DevOps Lifecycle: Phases Explained in Detail

The DevOps lifecycle is a structured framework that combines the development and operations teams for faster and higher-quality software delivery. This Lifecycle of DevOps has interdependent phases: planning, development, testing, deployment, monitoring, and feedback. Each phase addresses specific areas of the DevOps Software Development Lifecycle.

Below, we will guide you through each phase of the DevOps lifecycle, citing best practices and tools that improve the way people collaborate and get stuff done. We will emphasize automation and CI/CD processes as key contributors to a culture of continuous improvement.

What Is DevOps?

DevOps is a collaborative approach that brings together Development and Operations to improve the ability of an organization to deliver applications and services efficiently and rapidly. It encompasses practices, philosophies, and tools designed to foster a culture where the DevOps Software Development Lifecycle and IT operations teams work together seamlessly.

At its heart, DevOps focuses on CI/CD - continuous integration and continuous delivery, allowing teams to integrate code changes into a shared repository as frequently as possible. This allows them to quickly deploy new features and fixes with minimal interruption. Quick feedback loops help identify and resolve problems quickly.

Hence, incorporating this DevOps culture benefits the organizations much concerning how things are implemented during the organization regarding market change requirements, as its product quality develops and delivers smooth operational process handling.

What Is the DevOps Lifecycle?

The DevOps lifecycle is an ongoing and automated sequence of activities that enables collaboration and iteration in software development. It is a series of key DevOps stages, visualized as an infinity loop: planning, building, integrating, deploying, monitoring, operating, and providing feedback.

• Development and Testing: The left side writes and tests the code to be of quality.
• Deployment and Operations: The right side delivers the software and monitors its performance in production.

DevOps is not a collection of tools, but a cultural approach that enables the timely delivery of high-quality software. Streamlining activities like source code management and deployment through automation is critical in ensuring less human error and increasing an organization's productivity once the metrics are accounted for in terms of using a DevOps toolchain.

Phases of DevOps Lifecycle

The DevOps lifecycle is composed of several phases, each serving a critical role in the continuous delivery of software. Here are some of these DevOps Phases:

Plan 

This is the planning phase that sets the basis for the project by outlining its lifecycle and objectives. Unlike the traditional models, this phase emphasizes the potential for future iterations. Past cycle insights inform current decisions, ensuring comprehensive planning that involves all teams to avoid overlooked areas.

Code

Developers write and prepare the source code in the coding phase according to the specifications defined during the planning stage. They focus on how the code fits into the operational requirements, which in turn provides a solid foundation for the project.

Build

This stage involves incorporating the new code into the project. Most changes are managed using version control systems such as GitHub. The developers submit their additions of code to be reviewed. Once approved, it becomes part of the project for adding features or fixing bugs.

Test

During testing, teams conduct various tests to ensure the project meets its functional requirements. This phase includes testing for edge and corner cases—specific conditions that could cause the software to fail under unusual circumstances. Thorough testing helps identify and resolve issues before deployment.

Release

In the release phase, the code is verified and checked if it is ready for production. If all criteria are met along with passing inspections, then the project moves to the deployment phase.

Deploy

The deployment stage involves getting the project ready for the production environment. Traditionally, operations teams handled this, but DevOps encourages collective responsibility; everyone on the team should strive to ensure a successful deployment.

Operate

The operating phase monitors the project in a live environment where end users interact with the product. It is an essential phase for collecting feedback and managing the production configuration, which will inform future development cycles.

Monitor

Observes the final phase, seeing how the developed product is actually used and then gathering feedback with issues and improvements. This input is documented, fed back, and improves upon the planning that was done at the beginning. All DevOps Lifecycle Phases are put together to create an iterative loop toward rapid and sure software delivery.

7 Cs of DevOps

The 7 Cs of DevOps are a comprehensive framework for understanding and implementing the DevOps lifecycle. These phases focus on continuous improvement and collaboration, which enhance the overall DevOps Process. Here's a closer look at each of the 7 Cs:

Continuous Development

This phase encourages collaboration between developers, testers, and stakeholders, allowing them to make incremental changes rather than large batches. Organizations can reduce the risks associated with significant changes and respond quickly to user needs and market demands by adopting a series of small iterations, such as bug fixes, new features, and code improvements. Tools like Git, along with platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, facilitate effective version control and collaborative development.

Continuous Integration (CI)

After the code is developed, it is committed to a shared repository, which in turn triggers a series of automated processes known as the CI pipeline. This includes source code quality analysis, building the code, and executing unit and integration tests. Tools like Jenkins help automate these processes, allowing teams to quickly identify and fix defects before they propagate through the pipeline.

Continuous Testing

It is the automated testing process throughout the development pipeline so that every change in the software may be validated. Continuous testing provides rapid and reliable feedback to the developer and allows them to keep a keen focus on high-level tasks. Various tools like Katalon help in creating and executing tests for applications of any level and make management of the entire STLC easy for teams.

Continuous deployment/continuous delivery

These two terms are used interchangeably by many, though they are different practices. Continuous delivery involves automatically delivering changes to the staging or production environments once the change has passed automated tests and validation procedures, with a human operator deciding when the changes should go live. Continuous deployment, in contrast, makes the deployment completely automatic, where changes are directly allowed to go live without manual intervention.

Continuous Feedback

This is where continuous collection of user feedback drives future development. Automated mechanisms include surveys, error reporting, and monitoring systems to acquire insights on performance and usage metrics. Feedback is captured through the use of a variety of channels, including forms, support tickets, and community forums.

Continuous Monitoring

This is continuous monitoring that emphasizes the real-time visibility of system performance and behavior. It stresses the collection and analysis of data to address risks proactively, thereby ensuring stability in the system. It's aimed at offering timely insight into several metrics so that the organization can act faster with precision and efficiency.

Continuous Operations

This is the ongoing management and maintenance of software systems in production environments. Key aspects include incident response, change management, monitoring and alerting, and backup and recovery. Continuous operations ensure that systems are stable, secure, and available to users and minimize disruptions and risks throughout the software lifecycle.

Together, the 7 Cs of DevOps provide a well-rounded framework for increasing collaboration, accelerating delivery, and improving software product quality. Integrating all these practices within an organization allows for a more efficient and effective culture of DevOps.

Final Thoughts

DevOps has made tremendous changes within the software development industry by allowing collaboration, high-quality, and fast delivery in an organization's culture. Emphasis on continuous process and proper automation within a DevOps cycle improves the possibility of delivering great software products by improving user experiences.

We, at Prioxis, realize the need to adopt DevOps practices to make your development workflow smoother and maximize business value. Our team of experts specializes in implementing CI/CD pipelines and following best practices in DevOps to ensure a seamless and efficient product development lifecycle. We can help you build cross-functional teams that foster collaboration and drive innovation.

So, if you want to unlock the power of an effective DevOps cycle to take your software development processes to a higher level, reach us at Prioxis today. Let's partner and unlock the full potential of DevOps in transforming the approach towards software development.