Welcome to our Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) course! In this course, we will delve into the fascinating world of SRE, exploring its principles, practices, and real-world applications. Whether you're an aspiring SRE professional, a software engineer looking to enhance your skills, or a technology enthusiast curious about how leading companies ensure the reliability and scalability of their services, this course is designed for you.

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) is a discipline that originated at Google and has since been adopted by numerous technology companies worldwide. At its core, SRE blends software engineering with operations to create robust, scalable, and reliable software systems. SRE practitioners strive to balance the need for innovation and rapid development with the imperative of maintaining service reliability and performance.

In today's digital landscape, where services are expected to be available 24/7 and downtime can have severe consequences, SRE plays a pivotal role. By implementing SRE practices, organizations can minimize service disruptions, optimize resource usage, and enhance customer satisfaction. SRE enables companies to deliver high-quality services efficiently, fostering innovation and business growth.

Throughout this course, you will:

1. Gain a comprehensive understanding of SRE principles, methodologies, and best practices.
2. Explore key SRE concepts such as error budgeting, service level objectives (SLOs), and incident management.
3. Learn about essential tools and technologies used in SRE, including monitoring systems, automation frameworks, and container orchestration platforms.
4. Dive into real-world case studies and examples from leading technology companies to understand how SRE is applied in practice.
5. Develop practical skills through hands-on exercises, labs, and projects designed to reinforce your learning and prepare you for real-world challenges.

This course is suitable for:

• Software engineers interested in expanding their knowledge of SRE principles and practices.
• IT professionals seeking to transition into roles focused on reliability engineering and site operations.
• Managers and decision-makers looking to understand the value proposition of SRE and its potential impact on their organizations.
• Anyone curious about how leading technology companies ensure the reliability, scalability, and performance of their digital services.

While there are no strict prerequisites for this course, a basic understanding of software development, cloud computing concepts, and Linux operating systems will be beneficial. A curious mind and a willingness to learn are the most important prerequisites for success in this course.

Are you ready to embark on a journey into the world of Site Reliability Engineering? Join us as we explore the principles, practices, and practical applications of SRE, and equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to excel in this exciting field. Let's dive in and discover the fascinating realm of SRE together!

SRE Fundamentals:

• Read books such as "Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems" by Google.
• Understand key SRE principles such as reliability, scalability, and operational efficiency.

Continuation of SRE Fundamentals:

• Delve deeper into SRE principles, including reliability engineering of distributed systems and change management.
• Study case studies and experiences from leading companies in implementing SRE practices.
• Technologies to learn:
  • Google Cloud Platform (GCP) or Amazon Web Services (AWS) technologies for implementing SRE practices in the cloud.
  • Monitoring and analysis tools such as Stackdriver (GCP) or CloudWatch (AWS).
  • Google SRE Workbook for practical cases and real-world implementation examples.

Linux and System Administration:

• Familiarize yourself with the Linux command line and its utilities.
• Learn about Linux system administration, including configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting.

Deepening in Linux and System Administration:

• Study advanced topics in Linux system administration, such as kernel performance, resource optimization, and advanced service configuration.
• Technologies to learn:
  • Advanced Bash shell scripting.
  • Advanced Linux server administration, including performance optimization and advanced system configuration.

Automation and Scripting:

• Master a scripting language such as Python or Bash.
• Learn about automation tools such as Ansible or Puppet.

Advancing in Automation and Scripting:

• Explore advanced scripting and automation techniques, such as using APIs and creating custom tools for infrastructure management.
• Learn about continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) and how to implement automated development pipelines.
• Technologies to learn:
  • Python: advanced scripting and automation tool development.
  • Ansible or Puppet: configuration automation and infrastructure management.
  • CI/CD tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, or CircleCI for automating software delivery.

Container Orchestration:

• Learn to use Kubernetes to orchestrate containers in production environments.
• Explore advanced Kubernetes concepts such as autoscaling, advanced network configuration, and security.
• Technologies to learn:
  • Kubernetes: advanced container management and application orchestration.
  • Docker: for container creation, distribution, and execution.
  • Helm: for Kubernetes application deployment and management.

