Did you know that in 2014, there were approximately 1 billion smartphone users?
Yes, it’s true. In the coming year, this figure will reach 6 billion by 2027.
Ultimately, since the usage of smartphones is getting high, the demand for mobile apps will get high. Businesses from various domains are trying hard in mobile app development. So, if you want to be part of this growing sector; you have to face a higher level of competition.
To beat that, you have to act smart. One such smart solution is implementing DevOps in mobile app development.
Today, we will discuss the strategic role of DevOps in mobile app development and why you should care.
Don’t worry; I’ll keep it simple and straightforward.
Ready?
Let’s start first with the basics.
What is DevOps, Anyway?
Firstly, let us explain the term and its formation that is- DevOps (Dev + Ops). DevOps is a term that combines two words, hence, ‘Dev’ is short for Development, and ‘Ops’ is short for Operations.
It is a concept that is defined as the practices that are used for the implementation of the processes that lead to the integration of the Development and IT operations.
DevOps focuses on collaboration, automation, and ongoing delivery. Altogether, it will help to make it easier to put an application together and develop it better and faster.
Why is DevOps Essential in Mobile application development?
That’s a fair question. Below are some of the reasons why should you bother implementing DevOps in the mobile application development process.
1. Speed
As it was mentioned you have to act fast when it comes to launching a product. Faster time-to-market is crucial. Thus, when the DevOps practice is implemented in the context of the app’s development, it can release updates as well as new features in a shorter time span.
Another advantage is that the process of deployment is even faster than that of other development approaches. However, a report by Puppet Labs showed that the top-performing DevOps teams provide deployment frequency 200x higher than the teams low in their performance.
2. Quality
The second bigger benefit of using DevOps in app development is that it leads to the enhancement of quality assurance efforts.
Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) is another area fostered by DevOps, as it implies constant merging of code and regular testing. Therefore, you can find the bugs already. As a result, it minimizes the possibility of other larger mishaps occurring after the launch of an app.
3. Collaboration
Since app development involves developers, testers, designers, and, operations teams, it’s vital to foster cooperation to execute it successfully.
DevOps enables better participation of all the players being a harmonized process. Organizations such as a reputed mobile app development company in India use it to decentralize and encourage smooth communication. The DevOps gameplay guarantees that all teams act as a single unit to deliver the project.
Essential Characteristics of DevOps in the Mobile Application Development
Now let’s return to our primary concern: strategic role of DevOps in development of applications. Here, it will be possible to provide a few examples of DevOps components that explain their necessity in application development.
1. Continuous Integration (CI)
Continuous Integration or CI is a process where, code changes are integrated into a single shared repository frequently, perhaps several times a day. The given articles show how automated tests are used each time the applications in development integrate to check for bugs. This is helpful in mobile application development since it helps identify and address problems on time.
2. Continuous Delivery (CD)
Continuous Integration (CI) when gets the boost from Continuous Delivery (CD) moves further in the same line. It checks to make sure that the code being managed is in a state that it can easily be deployed. It’s more like having the application ready and waiting for instructions to hit the publish button.
3. Automation
DevOps offers automation capability. Integration automation of testing, deployment, and monitoring of a system minimizes human time and errors. There are many tools that are integrated with development processes, and among these tools, the most famous ones are Travis CI, Jenkins, and CircleCI.
4. Monitoring and Feedback
Real-time monitoring of your app is important. New Relic and Nagios are tools that assist you in measuring performance, user actions, and possible problems. That way, problems with the application’s performance can be corrected almost immediately, and this is only possible with the help of a targeted feedback collection.
5. Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
The last one is called Infrastructure as Code or shortly IaC. IaC gives you the ability to change or even create infrastructure as if it were an application source code. This implies that one is able to easily replicate the development, testing, and production environments. No more lengthy manual setups that are time-consuming and which the scripting language can do much faster.
On the other hand, the following sub-topic will provide a guide on how to implement DevOps in mobile app development;
How to Implement DevOps in Your Mobile App Development
You might find it a little bit challenging to apply DevOps in app development. However, for knowledge, the matters are much easier than one may imagine.
Step 1: Assess Your Current Process
Before diving in, take a close look at your current development and operations process. Identify bottlenecks and areas for improvement. This will give you a clear idea of where DevOps can add value.
Step 2: Choose the Right Tools
There are plenty of DevOps tools out there, each serving a different purpose. For CI/CD, consider Jenkins or CircleCI. For automation, tools like Selenium and Appium are great choices. Monitoring tools like New Relic and Nagios are also essential.
DevOps Tool Categories:
- Version Control: Git
- CI/CD: Jenkins, CircleCI, GitLab CI/CD
- Containerization: Docker, Kubernetes
- Infrastructure as Code: Terraform, Ansible
- Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana
- Testing: Selenium, Appium, JUnit
- Collaboration: Slack, Jira
Step 3: Foster a Collaborative Culture
DevOps isn’t just about tools; it’s about people. Businesses can encourage a culture of collaboration between app development and operations teams. They have regular meetings, open communication, and shared goals can go a long way.
Step 4: Start Small
Understand this- you don’t have to hurry and overhaul your entire process overnight. Consider starting with the specific part of your app. When you hire mobile app developers in India, asking them to break the work will make things easier. Implement CI/CD and automation, and gradually scale up as you become more comfortable.
Step 5: Monitor and Iterate
When things are in line, and your DevOps pipeline is up and running, then it becomes crucial that you continuously monitor its performance. Go ahead to gather feedback, identify areas for improvement, and then in response iterate. As DevOps is all about continuous improvement.
Real-World Examples
Still skeptical about the strategic role of DevOps in mobile app development? Let’s look at some real-world examples:
1. Netflix
Netflix is a great example of adopting DevOps in their process. They use automated testing and continuous deployment to roll out updates frequently. This has allowed them to deliver a seamless streaming experience to millions of users worldwide.
2. Amazon
Amazon is another company that has embraced DevOps. With a robust DevOps strategy, Amazon has achieved faster deployment times and improved customer satisfaction. They can roll out new features and updates almost instantly, keeping their platform fresh and exciting.
Wrap Up
Less chances are that you haven’t heard of the buzzword DevOps. But what it actually means, especially in the context of mobile app development – is something that you may not know.
But hopefully, after reading this blog, you’ve gained a clear understanding. So, for those considering app development, implementing a DevOps approach is highly recommended. And for that, you’ll need to hire a DevOps services company. The experts out there are specialized in automating processes, ensuring quality, and accelerating software delivery.
