A Sure-Fire Beginner’s Guide to Git for DevOps

Introduction

Learning Git is pivotal for DevOps practitioners because it facilitates efficient collaboration, automation, and streamlined software development practices. In the realm of DevOps, where rapid and reliable software delivery is paramount, Git serves as a cornerstone. It empowers teams to manage code changes, track versions, and coordinate seamlessly across diverse roles, including developers, testers, and operations professionals.

I will discuss Git for Devops and why Git is a crucial skill for a DevOps engineer in this blog.

What is a Git?

• Git is a distributed version control system that is employed in the creation of software. It enables group collaboration on projects by keeping track of source code alterations.
• Git stores data as a series of snapshots, enabling efficient branching, merging, and reverting of code.
• Developers can work on separate branches, test changes, and merge them into a main codebase. This process facilitates collaboration, version tracking, and error management.
• Git’s decentralized nature ensures offline work and safeguards against data loss. It has become a cornerstone of modern development, promoting teamwork, code integrity, and efficient project management.

According to the Stack Overflow Developer study results, 93% of engineers use Git, making it a crucial tool for them.

These days, many novice learners frequently link the term “git” with websites like GitHub. Git is the basis upon which services like GitHub and Bitbucket are built. These services include added functionality that helps engineers and organizations host and manage code in remote Git repositories. Additionally, these platforms provide smooth CI/CD tool integrations with various open-source tools.

Thanks to technologies like GitHub Actions, it is now possible to set up a whole CI/CD pipeline straight through the GitHub or GitLab platforms. This method eliminates the need to handle CI/CD using various tools.

Why is Git needed for Devops?

• To Include Developers in Meaningful CI/CD Discussions
• Designing and building CI/CD pipelines is one of a DevOps engineer’s responsibilities. Git is essential to CI/CD. There is no one standard for git branching and workflows; I can say from my experience working in several companies.
• It is occasionally necessary to get down with the developers and review the best strategy for git branching in the CI/CD process. This process includes release versioning, git tagging, etc. DevOps engineers own and manage the git repositories in most organizations.
• Thus, you should be well-versed with Git to engage development teams in meaningful conversation.

• For IaC
• All infrastructure code is created and maintained in Git when discussing infrastructure as code, whether it is a Terraform module, Ansible playbook, or Jenkins pipeline.
• We handle infra code in the same way that we handle application code. In other words, infrastructure code goes through the same unit testing and integration testing processes before being deployed to any environment.
• It implies that every software requires a CI/CD pipeline, including infrastructure code. Once more, that corresponds to git-based procedures.

Top 10 Git Questions to Not Miss Before a Devops Interview

1. Describe Git and explain why a DevOps system needs it.
Describe how the distributed version control system Git supports DevOps practices by facilitating collaboration, traceability, and easy integration.
2. Discuss the significance of the Git branching paradigm in DevOps workflows.
 Discuss how to manage concurrent development efforts and enable controlled deployments using branches, such as feature, release, and hotfix branches.
3. How can a merge disagreement be resolved in Git?
 Describe how to detect conflicting areas, adjust, and commit the changes you’ve made to resolve a merge conflict.
4. What distinguishes a Git merging from a Git rebase?
 Recognize the differences between merging and rebasing, which combine changes from one branch into another, and when to utilize each technique.
5. Describe Gitflow and its advantages in the context of DevOps.
 Describe the Gitflow branching technique, emphasizing its function in release management, code isolation, and structured development.
6. What is a pull request, and how does it improve DevOps teamwork and code quality?
 Explain a pull request to suggest and examine code alterations before integrating them into the main branch. Talk about how it facilitates integration and code review.
7. How can a CI/CD pipeline incorporate Git?
 Describe how a Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline uses Git to start automated testing, building, and deployment operations.
8. Describe the idea of Git hooks and illustrate its application in a DevOps process.
 Describe Git hooks as scripts launched in response to Git events. Give an illustration, such as linting code using a pre-commit hook.
9. How does Git tagging help with DevOps release management, and why?
 Talk about Git tags, which are identifiers for specific commits and are frequently used to facilitate version tracking and designate releases.
10. Describe a situation in which Git assists a DevOps setup in managing configuration files for several environments.
 Describe efficient ways to handle environment-specific configuration files using Git branches or techniques like employing configuration templates.

Additional Resources

If you have not used Git in a live Project, the following resources will help you.

1. Stack Overflow Git Tag: There is a strong Git community on Stack Overflow where you can ask and answer questions about using Git, debugging it, and adhering to best practices.
2. The GitHub Community Forum’s Git section: There is a specific section of the GitHub Community Forum dedicated to Git discussions. You may obtain help with GitHub integration, commands, and Git workflows.
3. Developers can discuss difficulties using Git, give advice, and seek help with related topics on Reddit’s r/git subreddit.
4. Frequently Asked Questions on the GitLab Forum: The GitLab Forum is where you can talk about GitLab version control, CI/CD, and other related topics.
5. The Git topic on com is another website where programmers and subject matter experts may answer questions regarding Git and version control.

Important Git Concepts for DevOps Interviews

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4. Engaging Learning: Interactive quizzes, projects, and assignments make learning Git engaging and effective.
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7. Supplementary Resources: Benefit from cheat sheets, guides, and extra materials for enhanced learning.
8. Recognized Certification: Earn industry-recognized Git certifications upon completion for improved career prospects.

• View the link to explore the courses provided by CloudThat:
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Conclusion

Git is a straightforward version control system, yet it has strong DevOps automation features built into it. After learning the fundamentals, create your own code repositories and experiment with all of Git’s advanced capabilities. You can store all the Git features you learned in a Git repository to help you remember the information.

Anyone entering the DevOps and software development fields should invest in learning Git. Its strong branching techniques, version control capabilities, and collaboration tools are crucial for producing high-quality software quickly. You will be well on your way to mastering Git and helping your projects implement effective DevOps techniques if you follow this beginner’s Git roadmap.

Further Reading

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/user-guide/code-with-git?view=azure-devops

About CloudThat

CloudThat, incepted in 2012, is the first Indian organization to offer Cloud training and consultancy for mid-market and enterprise clients. Our business aims to provide global services on Cloud Engineering, Training, and Expert Line. Our expertise in all major cloud platforms, including Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), VMware, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), positions us as pioneers.

You can get mastery over the entire DevOps development life cycle by learning from our certified experts. You can learn more about our DevOps Training offerings page.