deploy: Push to production environment - automated via CI/CD pipeline (GitHub Actions)
- Operate: Monitor running systems, manage configuration, handle scaling (Kubernetes)
- Monitor: Collect metrics, logs, traces - feed insights back to Plan phase (Prometheus/Grafana)
DevOps vs Traditional SDLC
// Traditional SDLC (Waterfall)
const waterfall = {
phases: ["Requirements (months)", "Design (weeks)", "Development (months)", "Testing (weeks)", "Deployment (days)", "DONE"],
feedbackLoop: "None - users see software after 6-12 months",
releaseFrequency: "Once or twice per year",
riskLevel: "Very high - big bang releases",
};
// DevOps Continuous Delivery
const devOpsCycle = {
phases: [
"Plan → Code → Build → Test", // Hours
"Release → Deploy → Operate → Monitor", // Minutes
"Monitor feeds back to Plan", // Continuous
],
feedbackLoop: "Real-time - user behavior drives next sprint",
releaseFrequency: "Multiple times per day",
riskLevel: "Low - small incremental changes",
tools: {
Plan: "Jira / GitHub Projects",
Code: "VS Code / Git / GitHub",
Build: "npm / Docker / Maven",
Test: "Jest / Cypress / Selenium",
Release: "GitHub Releases / semantic-release",
Deploy: "GitHub Actions / ArgoCD",
Operate: "Kubernetes / Helm",
Monitor: "Prometheus / Grafana / Datadog",
},
};Quick Quiz
Tip
Tip
Practice DevOps Lifecycle SDLC in small, isolated examples before integrating into larger projects. Breaking concepts into small experiments builds genuine understanding faster than reading alone.
DevOps unifies development and operations in a continuous cycle
Practice Task
Note
Practice Task - (1) Write a working example of DevOps Lifecycle SDLC from scratch without looking at notes. (2) Modify it to handle an edge case (empty input, null value, or error state). (3) Share your solution in the Priygop community for feedback.
Common Mistake
Warning
A common mistake with DevOps Lifecycle SDLC is skipping edge case testing - empty inputs, null values, and unexpected data types. Always validate boundary conditions to write robust, production-ready devops code.
Key Takeaways
- The DevOps lifecycle is an infinite loop of 8 phases - Plan, Code, Build, Test, Release, Deploy, Operate, Monitor - that continuously delivers value.
- Plan: Define features, create user stories, sprint planning (Jira, Linear, GitHub Issues)
- Code: Write code, create branches, raise pull requests (Git, GitHub, GitLab)
- Build: Compile code, resolve dependencies, create artifacts (npm build, Maven, Docker)