Microservices Architecture:

• Understand design principles and operational challenges associated with microservices architecture.
• Learn to design, implement, and manage microservices efficiently and reliably.
• Technologies to learn:
  • Microservices frameworks such as Spring Boot (Java), Flask (Python), or Express.js (Node.js).
  • Communication and API management tools like GraphQL or gRPC.
  • Design patterns for microservices such as Circuit Breaker, Saga Pattern, and API Gateway.

Infrastructure as Code (IaC):

• Learn to use tools like Terraform to manage infrastructure in an automated way.
• Understand the principles of IaC and its importance in SRE.

Monitoring and Observability:

• Explore monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and the ELK Stack.
• Learn to configure alerts and dashboards to monitor system performance and health.

Networking Concepts:

• Understand networking fundamentals such as TCP/IP, DNS, and routing.
• Learn about advanced concepts like load balancing and CDN.

DevOps Practices Implementation:

• Deepen your understanding of DevOps principles and how they integrate with SRE practices.
• Learn about tools and techniques for effective collaboration and communication between development and operations teams.
• Technologies to learn:
  • Collaboration tools like Jira, Confluence, Slack, or Microsoft Teams.
  • Git: version control and software development collaboration.
  • Implementing CI/CD pipelines with tools like GitLab CI, Jenkins, or CircleCI.

Resilience and Fault Tolerance:

• Study techniques to make systems more resilient to failures, such as fault tolerance and distributed systems design.
• Learn about design patterns like circuit breaker and retry.

Security:

• Familiarize yourself with information security principles.
• Learn about cloud security practices and system hardening techniques.

Advanced Security:

• Deepen your knowledge in advanced security topics such as intrusion detection, identity and access management (IAM), and protection against DDoS attacks.
• Technologies to learn:
  • Intrusion detection tools like Snort or Suricata.
  • Advanced identity and access management (IAM) in cloud platforms.
  • DDoS protection solutions like Cloudflare or AWS Shield.

Incident Management:

• Practice incident management through drills and tabletop exercises.
• Learn to document incidents and conduct post-mortem analysis.

Automated Disaster Recovery:

• Learn to design and implement automated disaster recovery plans to ensure business continuity in case of catastrophic failures.
• Technologies to learn:
  • Disaster recovery orchestration tools like HashiCorp Consul or etcd.
  • Implementation of automated backup and restoration procedures.
  • Automated disaster recovery testing with tools like Chaos Engineering.

Performance Optimization:

• Study performance optimization techniques for applications and systems.
• Learn to identify bottlenecks and improve operational efficiency.
• Technologies to learn:
  • Cloud cost optimization tools like AWS Cost Explorer or Google Cloud Billing.
  • Strategies for efficient use of reserved instances, spot instances, and autoscaling.
  • Implementation of automatic shutdown policies and load-based autoscaling.

Cloud Cost Optimization:

• Study advanced strategies for optimizing infrastructure costs in the cloud, such as efficient resource utilization and implementation of automatic shutdown policies.

Development of Communication Skills:

• Improve your technical communication and collaboration skills with other teams.
• Practice writing technical reports and presenting improvement proposals.

SRE Leadership:

• Develop leadership skills to influence organizational culture and promote SRE practices throughout the company.
• Learn to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage large-scale SRE projects.

Practical Projects:

• Work on practical projects to apply your skills in a real environment.
• Participate in open-source projects or contribute to the technical community.

Online Courses: Platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning offer specific courses on topics relevant to SRE. Conferences and Meetups: Attend conferences and meetups related to SRE to stay updated on the latest trends and best practices. Certifications: Consider obtaining relevant certifications such as Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) or AWS Certified DevOps Engineer.

Remember that constant practice and willingness to learn are key to becoming a successful SRE. Good luck on your journey towards excellence in site reliability!

Javier Salvador García - javiersalgar - [email protected]