Note: This article was written by a neural network. It’s part of a series of experiments I’m doing to see how well AI can generate plausible and not-totally-awful clickbait. But I promise I don’t actually hate DevOps.

DevOps was supposed to be the silver bullet that would fix all the problems caused by agile development. Unfortunately, most developers hate DevOps. The overall cause is simple: DevOps requires developers to change how they think about software.

There are five main reasons why devs hate DevOps. Let’s talk about each one in turn.

Reason 1: Developers Don’t Like Change

DevOps is based on the idea of continuous integration and delivery. In other words, it encourages constant feedback loops. This means that every developer must check in their code frequently. Then, they have to test it. Finally, they have to release it to production.

All of this happens automatically. This makes it easy to automate. It also ensures that any bugs are found early. This gives the team time to make fixes. And it prevents problems from spreading through the whole organization.

As a result, DevOps eliminates a lot of the chaos that used to happen during both waterfall and agile development.

Unfortunately, many developers don’t like change. They prefer the stability of traditional methods. So they resist DevOps.

One example of this is the use of CI/CD tools. Many developers believe that these systems cause too much friction. These devs feel that it slows down their workflow.

Another example is the idea of automated testing. Most devs don’t like this. They worry that it will slow them down.

Finally, some devs dislike the idea of automating deployments. They don’t want to give up control over their servers.

The bottom line is that many developers don’t like change. That’s why DevOps is so difficult for them.

Reason 2: Developers Don’t Understand the Value of Automation

A big problem with DevOps is that most developers don’t understand what it does. For instance, they often assume that it will increase their productivity.

But that’s not true. DevOps isn’t about increasing the number of features your application can do. It’s about making sure those features are tested and released quickly.

In fact, DevOps is more efficient than traditional methods. With DevOps, you only have to deal with the problems that occur after someone else has fixed the ones that happened earlier.

So why do developers hate DevOps? Because they think it will reduce the amount of time they spend adding new features.

They’re wrong.

DevOps doesn’t mean that you won’t add features. It simply means that you’ll be able to find and fix problems before they get out into the wild.

That way, when something goes wrong, it’s easier to fix.

And if you don’t have to waste time fixing things, you can focus on building new stuff.

Reason 3: Developers Don’t Want to Deal with New Tools

DevOps uses a variety of tools. Some of these include containers, Kubernetes, Jenkins, GitHub, Docker, etc.

Many devs hate dealing with these tools.

Why?

Because they think they’ll slow them down.

For example, many devs believe that using a container will increase their deployment times. And since DevOps relies on frequent releases, they assume that they need to make frequent changes to the images.

These assumptions are incorrect.

Containers speed up the process of deploying applications. They help prevent errors from getting out to the rest of the world. And they allow teams to deploy different versions of the same app at the same time.

As a result, DevOps saves time.

However, there are still a few issues.

First, DevOps tools aren’t perfect. There may be bugs or security holes in them. As a result, some developers will avoid using them.

Second, it takes time to learn how to use DevOps tools.

Some devs might try to use the tools without learning how to use them properly. This could lead to serious problems.

Finally, it’s important to remember that DevOps tools aren’t magic. They can’t fix everything. You still need to write tests. And you still need to keep track of your code.

You just have to do it differently.

Reason 4: Developers Are Afraid of Making Mistakes

DevOps encourages developers to take responsibility for their own mistakes.

Most devs don’t like this idea. After all, they’re afraid of making mistakes.

If they make a mistake, they’ll get fired.

So they avoid taking risks.

Unfortunately, this approach usually leads to bad results.

When you use DevOps, you should always be looking for ways to eliminate risk. If possible, you should never have to fix a bug.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Sometimes you can’t completely eliminate the risk. But you can minimize it.

For example, you might decide to automate the entire build-test cycle. This would remove the human element from the process. It also reduces the chance of a human making a mistake.

Similarly, you can use containers to isolate code. Doing this prevents you from accidentally breaking your application.

Finally, you can use automated testing to catch mistakes as soon as they happen.

The point is that DevOps encourages you to accept some level of risk. This is why DevOps is so hard for many devs.

Reason 5: Developers Hate Working with Other People

DevOps encourages collaboration between software engineers and operations. This means that you have to work closely with other people. Unfortunately, many developers don’t like this idea.

They’re scared of interacting with others. They’re afraid of being criticized. And they worry that working together will cause conflict.

Of course, it’s important to collaborate with your team. But it’s equally important to know when to step back.

It’s okay to disagree sometimes. But it’s not okay to argue constantly.

Finally, it’s also important to recognize that everyone makes mistakes.

No one is perfect. Everyone needs to admit that they’ve made a mistake. Then they need to move on.

The bottom line is that DevOps requires you to interact with others. And that can be scary.

That’s why so many devs hate DevOps.

Conclusion: The Bottom Line

To sum up, here are the five main reasons why devs hate DevOps.

1. Developers Don’t Like Change

2. Developers Don’t Understand the Value of Automation

3. Developers Don’t Want to Deal with New Tools

4. Developers Are Afraid of Making Mistakes

5. Developers HATE Interacting with Others

Now, the real question is: are developers right, or should they give DevOps another chance?

Well, I think it’s worth giving DevOps a second look. But only if we make sure to address all of its problems.

Here are three steps that you can take to improve DevOps:

Step 1: Make Sure Your Team Knows What DevOps Is

First, make sure that everyone knows what DevOps is. DevOps isn’t about tools. It’s about a mindset. Once you understand that, it will be much easier to adopt DevOps.

Step 2: Teach Everyone How to Use DevOps Tools

Next, teach everyone how to use DevOps tools. It doesn’t matter whether you’re using Jenkins, GitLab, CircleCI, etc. Just show them how to use them. Make sure they understand the basic concepts.

Don’t worry about automating everything. That will come later. Just focus on teaching them how to do things manually first. Remember, DevOps tools aren’t magic. They can’t fix every problem.

They can, however, help you reduce the amount of manual effort needed to complete your tasks.

Step 3: Find Ways To Eliminate Risk

Finally, find ways to eliminate risk. You can start by eliminating bugs. Then you can automate more of your processes.

Also, try to limit the number of people who have access to your servers. This will prevent unauthorized changes from spreading through the organization.

The goal is to create an environment where you don’t have to worry about making mistakes. With these three steps, you’ll be able to use DevOps without having to deal with all of its problems.