* [Topics](/en/topics "Topics") * [DevOps](/en/topics/devops "DevOps") * What is DevOps automation? What is DevOps automation? ========================== Updated July 3, 2025•*4*-minute read Copy URL Jump to section --------------- OverviewWhat can be automatedEffectiveness of DevOps automationWhy Red Hat? Overview -------- DevOps automation is an upgraded form of DevOps technology that performs tasks with limited human intervention, helping you deliver solutions faster. It helps development and operations teams work together by minimizing complexity, controlling costs, and ensuring compliance across the software development lifecycle. [Automate DevOps with these best practices](/en/engage/use-devops-automation-s-202106101142 "SOLP: Why use DevOps automation?") ### DevOps DevOps is an approach to culture, automation, and [platform](/en/topics/cloud-computing/what-is-paas) design intended to increase business value and responsiveness through rapid, high-quality service delivery. DevOps practices unite development and operations team members into a single DevOps team. This moves ideas and projects from development to production faster and more efficiently. DevOps involves more frequent changes to code and more dynamic infrastructure use compared to traditional, manual [management](/en/topics/management) strategies. ### IT automation IT automation is the use of technology that speeds up repetitive tasks and processes with reduced human assistance. It saves production time by cutting down on manual effort while boosting efficiency across IT teams. IT automation also helps you scale environments as well as build [continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD)](/en/topics/devops/what-is-ci-cd) workflows. [Learn more about IT automation](/en/topics/automation/what-is-it-automation) What DevOps processes can be automated? --------------------------------------- DevOps environments encompass a variety of technologies including servers, virtual machines, cloud services, and networking elements. Setting up these environments and deploying them typically required several manual processes, which can be automated to improve efficiency and speed. ### Provisioning [Provisioning](/en/topics/automation/what-is-provisioning)—setting up IT environments—and deploying changes to these complex environments can be time consuming and labor intensive, and they require expert knowledge for each component. Applying [Infrastructure as Code (IaC)](/en/topics/automation/what-is-infrastructure-as-code-iac) approaches with automation lets developers configure and manage infrastructure through code. Codifying your infrastructure makes it possible to provision and manage system components with little manual effort. [Read more about provisioning](/en/technologies/management/ansible/provisioning) ### Development Software developers need IT resources to create, continually test, and [deploy new applications](/en/topics/automation/what-is-deployment-automation) and services. Manual IT operations―such as setting up IT environments, deploying code, or configuring testing infrastructure―can delay resources and complicate the service-delivery pipeline. They can also impede proof-of-concept performance, ultimately resulting in slower development. By combining [application programming interface (API)](/en/topics/api)-centric design with automation, IT teams can deliver resources faster while supporting rapid proofs of concept, development, testing, and deployment—which are essential for consistent workflows. Test-automation open source projects like [Jenkins](https://www.jenkins.io/) help automate development and provide insights into performance analytics. [Explore software development](/en/about/development-model) ### Configuration management IT teams manage a wide range of applications and systems—including clouds, networks, storage, servers, and edge devices. Setting up these systems correctly prevents security mishaps and system delays. Automating [configuration management](/en/topics/automation/what-is-configuration-management) maintains a system's desired state while ensuring it performs consistently throughout its lifecycle and reduces [automation drift](/en/blog/agentless-configuration-drift-detection-and-remediation). Depending on your organization's needs, IT teams can also use configuration management tools to detect issues early by monitoring and logging system metrics, compliance, and backup recovery processes to maintain system health and data protection. [Learn more about configuration management](/en/technologies/management/ansible/configuration-management) ### CI/CD CI/CD comprises 2 processes used to accelerate software development lifecycles: * Continuous integration (CI) integrates code changes into a shared code repository. * Continuous delivery (CD) automates the release, testing, and delivery of those code