8 Essential DevOps Skills Every Engineer Should Master

In 2018 a Kubernetes wave swept the DevOps world, prompting vendors to launch their own Kubernetes products such as NetApp Kubernetes, Puppet DevOps Dashboard, and Red Hat OpenShift. Red Hat DevOps certification expert Shane Boulden compiled a list of the eight most valuable DevOps skills to guide practitioners and aspiring experts.

1. Deploy and use the right Kubernetes platform

Kubernetes is a core platform for DevOps, allowing developers and operators to manage containerized applications via a common API. Rather than diving into upstream source code, beginners should start with downstream distributions, for example OpenShift, and study the Operator framework comprehensively.

2. Configure and manage scalable micro‑service applications

By 2019, deploying and managing applications on Kubernetes became a basic DevOps skill. Tools like kubectl or custom scripts can interact with the Kubernetes API, and Python clients such as load_incluster_config enable access to pod metadata. Implementing scalable monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana, and exporting metrics via node_exporter and libraries like Micrometer, lets both developers and operators share a common monitoring stack.

3. Master automation tools

Automation remains at the heart of DevOps. In 2019, experts should acquire advanced knowledge of tools such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, or Bash, and practice configuration management, testing, and production deployment. Techniques like blue‑green and canary deployments, as well as using Ansible Operators to automate Kubernetes workloads, are essential.

4. Minimize container image builds

Creating a basic Dockerfile is no longer sufficient. DevOps engineers should learn to optimize container builds, reduce image size, and minimize runtime dependencies. Multi‑stage builds allow the use of a lightweight Alpine base for production while keeping build tools only in earlier stages.

5. Interact with multiple container runtimes

Docker has long dominated Linux containers, but its influence is waning. New runtimes like CRI‑O have become the default for Kubernetes, and tools such as Podman offer alternative fork/exec models. Understanding how Docker, CRI‑O, and Podman interact with Kubernetes is still important for 2019.

6. Manage delegated authentication and authorization

The rise of containerized applications changes how identity and access are handled. In 2019, DevOps professionals should adopt protocols like OpenID Connect and OAuth 2 to build scalable architectures and support multi‑factor authentication.

7. Become an OS‑level expert

The operating system remains the foundation of any DevOps platform. Whether based on Debian, Red Hat, or a container‑optimized OS, deep expertise is crucial. Certifications such as Red Hat Certified System Administrator or Engineer provide trusted credentials.

8. Adopt the best learning approach

DevOps is constantly evolving, so shortening the feedback loop between developers and operators is vital. Continuous learning—whether through hands‑on practice or reading documentation—should be pursued efficiently.

Openshift

Containers

DevOps

Docker

Podman