DevOps Roadmap 2026
6 phases · 16 weeks · build one project in every phase.
Step-by-step plan
- Linux commands and file system
- Users, permissions and processes
- systemd services and logs
- Networking: DNS, HTTP, ports, SSH
- Package management
Project: Set up an Ubuntu server with nginx, SSH keys, firewall rules and log rotation
- Bash scripting and cron
- Python basics for automation
- Git branching, merge and rebase
- Pull requests and code review
- Git hooks
Project: Write a backup script with logging and alerts, versioned on GitHub with pull requests
- Jenkins controller and agents
- Declarative Jenkinsfile
- GitHub Actions workflows
- Artefact repositories
- Code quality and security scans
Project: Build a pipeline that tests, scans and packages a web app on every pull request
- Dockerfiles and multi-stage builds
- Docker Compose
- Kubernetes Deployments and Services
- Ingress, ConfigMaps and Secrets
- Helm charts
- Probes, limits and autoscaling
Project: Containerise a three-tier app and deploy it to Kubernetes with Helm and Ingress
- AWS IAM, VPC, EC2 and S3
- EKS and load balancers
- Terraform modules and remote state
- Ansible playbooks and roles
- Cost and security basics
Project: Provision a VPC and EKS cluster with Terraform and configure servers using Ansible
- Prometheus and PromQL
- Grafana dashboards and alerts
- Centralised logging with EFK
- SLOs and incident response
- GitOps with Argo CD
Project: Add Prometheus, Grafana and alerting to your cluster with an SLO dashboard
Practise each topic
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn DevOps?
Following this roadmap takes about 16 weeks with regular practice. Working professionals usually need a little longer.
What should I learn first in DevOps?
Start with phase 1: Linux commands and file system, Users, permissions and processes, systemd services and logs. Build the phase project before moving on.
How do I know I am job-ready in DevOps?
When you can finish all phase projects on your own, solve the medium questions in the topic sheets and clear the mock interview comfortably.