changes. Together, these processes are referred to as CI/CD pipelines. This automation practice avoids code failures while improving software delivery throughout the software development lifecycle. Other key components of CI/CD include rollbacks and automated testing, which ensure code reliability and stability. Projects like [GitHub Actions automates](https://developers.redhat.com/articles/2023/07/25/end-end-testing-self-hosted-runners-github-actions) all required CI software workflows for your repository. For CD workflows, [Argo](/en/topics/devops/what-is-argocd) from The Linux® Foundation is a reliable solution for Kubernetes-based environments. [Read about CI/CD pipelines](/en/topics/devops/what-cicd-pipeline) ### Monitoring and logging Log management monitors security status. It’s a valuable source for investigating and improving the security of an environment and providing real-time detection and response. Security monitoring generates logs that show when and how an attack or intrusion took place. Projects like [Prometheus](https://catalog.redhat.com/software/containers/openshift4/ose-prometheus/5cdc1e585a13467289f5841a) offer a simple and scalable monitoring and logging toolkit. Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform for DevOps ---------------------------------------------- [Learn more about this use case](/en/technologies/management/ansible/devops "Learn more about this use case") Measuring the effectiveness of DevOps automation ------------------------------------------------ Several metrics can help you track and report on DevOps automation performance, providing measurable insights into both delivery performance and software stability. These metrics are identified by the [DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA)](https://dora.dev/) team: * **Deployment frequency (DF)** measures how long it takes to deliver code changes or how often customers deploy changes to production. * **Delivery lead time (DLT)** is a period from when code is created and deployed to production. * **Mean time to restore (MTTR)** measures the amount of time required to recover your product or service after an outage. * **Change failure rate (CFR)** tracks the number of deployments that fail in production, reflecting the overall health of the pipeline and identifying errors earlier in the process. * **Rework rate**―tested in 2024―tracks the number of unplanned deployments performed within a specific time frame that address user-facing bugs in the application. How to approach DevOps metrics ------------------------------ [Read the article](/en/topics/devops/how-approach-devops-metrics "Read the article") Why Red Hat? ------------ DevOps automation is at the core of Red Hat’s [software development model](/en/about/development-model). This is the same model that directly contributes to the [Linux](/en/topics/linux), [Kubernetes](/en/topics/containers/what-is-kubernetes), and [automation](/en/technologies/management/ansible/devops) projects we develop and release as enterprise open source software products. ### Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform [Red Hat® Ansible® Automation Platform](/en/technologies/management/ansible) excels at helping you implement DevOps practices by automating IT tasks across the entire development lifecycle, from provisioning infrastructure to deploying and configuring applications. With Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform, you can facilitate DevOps by automating key stages of the CI/CD pipeline and orchestrating DevOps workflows using [automation controller](/en/technologies/management/ansible/automation-controller). Automating with Red Hat promotes continuous delivery, deployment, and collaboration across departments through [role-based access controls](/en/topics/security/what-is-role-based-access-control) and [human-readable automation](/en/topics/automation/what-is-yaml) language with [Ansible Playbooks](/en/topics/automation/what-is-an-ansible-playbook). You can use the same automation content for everyday operations as well as your CI/CD pipeline. And because Ansible Automation Platform works with nearly all aspects of your IT infrastructure, you can easily and quickly deploy consistent development, test, and production environments, making your applications more reliable and resilient [Learn more about DevOps automation](/en/technologies/management/ansible/devops) ### Red Hat OpenShift Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform complements [Red Hat OpenShift®](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift) in DevOps workflows and is supported by certified content collections for hybrid IT environments. It has built-in CI/CD capabilities for DevOps automation via [Red Hat OpenShift Pipelines](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/pipelines) (powered by Tekton) and [Red Hat OpenShift