DevOps continues to make inroads as a way to streamline software development and reduce the risk of post-deployment issues.
While automated processes are often prioritized in DevOps initiatives as a way to reduce complexity and increase speed, the rapidly-evolving nature of this framework means that this year (and beyond) human expertise will become more important than ever.
From improving current DevOps frameworks to deploying new approaches such as DevSecOps or leveraging cloud solutions to better manage processes at scale, there’s an increasing need for experienced DevOps professionals to help companies make the most of this approach.
Interested in DevOps but not sure where to get started? Have some expertise but want to expand your knowledge? Already a seasoned pro and looking for new insight? We’ve got you covered with 17 DevOps books worth a read this year.
17 Best DevOps Books to Read in 2023
To navigate our list, we’ve broken up our 17 picks into three broad categories: books for beginners, books for intermediates, and books for experts.
Scroll through the whole list to see if anything piques your interest, or click on the category of your choice to jump right in.
- The Best Books for DevOps Beginners
- The Best Books for DevOps Intermediates
- The Best Books for DevOps Experts
Best DevOps Books for Beginners
1. The DevOps Handbook: How to Create World-Class Agility, Reliability, and Security in Technology Organizations
The DevOps Handbook is exactly what it says on the cover: A handbook to help IT professionals integrate development/operations approaches and ensure they deliver projects on time. Along with tackling the core benefits of DevOps, this book also comes with practical examples to help businesses make the shift.
Why we like it:
Often called the “DevOps” bible, this book is a perfect starting point for beginners to get started with DevOps.
2. The DevOps Adoption Playbook: A Guide to Adopting DevOps in a Multi-Speed IT Enterprise
The DevOps Application Playbook is designed to help larger organizations effectively implement DevOps by offering actionable, real-world guidance that connects theory with practice to deploy DevOps at scale.
Why we like it:
Instead of shying away from DevOps challenges, this book highlights them and shows how they can be easily addressed with the right approach.
3. Practical DevOps: Harness the Power of DevOps to Boost Your Skill Set and Make Your IT Organization Perform Better
The goal of this book is to help teams understand how all the pieces of development fit together. From DevOps to the agile process, continuous integration (CI), and continuous delivery (CD), Practical DevOps provides a great starting point for DevOps integration at scale.
Why we like it:
With a focus on building IT skill sets, this book offers practical advice for any professional looking to learn more about DevOps.
4. Effective DevOps: Building a Culture of Collaboration, Affinity, and Tooling at Scale
This book is all about the culture of DevOps. From cultivating connections, improving empathy, to breaking down silos and enhancing teamwork, Effective DevOps is about the all-important human element of this approach.
Why we like it:
With practical strategies to accomplish DevOps goals and advice for getting buy-in from C-suite members, this book helps IT pros chart an effective DevOps path for their careers.
5. DevOps for the Modern Enterprise: Winning Practices to Transform Legacy IT Organizations
Looking for a roadmap to success? DevOps for the Modern Enterprise has you covered. Author, Mirco Hering, breaks down the key elements and structure needed to deliver on DevOps potential.
Why we like it:
DevOps for the Modern Enterprise recognizes the critical link between people and processes to create effective development strategies.
6. The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Businesses Win
The Phoenix Project is structured as a fictional novel that focuses on recently-promoted VP Bill, who is tasked with fixing the company’s (myriad) problems. Over the course of the book, Bill discovers that DevOps practices offer the best results as he navigates different approaches to project development.
Why we like it:
The novel structure of this book offers the dual benefit of being a good read that also helps readers unpack the core principles of DevOps.
Best DevOps Books for Intermediates
7. Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases Through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation
Continuous Delivery focuses on the CI/CD pipeline, how it helps connect key functions, and what steps companies can take to address DevOps issues as they emerge.
Why we like it:
This book gets down to the nitty-gritty of DevOps, from infrastructure management to virtualization, testing, and deployments to help IT professionals build an effective DevOps framework.
8. Leading the Transformation: Applying Agile and DevOps Principles at Scale
Leading the Transformation looks at the benefits of combined agile and DevOps practices, and provides a solid framework for companies to use as their DevOps initiatives mature.
