Welcome to DevOps. This is the first year that I have run this module, and I am very excited about going on this fascinating DevOps journey with you.

DevOps is a culture that combines the historically separate functions of development and operations. It allows for quick software development and deployment. I would argue that understanding DevOps is essential for higher-level software development. This module is not about learning syntax; rather, we explore the entire process surrounding modern software development.

You will attend a weekly, two-hour practical session. In these sessions, you’ll work on implementing sound DevOps practices to support a sample application that I will provide weekly versions of.

Each week, I will release a short online, on-demand lecture video. I strongly recommended that you watch these before the practical sessions.

We will set up a DevOps process supporting a JavaScript application. Specifically, we will use React, MongoDB, GraphQL, and PostgreSQL. I should, however, make clear, this course is not about learning these technologies; rather, it is about putting in place sound DevOps practices around the technology. With that being said, you will need to understand how to use these technologies to make a web application. As such, I intend to release several on-demand tutorial videos that will bring you up-to-speed with these technologies.

Assessments are not only an opportunity to show to me what you have learnt, they also are an opportunity to learn. There are two assessments for this module, based on a single assessment scenario. I require you, in self-selected groups, to create a recipe sharing web-application. There will be two deliverables, each worth 50%:

Each team should submit a report showing and justifying the work that has taken place to solve the assessment scenario. The report will be submitted as a single, pdf exported, markdown document.

This assessment requires your team to create a screen cast showing your solution to the project scenario.

Should you engage with the module material and the assessments, by the end of the module you should be able to:

• Set up a continuous integration pipeline to collaboratively manage a project
• Continuously deploy a project
• Communicate and collaborate to deliver a non-trivial, web-based project.
• Critically reflect on the DevOps process

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