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Fundamentals of DevOps and Software Delivery: A Hands-On Guide to Deploying and Managing Software in Production
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.
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.
927 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 20, 2025
15 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Yevgeniy Brikman
4 books732 followersYevgeniy (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.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 8, 2025
A solid four stars from me.
What I liked:
- The biggest strength of this book (similar to "Terraform: Up & Running" by the same author) is strategical thinking, being holistic, which goes beyond just the tactical steps of making your app running. Although the table of contents looks very technical, there is a lot of knowledge that glues that technicality with a real-life software. Many words on architecture, design or tradeoffs.
I appreciate this aspect the most because I love when a book is somewhat bigger than just a "tutorial". Some level of abstraction and delivering a wider picture is required for a book be great :)
- Although all the examples use AWS, it's very easy to map them to other cloud providers - it's just an implementation details. The terraform code makes this mapping even easier.
- There is a lot of technologies used in this book. However, this is not a "How to use K8S" or "How to use Terraform" type of a book. All of those technologies are treated as tools to achieve a bigger goal. It's great, because a reader does not get lost in the intricacies of a specific tool. And you don't loose that goal from your radar!
- The content actually covers the entire delivery process. From code-versioning to monitoring. It's great, it can give you a nice perspective.
What I didn't like:
- Well, I usually have some problems with books that intend to combine practical knowledge with high-level and abstract theoretical knowledge. While I have to admit this one turned out quite well, a lot of tradeoffs had to be made. You can't be neither too technical nor too general. It's much easier to to be practical if you write a book about only one technology :)
- As an experienced software engineer who has been using DevOps practices for a while, I feel that I didn't learn that much. This was a very engaging and enjoyable read that confirmed my beliefs about many practices and tools. Still, if I were to get more out of this, I would have needed to delve deeper into specific areas.
In summary, I highly recommend this book. If you don't have too much experience with DevOps and modern Software Delivery then it's a MUST READ. Otherwise, it will still be valuable :)
What I liked:
- The biggest strength of this book (similar to "Terraform: Up & Running" by the same author) is strategical thinking, being holistic, which goes beyond just the tactical steps of making your app running. Although the table of contents looks very technical, there is a lot of knowledge that glues that technicality with a real-life software. Many words on architecture, design or tradeoffs.
I appreciate this aspect the most because I love when a book is somewhat bigger than just a "tutorial". Some level of abstraction and delivering a wider picture is required for a book be great :)
- Although all the examples use AWS, it's very easy to map them to other cloud providers - it's just an implementation details. The terraform code makes this mapping even easier.
- There is a lot of technologies used in this book. However, this is not a "How to use K8S" or "How to use Terraform" type of a book. All of those technologies are treated as tools to achieve a bigger goal. It's great, because a reader does not get lost in the intricacies of a specific tool. And you don't loose that goal from your radar!
- The content actually covers the entire delivery process. From code-versioning to monitoring. It's great, it can give you a nice perspective.
What I didn't like:
- Well, I usually have some problems with books that intend to combine practical knowledge with high-level and abstract theoretical knowledge. While I have to admit this one turned out quite well, a lot of tradeoffs had to be made. You can't be neither too technical nor too general. It's much easier to to be practical if you write a book about only one technology :)
- As an experienced software engineer who has been using DevOps practices for a while, I feel that I didn't learn that much. This was a very engaging and enjoyable read that confirmed my beliefs about many practices and tools. Still, if I were to get more out of this, I would have needed to delve deeper into specific areas.
In summary, I highly recommend this book. If you don't have too much experience with DevOps and modern Software Delivery then it's a MUST READ. Otherwise, it will still be valuable :)
July 29, 2025
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.
October 30, 2025
My verdict: Impressive, data-driven, and historically grounded hands-on guide.
This book stands out for opening with real numbers and a clear timeline of where DevOps comes from, bringing dates and historical context to the forefront in a way that makes the rest of the book feel anchored and credible. That framing makes the principles feel less abstract and more measurable, which I really appreciated.
Beyond that strong start, the book is relentlessly practical, offering dozens of step-by-step examples for running from development to production systems, exactly the kind of guidance practitioners need when the theory meets on-call reality.
It takes you on a well-structured journey: from a single-server app to a microservices architecture running in a Kubernetes cluster, layering in a service mesh, an automated deployment pipeline, end-to-end encryption, and more.
Throughout, it keeps the spotlight on software delivery itself... the day-in, day-out processes, tools, and techniques of operating software in production, and shows how DevOps practices make that delivery significantly more efficient.
If you’re new to DevOps, you’ll benefit from the progressive build-up and the emphasis on measured outcomes; if you’re experienced, the historical grounding and the concrete, production-grade walkthroughs will still add value.
This book stands out for opening with real numbers and a clear timeline of where DevOps comes from, bringing dates and historical context to the forefront in a way that makes the rest of the book feel anchored and credible. That framing makes the principles feel less abstract and more measurable, which I really appreciated.
Beyond that strong start, the book is relentlessly practical, offering dozens of step-by-step examples for running from development to production systems, exactly the kind of guidance practitioners need when the theory meets on-call reality.
It takes you on a well-structured journey: from a single-server app to a microservices architecture running in a Kubernetes cluster, layering in a service mesh, an automated deployment pipeline, end-to-end encryption, and more.
Throughout, it keeps the spotlight on software delivery itself... the day-in, day-out processes, tools, and techniques of operating software in production, and shows how DevOps practices make that delivery significantly more efficient.
If you’re new to DevOps, you’ll benefit from the progressive build-up and the emphasis on measured outcomes; if you’re experienced, the historical grounding and the concrete, production-grade walkthroughs will still add value.
June 15, 2025
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.
July 4, 2025
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.
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.
May 26, 2025
This book delivers core DevOps principles with the impact of a block blast clear, structured, and highly applicable!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews