DevOps Applications in Healthcare: Real-World Examples

# .github/workflows/booking-app.yml
name: booking-app
on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: '3.12'
      - run: pip install -r requirements.txt
      - run: pytest -q
  deploy:
    needs: test
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: production     # protected: requires reviewer approval
    steps:
      - run: echo "deploy approved build here"

# tests/test_booking.py  (runs against a test app with dummy data)
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

def book(slots: set, slot: datetime) -> bool:
    if slot < datetime.now() or slot in slots:
        return False
    slots.add(slot)
    return True

def test_cannot_double_book_slot():
    slots = set()
    s = datetime.now() + timedelta(days=1)
    assert book(slots, s) is True
    assert book(slots, s) is False

def test_cannot_book_in_past():
    assert book(set(), datetime.now() - timedelta(hours=1)) is False

# Run in CI to stop secrets being committed
# pip install detect-secrets
#   detect-secrets scan > .secrets.baseline
#   detect-secrets audit .secrets.baseline

import re, sys, pathlib

PATTERNS = [r"AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}", r"(?i)password\s*=\s*['\"][^'\"]+['\"]"]
hits = []
for path in pathlib.Path(".").rglob("*.py"):
    text = path.read_text(errors="ignore")
    for p in PATTERNS:
        if re.search(p, text):
            hits.append(str(path))
if hits:
    print("Possible secrets in:", sorted(set(hits)))
    sys.exit(1)
print("no obvious secrets found")

import random
import uuid
from datetime import date, timedelta

random.seed(7)
DEPTS = ["Cardiology", "Orthopaedics", "General Medicine", "Paediatrics"]

def fake_patient():
    return {
        "patient_id": str(uuid.uuid4())[:8],
        "age": random.randint(1, 90),
        "department": random.choice(DEPTS),
        "visit_date": str(date(2026, 10, 1) + timedelta(days=random.randint(0, 30))),
    }

for p in [fake_patient() for _ in range(3)]:
    print(p)
# Use synthetic data in test environments, never real records.

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: reports-portal
  labels: { app: reports-portal }
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels: { app: reports-portal }
  template:
    metadata:
      labels: { app: reports-portal }
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: web
          image: example/reports-portal:2.3.1
          ports: [{ containerPort: 8080 }]
          readinessProbe:
            httpGet: { path: /health, port: 8080 }
            periodSeconds: 10
          livenessProbe:
            httpGet: { path: /health, port: 8080 }
            initialDelaySeconds: 20

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Tag each production release so history is clear and searchable
set -euo pipefail
VERSION="v2.3.1"
APPROVER="${APPROVER:?set APPROVER}"

git tag -a "$VERSION" -m "Release $VERSION approved by $APPROVER on $(date -u +%F)"
git push origin "$VERSION"

# Later, anyone can see what was released and when:
git tag -n --sort=-creatordate | head -5

Project: Clinic appointment service (synthetic data)

- Small booking API with tests (no double booking, no past slots)
- CI pipeline with tests, secret scan and image build
- Protected production environment requiring approval
- Kubernetes deployment with 3 replicas and health checks
- Database in a private network with encryption enabled
- Release tags and a short audit README

[ ] No secrets in Git (secret scan in CI)
[ ] Secrets loaded from a secret manager or env at runtime
[ ] Database not publicly accessible
[ ] Encryption at rest and TLS in transit
[ ] Only synthetic data in all environments
[ ] Least-privilege service accounts
[ ] Logs exclude personal data

Runbook: reports portal unavailable

1. Check alerts and dashboard: which pods are failing?
2. kubectl get pods -l app=reports-portal
3. If after a release: kubectl rollout undo deployment/reports-portal
4. Check database connectivity from a pod
5. Inform support team with expected recovery time
6. Write an incident note: timeline, cause, fix, prevention