The DevOps Handbook

The practical companion to The Phoenix Project. Where the novel tells a story, The DevOps Handbook shows you exactly how to implement DevOps practices in your organization, covering deployment pipelines, automated testing, infrastructure as code, telemetry, and organizational change.

Why This One

The DevOps Handbook takes everything Gene Kim explored through fiction in The Phoenix Project and turns it into actionable guidance. Co-authored with Jez Humble, Patrick Debois, and John Willis, the book is organized around the Three Ways: flow, feedback, and continual learning. The second edition, updated in 2021 with input from Nicole Forsgren, adds 15 new case studies and over 100 pages of new content.

This is the book to read after The Phoenix Project if you want to move from understanding the problem to solving it. It covers the full delivery pipeline from development through operations, with specific technical and organizational practices at each stage.

What to Expect

A 528-page handbook organized into six parts. The writing is clear and practical, aimed at both technical practitioners and managers. Expect to use this as reference material long after your first read, returning to specific chapters as you tackle different aspects of your DevOps transformation.