One of the main differences in the comparison between developer and DevOps is the specifity of the role within an organization.
In contrast to the singular focus of a developer, a DevOps engineer has a widespread net. A DevOps engineer deals not only with code-related tasks, but issues related to monitoring, testing, release management and operational planning. (infrastructures)
The main task of a developer is self-describing: to create software by writing code. A developer is probably focusing on a single language and platform, such as Java and the application server, or the Spring Boot and Docker containers.
Contrary to a developer, a DevOps engineer has a large network. A DevOps engineer not only takes care of code-related tasks, but also issues related to monitoring, testing, release management, and operational planning.
Comparison of DevOps and Developer Tasks
As another way to compare a developer and a DevOps engineer, let’s explore the different tasks associated with the daily functions of each position.
Common tasks of a software developer may include:
- Create a RESTful web service with Spring Boot;
- Compile, package and troubleshoot code using programing language utilities; (eg: JavaScript, Java,… )
- Programmatically connect to databases using specific framework (eg: MongoDB, Hibernate, JPA,…)
- Manually deploy files; (eg: EAR, WAR , JAR,…)
- Optimize CSS and JavaScript code for page performance
A DevOps engineer, by contrast, focuses on tasks to bridge the gap between development and operations teams. For example, a DevOps engineer could automate the movement of a JAR file – created by a developer – to a production server running operations.
Other tasks that correspond to a DevOps position include:
- Create reusable and parameterized builds;
- Automate file deployments on production servers;
- Integrate Git and GitHub servers;
- Configure construction pipelines to use static analysis tools
- Watch and monitor DevOps metrics such as lead time and delivery flow