GitOps](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/gitops) (powered by Argo CD). Combined with [Red Hat Developer Hub](https://developers.redhat.com/products/rhdh/overview), Red Hat OpenShift helps teams manage internal developer platforms and build [golden paths](/en/topics/platform-engineering/golden-paths) using tools like [Red Hat OpenShift Dev Spaces](https://developers.redhat.com/products/openshift-dev-spaces/overview), [Red Hat OpenShift Serverless](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/serverless), [Red Hat OpenShift Service Mesh](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/what-is-openshift-service-mesh), and [Red Hat Application Services](/en/resources/application-services-subscription-guide-detail). You can track performance and insights with monitoring and logging tools serviced by Red Hat OpenShift or Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service. These tools are available whether you’re working with a self-managed Kubernetes platform or a cloud version of Red Hat OpenShift like [Red Hat OpenShift Service on AWS](/en/technologies/cloud-computing/openshift/aws). [Start automating with DevOps](https://developers.redhat.com/learn/openshift/devops-openshift) Resource State of platform engineering in the age of AI ---------------------------------------------- This detail provides a comprehensive review of the State of Platform Engineering in the Age of AI survey, conducted by Illuminas. Explore the details. [Get the resource](/en/resources/state-of-platform-engineering-age-of-ai "State of platform engineering in the age of AI") Recommended for you Building High-Performance Teams with DevOps ------------------------------------------- Building High-Performance Teams with DevOps (TL300) workshop is a three-day immersive experience designed to facilitate key cultural transformations in DevOps adoption. Unlike other training courses that focus on specific frameworks or technical aspects, this workshop combines collaborative practices and interaction to simulate real-world scenarios. [View course](https://www.redhat.com/en/services/training/tl300-building-high-performance-teams-devops?percmp=RHCTG0250000455236) Keep reading ------------ ### How to approach DevOps metrics DevOps metrics track the effectiveness of DevOps practices, which relate to software development and IT operations. [Read the article](/en/topics/devops/how-approach-devops-metrics "article | how to approach devops metrics") ### What is CI/CD? CI/CD, which stands for continuous integration and continuous delivery/deployment, aims to streamline and accelerate the software development lifecycle. [Read the article](/en/topics/devops/what-is-ci-cd "article | What is CI/CD?") ### What is application lifecycle management (ALM)? Application lifecycle management (ALM) is the people, tools, and processes that manage the life cycle of an application from conception to end of life. [Read the article](/en/topics/devops/what-is-application-lifecycle-management-alm "article | What is application life cycle management?") DevOps resources ---------------- ### Related content * Blog post [New observability features in Red Hat OpenShift 4.20 and Red Hat Advanced Cluster Management 2.15](/en/blog/new-observability-features-red-hat-openshift-420-and-red-hat-advanced-cluster-management-215) * Blog post [2025 was a year of transformative customer success with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform](/en/blog/2025-was-year-transformative-customer-success-red-hat-ansible-automation-platform) * Blog post [2025 Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform: A year in review](/en/blog/2025-red-hat-ansible-automation-platform-year-review) * Blog post [From manual to agentic: streamlining IT processes with Red Hat OpenShift AI](/en/blog/manual-agentic-streamlining-it-processes-red-hat-openshift-ai) ### Related articles * [How to approach DevOps metrics](/en/topics/devops/how-approach-devops-metrics) * [Automating Microsoft Windows with Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform](/en/technologies/management/ansible/automate-microsoft-windows-with-ansible) * [What is IT service management (ITSM)?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-it-service-management-itsm) * [What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-infrastructure-as-code-iac) * [What is Observability?](/en/topics/devops/what-is-observability) * [What is CI/CD?](/en/topics/devops/what-is-ci-cd) * [What is application lifecycle management (ALM)?](/en/topics/devops/what-is-application-lifecycle-management-alm) * [Ansible vs. Kubernetes: how they work together](/en/topics/automation/Ansible-vs-Kubernetes) * [What is a configuration management database (CMDB)?](/en/topics/automation/what-is-a-configuration-management-database-cmdb) * [What is cloud migration? 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