Summary

The web content lists five essential books that every DevOps engineer should read to understand and implement DevOps practices effectively.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the growing importance of DevOps in the tech industry, particularly in 2022, as businesses increasingly adopt containerization, cloud computing, and automation. It highlights a curated list of books that provide insights into DevOps methodologies, tools, and culture. The list includes "The Unicorn Project" by Gene Kim, which uses a narrative to discuss collaborative processes and their impact on IT projects. "Continuous Delivery" by Jez Humble and David Farley is recommended for its foundational principles in automating software development processes. "The DevOps Handbook," co-authored by Gene Kim, Jez Humble, Patrick Debois, and John Willis, is praised for its practical guidance and case studies. "Effective DevOps" by Jennifer Davis and Katherine Daniels focuses on building a collaborative culture within DevOps, making it suitable for IT managers. Lastly, "The Phoenix Project," also by Gene Kim with Kevin Behr and George Spafford, is noted for its storytelling approach to understanding DevOps principles. The article suggests "The DevOps Handbook" for technical details and process integration, "The Phoenix Project" and "The Unicorn Project" for engaging learning, and "Effective DevOps" for fostering a DevOps culture in teams.

Opinions

"The Unicorn Project" is recognized for its ability to convey technical insights through an engaging storyline.
"Continuous Delivery" is considered a key resource for those new to DevOps, despite some elements feeling outdated.
"The DevOps Handbook" is favored for its blend of principles and real-world applications, making it a comprehensive guide.
"Effective DevOps" is seen as a valuable resource for IT managers to understand and implement DevOps culture and practices.
"The Phoenix Project" is recommended for its focus on development perspective and principles of DevOps, complementing "The Unicorn Project" with a broader organizational view.

5 Essential books every DevOps Engineer needs to read

As we enter 2022 DevOps is becoming more and more relevant. Businesses are moving quickly towards containerization, cloud computing, and automation. With the pandemic forcing the world to work from home, the demand for DevOps has skyrocketed however developers with the knowledge are hard to find. With that in mind, I've curated a list of must-read books for anybody interested in DevOps practices, tools, automation, or orchestration.

1. The Unicorn Project

This book is fascinating, The first chapters paint a picture of a major IT project in disrepair. If you have spent enough time in our industry, you’re likely to have come across most of these horror stories or at least worked in a similar environment. These stories really help the second half of the book land its punches, we see how to properly use collaborative processes and how effective these can be when delivered and integrated correctly.

The Unicorn Project is a technical book, however, it doesn’t always feel like it. It manages to provide useful insights into design, business, and development processes and integrate them into an interesting story.

2. Continuous Delivery

Continous Delivery by Jez Humble & David Farley

Continuous Delivery written by Jez Humble and provides a good first book for any DevOps Engineer. It outlines many of the key principles of automating all facets of building, integrating, testing, and deploying software.

Written in 2010 some of the elements of this book can seem a little outdated and obvious as time goes on. However, if you are new to the DevOps space it is still a key learning resource that can help you move from idea to release faster and deliver value to your business rapidly and reliably.

3. DevOps Handbook

DevOps Handbook by Gene Kim, Jez Humble, Patrick Debois and John Willis

The DevOps handbook is possibly my favorite on this list and my personal recommendation if you’re going to read just one of these. It not only includes key principles but also provides case studies from organizations so that you can apply its teachings to your current environment.

Whereas the Phoenix/Unicorn Project is a story about a struggling company's turnaround to success, this book is exactly what its name suggests, a handbook to apply DevOps practices to your organization. It focuses on continuous delivery from development to production. It’s a practical roadmap to improving IT systems in any environment.

4. Effective DevOps: Building a Culture of Collaboration

Effective DevOps by Jennifer Davis & Katherine Daniels

Focusing on the Culture of DevOps, Effective DevOps is a welcome addition to this list. It is a rare book in the field that begins with people and processes, then moves to technology. This is not a technical book, and if you’re looking for details on how you might integrate these features in development or production environments you will not find it here.

However, if you are a manager of a team and want to start integrating DevOps practices and the culture that comes with it this should be a great read. Consider this more of an IT manager handbook and a developers guide.

5. The Phoenix Project

Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr and George Spafford

This book is very similar to the first book on this list: Unicorn Project. It takes place in the same company and follows the same plot, but is written from the perspective of a person in development rather than IT and infrastructure operations. It once again utilizes an interesting story to provide insights into business and development processes.

Whilst the Unicorn Project gives more technical detail about how DevOps pipelines should work, the Phoenix gives a greater understanding of the principles of DevOps rather than specifics which can be incredibly useful when trying to change an organization.

Anyone with aspirations to help improve workflow through an organization should definitely pick this up.

So… Which one to read?

If you are a DevOps Developer I have to recommend the DevOps Handbook (Continuous Delivery is a good follow-up but can feel a little outdated at times). It will provide the technical details and act as gospel on how to integrate the DevOps processes and technologies required.

If you struggle to read technical books without completely losing all motivation both the Phoneix and the Unicorn Project provide insights and technical knowledge within an interesting story.

Finally, if you are an IT manager of a team and you want to push your team to think in more of a ‘DevOps way’ then Effective DevOps is a must. Providing the culture and all the resources you need to get the most of out your team.