Fundamentals of DevOps and Software Delivery: A Hands-On Guide to Deploying and Managing Software in Production

by Yevgeniy Brikman

There are many guides out there on how to write software. This book is a guide to software delivery: that is, all the processes, tools, and techniques that are required to run and maintain software in production on an ongoing basis. In particular, this book is a guide to DevOps, a methodology for making software delivery more efficient.

Whereas most books and talks on DevOps focus on culture, values, and organizational structure, I've found that when most people talk about DevOps, what they are really interested in is the mechanics of effective software delivery. That's what this book is all about. It's a hands-on guide that includes dozens of step-by-step examples of how to run production systems. You’ll start with the basics—an app running on a single server—and work your way up to microservices in a Kubernetes cluster with a service mesh, automated deployment pipeline, end-to-end encryption, and more.

By the time you’re done with the book, you will have had hands-on practice with all the core concepts and best practices of modern DevOps and software delivery.

Genres: Technology, Computer Science, Programming, Software

549 pages, Paperback

Published May 24, 2025

About the author

Yevgeniy (Jim) Brikman is the co-founder of Gruntwork, a company that that offers products & services for setting up world-class DevOps Foundations. He's also the author of three books published by O'Reilly: Fundamentals of DevOps and Software Delivery , Terraform: Up & Running , and Hello, Startup . Previously, he worked as a software engineer at LinkedIn, TripAdvisor, Cisco Systems, and Thomson Financial and got his BS and Masters at Cornell University. For more info, check out ybrikman.com.

Reviews

[Roman Hauksson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clearly and deftly written. Helped me gain a lot of clarity about my dev tooling on a small scale. I’ll definitely have to come back to this book when I start working on larger-scale projects.

[Linna Linna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the DevOps manual I wish I had years ago. It covers everything from cloud deployments to CI/CD pipelines in a clear, structured way that makes even complex topics feel manageable.

[Dawid Cedrych · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Yevgeniy's first book "Hello, Startup" almost 10 years ago when I was still learning the ropes and trying to break into tech. Reading it felt different. My impression was that the author was trying to take me behind the scenes and show me how the whole industry works, while teaching me the foundations of the craft.
From design to actual coding best practices to notions like company valuation and equity—it was a formative experience without a doubt.

A decade later, Yevgeniy has done it again.

Today, the incentive to understand how things really work is low because everything seems to be just a few prompts away. But thanks to authors like Yevgeniy and books like "Fundamentals of DevOps and Software Delivery" I'm not worried that the craft will be lost.

[Culer Blitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book delivers core DevOps principles with the impact of a block blast clear, structured, and highly applicable!