As the demand for DevOps professionals grows, a common question arises among aspiring engineers: Do I need to know how to code to become a DevOps engineer? The short answer is yes—but not in the traditional software developer sense. While DevOps doesn’t always require deep software engineering skills, a solid understanding of scripting and basic programming is critical to succeed in the role.

DevOps is all about automating workflows, managing infrastructure, and streamlining software delivery. Engineers are expected to work across development and operations teams, which means writing scripts, building CI/CD pipelines, managing cloud resources, and occasionally debugging code. That doesn’t mean you need to develop complex applications from scratch—but you do need to know how to write and read code to automate and troubleshoot effectively.

Many modern organizations rely on DevOps services and solutions to manage cloud environments, infrastructure as code (IaC), and continuous deployment. These solutions are deeply rooted in automation—and automation, in turn, is rooted in code.

Why Coding Matters in DevOps

At the core of DevOps lies a principle: "Automate everything." Whether you’re provisioning servers with Terraform, writing Ansible playbooks, or integrating a Jenkins pipeline, you're dealing with code-like instructions that need accuracy, logic, and reusability.

Here are some real-world areas where coding plays a role in DevOps:

• Scripting: Automating repetitive tasks using Bash, Python, or PowerShell

• CI/CD Pipelines: Creating automated build and deploy workflows using YAML or Groovy

• Configuration Management: Writing scripts for tools like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef

• Infrastructure as Code: Using languages like HCL (for Terraform) to define cloud resources

• Monitoring & Alerting: Writing custom scripts to track system health or trigger alerts

In most cases, DevOps engineers are not expected to build full-scale applications, but they must be comfortable with scripting logic and integrating systems using APIs and automation tools.

A quote by Kelsey Hightower, a Google Cloud developer advocate, says it best: “If you don’t automate, you’re just operating manually at scale.” This highlights the importance of coding as a means to bring efficiency and reliability to infrastructure management.

Example: Automating Deployment with a Script

Let’s say your team manually deploys updates to a web application hosted on AWS. Each deployment takes 30–40 minutes, involves multiple steps, and is prone to human error. A DevOps engineer steps in and writes a shell script that pulls the latest code, runs unit tests, builds the Docker image, and deploys it to ECS.

This 30-minute process is now reduced to a few seconds and can run automatically after every code push. That’s the power of coding in DevOps—it transforms tedious manual work into fast, reliable automation.

For fast-paced environments like startups, this is especially valuable. If you’re wondering what's the best DevOps platform for startups, the answer often includes those that support automation, scalability, and low-code integrations—areas where coding knowledge plays a major role.

Can You Start DevOps Without Coding Skills?

Yes, you can start learning DevOps without a coding background, but you’ll need to pick it up along the way. Begin with scripting languages like Bash and Python. These are essential for automating tasks and managing systems. Over time, you’ll encounter environments where understanding YAML, JSON, or even basic programming logic becomes necessary.

Many DevOps as a service companies emphasize practical problem-solving and automation, which means you'll constantly deal with code-based tools—even if you’re not building products yourself. The more comfortable you are with code, the more valuable you become in a DevOps team.

The Bottom Line and CTA

Coding is not optional in DevOps—it’s foundational. While you don’t need to be a software engineer, the ability to write scripts, debug automation pipelines, and understand basic programming logic is crucial. Coding empowers you to build efficient systems, reduce manual intervention, and deliver software faster and more reliably.

If you’re serious about becoming a high-impact DevOps engineer, start learning to code and practice by building automation scripts and pipelines. It’s a skill that will pay dividends throughout your tech career.

Ready to put your coding skills into real-world DevOps practice? Visit Cloudastra Technology: Cloudastra DevOps as a Services and explore how our automation-first approach can elevate your infrastructure and software delivery. Whether you're a beginner or scaling up your team, Cloudastra delivers end-to-end DevOps services designed for growth, agility, and innovation.