Why we like it:
This book is short and to the point, offering great insight for readers without getting bogged down in the details. This makes it a great choice for intermediate DevOps pros with big responsibilities and small amounts of time.
9. The Unicorn Project: A Novel About Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data
The Unicorn Project is a follow-up to the Phoenix Project, but this time from the point of Maxine, a developer on the original Phoenix Project team. It follows her journey to implement the core tenants of DevOps to streamline key processes.
Why we like it:
The novel structure works well again, building on the original to deliver a new, more in-depth story. While you don’t need to read the Phoenix Project first, it’s a good idea if you want to get the whole story.
10. Beyond the Phoenix Project: The Origins and Evolution of DevOps
The Phoenix Project is back again, this time with a look at the history of DevOps and the foundational concepts that set this software development approach apart from other frameworks.
Why we like it:
Want a deep dive into key DevOps components that matter to successful organizations? If so, you can’t go wrong with Beyond the Phoenix Project.
11. Cloud Native DevOps with Kubernetes
Cloud- and container-based DevOps are making inroads. This book dives into Kubernetes (K8s) and provides a step-by-step guide to deploying and managing a K8s container.
Why we like it:
Cloud Native DevOps with Kubernetes does more than offer DevOps insight; it also comes with a GitHub repository that helps readers apply what they’re learning directly to their organization.
12. Measure What Matters
Successful DevOps depends on measurement. Are you measuring the right things at the right time for the right reasons? This book offers a look at OKRs (objectives and key results) and how companies can effectively implement them for success.
Why we like it:
Packed with mini case studies from a host of companies, Measure What Matters offers insights for any DevOps approach.
Best DevOps Books for Experts
13. The DevOps 2.0 Toolkit: Automating the Continuous Deployment Pipeline with Containerized Microservices
This book focuses on the breadth of DevOps and its applications across different business use cases. It’s hands-on and tech-forward, meaning that while its concepts aren’t revolutionary, it requires a solid grasp of the DevOps landscape to deliver maximum value.
Why we like it:
As valuable for experts as it is for newer DevOps teams, this book offers a solid foundation to help get new projects off the ground.
14. Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems
This book also uses the technique of creating a fictional company, but instead of taking a broad approach, it focuses specifically on the development of microservices to improve software delivery.
Why we like it:
This book doesn’t pull punches, acknowledging that microservices do have their shortcomings but also offering practical advice for microservice modeling, integration, testing, deployment, and monitoring.
15. Infrastructure as Code: Managing Servers in the Cloud
Infrastructure as Code takes things a step further with a look at the tools and technologies necessary to build code-based infrastructure frameworks that support DevOps initiatives.
Why we like it:
The broad range of “Infrastructure as Code” topics covered in this book make it a great fit for team leaders, IT engineers, sysadmins, and DevOps architects, to name a few.
16. Cloud Native Patterns: Designing Change-Tolerant Software
Cloud Native Patterns is all about building cloud-based applications capable of handling massive data and traffic loads without crumbling under the pressure.
Why we like it:
DevOps and the cloud are natural partners, but making best use of both requires the right approach. Cloud Native Patterns helps teams ensure these two frameworks work in tandem.
17. Next-Gen DevOps: Creating the DevOps Organisation
What comes next? That’s the foundational question for DevOps, and the answer is continually changing. Next Gen DevOps helps teams make sense of this evolving landscape with a look at merging data-driven development, automated testing, and infrastructure as code to create uniform and repeatable processes.
Why we like it:
Along with great DevOps insight, this book offers a streamlined framework for implementation at scale.
Reading About DevOps
Much like DevOps itself, learning about this development/operations approach is a continuous and never-ending process. Rather than a static knowledge model that offers a one-and-done framework for building and deploying great software, DevOps is an iterative, dynamic environment that is constantly evolving and providing new ways for teams and enterprises to combine key processes and deliver improved outcomes.
Ready to expand your DevOps knowledge and stay ahead of the CI/CD curve? Start with our list of 17 DevOps books to read this year.
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