Developer vs. DevOps roles: What's the difference?

In today's fast-paced world, the lines between different roles and responsibilities have become much thinner, and this transformation is especially  evident in the tech world. One prominent example involves Developers vs. DevOps positions. People usually mix these terms up because these roles do share some similarities. 

However, while developers and DevOps professionals both play critical roles in the software development lifecycle, they each have distinct responsibilities and objectives. In this blog, you will learn all the similarities and differences between developers vs devOps roles.

What is a Full-Stack Developer?#

Full stack development means having expertise in both front-end and back-end technologies. This allows them to work on all areas of software applications or a system. Full-stack developers are proficient in various programming languages, frameworks, and tools, allowing them to take on various responsibilities throughout the entire software development process.

Let's have a look at some key responsibilities and skills that full-stack developers possess:

• Front-End Development: Full-stack developers are skilled in front-end development and technologies. They can create user interfaces (UI) that are visually appealing, responsive, and user-friendly. They also have in-depth knowledge of various front-end libraries such as React, Angular, and Vue.js.

• Back-End Development: Full-stack developers have skills in back-end development as well. They have extensive knowledge and expertise in server-side programming languages like Python, Ruby, Java, or Node.js. They can design, develop, and maintain server-side logic, databases, and APIs.

• Database Management: Full-stack developers know database systems, both relational (e.g., SQL databases like MySQL and PostgreSQL) and NoSQL (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra). They can handle data storage, retrieval, and management efficiently.

• Server and Hosting Environments: Full-stack developers understand server management and deployment processes. They can deploy and host applications with server technologies like Apache, Nginx, or cloud services (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud).

What is Devops?#

The word DevOps is derived from two words – Development and Operations. As this name implies, DevOps professionals aim to streamline collaboration between Development and IT operations teams within an organization. 

The primary goal of the DevOps team is to shorten the software development life cycle and enhance the overall quality of software products. Some key aspects of DevOps include:

• Collaboration: DevOps focuses on enhancing collaboration between the Development and Operations teams. This collaboration helps to create smooth communication, which ensures that the software is developed with all the deployment and maintenance considerations in mind.

• Automation: Automation is a core principle of DevOps. It includes automation of software delivery processes, including code integration, testing, and infrastructure provisioning. This helps decrease manual errors, improve processes, and increase consistency. 

• Continuous Integration (CI): CI frequently integrates code changes into a shared repository. Running automated tests to detect issues early in the development cycle allows for rapid feedback and quicker error fixes.

• Continuous Deployment (CD): Continuous deployment extends CI by automating the deployment process. It ensures that code changes are tested, approved, and automatically deployed to production environments with minimal human intervention.

Difference between Developer vs. DevOps#

Now that we've discussed developers and DevOps separately, it’s time to briefly compare developers and. DevOps. 

Education#

DevOps for developers positions are not limited to people with certain educational backgrounds. With certain advancements and the availability of interactive online DevOps courses, you can learn and apply for any position. However, DevOps engineers typically have a computer science or IT degree. These backgrounds help them learn programming. On the other hand, developers usually have a degree in software engineering. This background helps developers master a few programming languages that they can apply while writing codes.

Roles and Responsibilities#

DevOps and developers fulfill different roles and responsibilities in an organization. For example, DevOps engineers are responsible for automating the provisioning and management of infrastructure, ensuring it's scalable, reliable, and secure. They often use tools like Terraform or Ansible for this purpose. 

DevOps engineers set up and maintain CI pipelines, work on automating the deployment process, and facilitate collaboration between development and operations teams. They manage version control systems like Git, ensuring proper branching, merging, and code repository management.

On the other hand, developers are responsible for writing code, testing the code, and ensuring the codebase is of high quality. Depending on the specialization, developers might work on the front-end or back-end side of an application. Developers work closely with product managers, designers, and other team members to understand stakeholder's requirements and implement features accordingly. They may be responsible for documenting the project's code, APIs, and other technical aspects to assist with onboarding and future maintenance.

Skills#

There are different skill sets that are required for both positions. Some important developers skills include the following:

• Programming Languages

• Front-end development

• Back-end Development

• Code Optimization

• Code Documentation

• Software Testing

• API Development

• Object-oriented Programming (OOP)

And the following is a list of some important DevOps skills:

• CI/ CD

• Cloud Computing

• Monitoring and Alerting

• Collaboration and Communication 

• Security

• Configuration Management

• Networking and Infrastructure Management

• Performance Optimization

Tools#

Some of the commonly used tools used by developers and DevOps are:

Salary#

As you know, salaries depend on numerous factors, including geographical location, position level, roles and responsibilities, etc. Due to these various factors, one can not estimate what salary will be given to what position. However, according to Talent, the average DevOps engineer salary in the USA is $129,958 per year or $62.48 per hour. The average software developer salary in the USA is $107,430 annually or $51.65 per hour. An entry-level developer’s salary is $85,000 per year.

Developer vs. DevOps: Which one is right for you?#

Development and DevOps are both in high demand when it comes to the tech industry. But it is important to choose the right field for yourself so you can learn and improve your skills in the particular field with complete dedication and motivation. 

If you're a beginner and sitting on the fence about which path is better for you – developer or DevOps — then you should check out our interactive courses. For developers, check out our Learn to Code courses for beginners. If your interest lies in DevOps, try our DevOps for Developers skill paths.

Happy Learning!