The Symbiotic Relationship of DevOps and Open Source

DevOps depends heavily on open source software, and–to a lesser extent–open source projects leverage DevOps as well. I wrote a report for DevOps.com exploring the relationship between the two and the importance of open source to the world of DevOps.

DevOps is a relatively recent phenomenon—especially compared to the world of open source. While DevOps and open source are two entirely separate things, though, the reality is that it’s difficult to separate the two at this point. Many open source projects rely on DevOps tools and principles, and DevOps depends heavily on open source applications as both the glue that binds it all together and the engine that keeps everything moving. A new report from DevOps.com, “DevOps and Open Source,” digs in to understand the symbiotic relationship driving the next generation of IT.

“DevOps and Open Source” examines the role of open source in DevOps, whether DevOps can succeed without open source, the unique challenges of leveraging open source tools, and the benefits of open source partnerships with large corporations such as Microsoft and IBM. The report also includes a list of some of the most widely used open source tools for DevOps, including Chef, Puppet and Docker.

Leveraging open source tools gives organizations and developers much more flexibility and control. Because the underlying code is available, it provides an opportunity to customize it to fit unique scenarios or to create the necessary APIs to integrate the open source software with other tools. The fact that there is no single vendor that “owns” the software also means that organizations and developers can build on open source tools with the confidence that the apps will not arbitrarily disappear one day.

You can definitely develop or use open source applications without embracing DevOps, but is it possible to do DevOps effectively without using open source? “Maybe,” says Randy Kilmon, vice president of Engineering at Black Duck. “But who would want to do it that way? With so many great open source tools and components out there, deliberately shunning them would be a mistake. Besides, there is a piece of open source somewhere in your stack, whether you know it or not.”

That statement seems to be more true with each passing day. The growing momentum of DevOps and the mainstream acceptance of open source software form a powerful partnership that is transforming how applications are developed, deployed, monitored and maintained.

See the full post and download the DevOps and Open Source report at DevOps.com: Open Source Is the Secret Sauce of DevOps.