DevOps & Cloud Delivery
Ship and run cloud software safely: containers, CI/CD pipelines, Terraform with cost guardrails, SLOs, alerting and incident response.
Leads to: Cloud Engineer, DevOps / Site Reliability Engineer
Before you start
This course builds on Cloud Fundamentals and Git & the Command Line. Take them first if you are new to the topic.
About this course
This mid-level course is the last step on the cloud engineer path. Building on Cloud Fundamentals and Git & the Command Line, it covers how teams deliver and operate software in the cloud. Module 1 packages an app with Docker, runs it with a PostgreSQL database in Docker Compose, and explains how Kubernetes runs containers with pods, deployments and services. Module 2 builds a GitHub Actions pipeline that tests every change and publishes a commit-tagged image, then designs preview, staging and production environments and plans a canary release with a rehearsed rollback. Module 3 writes Terraform against a local Docker provider, explains remote state and modules, and adds tag, validation and budget guardrails. Module 4 defines SLOs, error budgets and alerts, runs a practice incident with clear roles and a blameless review, and plans an associate-level certification. Hands-on work runs on your own machine, on GitHub's free tier for public repositories, and on a free-tier cloud account only with a budget alert and a cleanup step. Secrets never go into Git.
Course content
Module 1
Containers
3 lessons · 1h 53mPackage apps as Docker images, run multi-container stacks with Compose, and understand how Kubernetes runs containers at scale.
- 42mDocker basicsReading
Package a small app into a Docker image with a Dockerfile, run it as a container and clean up afterwards.
- 46mMulti-container appsReading
Run a web app and a PostgreSQL database together with Docker Compose, using service names, volumes, health checks and an uncommitted .env file.
- 25mKubernetes conceptsReading
Explain how Kubernetes runs containers with pods, deployments and services, and when a team actually needs it.
Module 2
CI/CD
3 lessons · 1h 45mAutomate testing and delivery with GitHub Actions, promote one artifact through environments, and release safely with canaries and feature flags.
- 42mPipelinesReading
Build a GitHub Actions pipeline that tests every change, builds a container image and delivers it from main only.
- 20mEnvironments and promotionReading
Design preview, staging and production environments and promote one tested artifact through them.
- 43mSafe releasesReading
Plan a canary release with clear metrics, stop conditions, a feature-flag kill switch and a rehearsed rollback.
Module 3
Infrastructure as Code
3 lessons · 1h 54mManage infrastructure with Terraform, keep state and modules under control, and add tag, policy and budget guardrails.
- 46mTerraform basicsReading
Write a small Terraform configuration, read its plan, apply it and destroy it, using the local Docker provider so nothing costs money.
- 24mState and modulesReading
Explain what Terraform state is, why teams keep it in a locked remote backend, and how modules package reusable infrastructure.
- 44mCost and policy guardrailsReading
Add required tags, input validation and a budget alert so infrastructure stays labelled, within policy and within budget.
Module 4
Reliability
3 lessons · 2h 39mMeasure what users experience with SLOs, alert on what matters, run incidents well, and plan an associate certification.
- 46mMonitoring and alertingReading
Define SLIs, SLOs and an error budget for a service, then write alerts that page people only for user-facing problems.
- 59mOn-call and incidentsReading
Run an incident with clear roles, severity levels, regular status updates and a blameless post-incident review.
- 54mAssociate certificationsReading
Choose an associate-level cloud or infrastructure certification that fits real job postings and build a study plan from its official exam guide.