Implement DevOps Like a Unicorn—Even If You’re Not One

Etsy, Netflix, and the unicorns have done great things with DevOps. Although most people don't work at a unicorn, they still want to combine agility and stability. To close the gap between developers and operations, Mason Leung says his company runs operation workshops, blogs about infrastructure, and experiments with different tools—and are solving the same problems as the unicorns only on a smaller scale. Mason explains that you don't get to millions of requests without going through the first several hundred. Ideas you can take from unicorns include how to use containers to enhance development experience, how to avoid production meltdown with continuous deployment, how to tame infrastructure gone wild, why “new shiny” is not always the correct solution, and why putting all your eggs in a cloud service provider is a good idea. There is no single, correct way to DevOps. By observing the unicorns and applying the lessons to your situation, your DevOps journey can be less volatile and more fulfilling as you prepare for the hypergrowth.