FREE Devops Buildcamp
Master Real-World Skills Through Project-Based Learning ( FREE for ALL)
Cultivating a Builder's Mindset for Real-World Devops Success
In an industry flooded with theoretical knowledge and cookie-cutter tutorials, there's a critical gap between learning and real-world application. At School of Devops, we're bridging this gap with Devops Buildcamp - a professionally crafted, project-based learning initiative designed to transform you into a skilled Devops practitioner.
Why Cultivating a Builder's Mindset Matters
The difference between a Devops engineer who gets by and one who excels lies in their approach to problem-solving. A builder's mindset means:
Learning through hands-on implementation
Understanding system interactions deeply
Building muscle memory through real practice
Developing problem-solving instincts
Creating portfolio-worthy projects
Gaining confidence through actual building
Our Commitment to Quality and Accessibility
Devops Buildcamp is more than just another learning program. It's a professionally crafted initiative backed by:
Original, purpose-built learning applications (like Craftista)
Industry-tested project specifications
Professional-grade video content
Dedicated infrastructure and tooling
Full-time team of practitioners
What sets us apart is our commitment to quality while maintaining accessibility. While many learning platforms are backed by venture capital or large corporations with million-dollar budgets, Devops Buildcamp is independently created and self-funded by School of Devops. We've invested significantly in:
Professional studio setup for high-quality content
Custom learning management systems
Enterprise-grade infrastructure
Original project materials and applications
Continuous content development
The Buildcamp Experience
Devops Buildcamp is a unique learning initiative where we focus on building real-world projects together. Each month, we break down complex Devops skills into weekly "Nano Projects" - manageable, practical implementations that progressively build your expertise.
How BuildCamp Works
Each month, we focus on mastering one critical Devops technology through four progressive Nano Projects. Here's how it works:
2025 BuildCamp Learning Roadmap
Month 1 (JAN) - Containerization : Reset your server to remove all the non container stuff, start with a clean install and Setup Docker, which also comes with Docker Compose. Then start containerising the app by learning the art of writing good Dockerfiles with multi-stage version of it etc. Learn how the containers connect with each other (thats why its useful to have a micro services app) i.e. container networking, volumes and storage with docker. Also start using dev containers for your development workflow. Then build your development environment with docker compose. This will make you a super backend engineer ready for the real world.
Month 2 (FEB) - Kubernetes : Its a non negotiable technology that everyone must know including developers and devops alike. Instead of spending too much on resources, use KIND to setup a 3 node kubernetes cluster using the same sever you have. Use this resource to set it up with a nice visualizer (https://kubernetes-tutorial.schoolofdevops.com/kind_create_cluster/). Learn about Pods, Namespaces, ReplicaSets, Deployments, Service Networking, ConfigMaps and Secrets, Storage Primitives with a little bit of knowledge on RBAC, Network Policies etc. (Use this labs onwards to learn: https://kubernetes-tutorial.schoolofdevops.com/create-and-deploy-kubernetes-pods/) Master the art of writing kubernetes manifests with YAML. Learn to use Helm and package this YAML deployment code using HELM (build helm Charts) so that you are ready to take your code and deploy it to different environments (dev, stage, prod etc. ) .
Bonus tip : Go and complete CKAD Cert at this time. I am no great fan of certs in general, and focus more on real world expertise than certs, however this one will help you.
Month 3 : (MAR) - CI/CD: Its now time to use your container and kubernetes knowledge and build a CI/CD Pipeline for the application. Setup continuous feedback loop with simple build → test → package → container image build and publish pipeline for all the micro services. The code above uses mono-repo structure , so we are looking at a pipeline with 9-12 jobs making it already a pretty sophisticated one. While a lot of people will criticise this, always start with Jenkins (setup Jenins on Kubernetes cluster created above) and set up a CI system, and then migrate the same to GitHub Actions. You will start doing Transfer Learning (Master one well, learn other quickly). Learn the art of writing Jenkinsfiles using declarative syntax and use Blue Ocean as the visual plugin to see them in action. Use GitHub for hosting your repo and setup a Trunk Based Development as branching model (https://trunkbaseddevelopment.com/). Learn to set up Code Reviews and automated Feedback from Jenkins as part of your Pull Request Based workflows. This will again make you stand apart as a Backend Developer with devops practitioner powers. This is what I teach in my corporate workshops and people love this type of CI System along with CD which comes as your next goal. Setup basic ArgoCD deployment.
Month 4 (APR) - Python for Devops : This you probably already know. If not, start with Python. Start with Python for Devops Engineers. This includes using python with Sytems Operations, Cloud Automation, Working with Containers, Databases etc. Backups etc. Some overview of Python for AI/ML as well.
Month 5 (MAY) - AWS : This you probably already know. If not, start with Python. If yes, start learning how to use advanced libraries in the AI Age like scikit-learn(sklearn), keras, numpy, pandas, xgboost, pytorch, tensorflow so that you are ready to be part of the AI revolution.
Month 6(JUN) - Terraform/OpenTofu with TerraTeam/Atlantis: Now that you have setup EKS Cluster, its time to have it templated so that you could spin it up on whim. If not a complete EKS Cluster, write Terraform Modules/Code using HCL to setup VPC and launch a EC2, RDS, S3 etc. with it to deploy a simple 3 tier app. You could also explore OpenTofu, which is just the fork of Terraform with just a different command line client right now ("tofu plan" instead of "terraform plan"). This will serve you well in case if you are aiming for Devops Engineer/Platform Engineer like positions as well as when you go on to become a AI Engineer.
Month 7: (JULY) - CD with GitOps: This is where you now pick ArgoCD and setup a GitOps based automated deployments to different environments (staging + prod) along with Helm charts that you created earlier. Bring in Argo Rollouts (a special purpose additional tool from Argo Suite) for running Blue Green Deployments to staging ( https://kubernetes-tutorial.schoolofdevops.com/argo_rollout_blue_green/ ) and Progressive Canary Deployments to Prod (https://kubernetes-tutorial.schoolofdevops.com/argo_rollout_canary/). Use Argo Image Updater (https://kubernetes-tutorial.schoolofdevops.com/argo_iamge_updater/) to connect your CI built earlier (Jenkins/GHA/Any) with CD system that you just built.
Month 8: (AUG) - Observability and Progressive Canary: Observability, new fancy word for old school monitoring is very useful stuff for understanding how your infra and apps are doing. Setup Prometheus along with Grafana for metrics monitoring along with Kube State Metric. Use helm to setup the monitoring (https://kubernetes-tutorial.schoolofdevops.com/helm/). We are still using the same server with same KIND based setup, which can still take it all (I have done all of this this with a single digital ocean 4GB $32/month server). For log monitoring, instead of popular ELK stack, go with newly trending Loki which works with the same Grafana setup that you have, optimising resources for you. Once you have set this up, use the same Argo Rollouts to add the super power of integrating with Prometheus and watching monitoring data while doing progressive rollouts (https://kubernetes-tutorial.schoolofdevops.com/argo_experiments_analysis/). You are now in the territory of rare advanced devops practitioners who know this magic. Talking about this will make you shine in your career and future interviews.
Month 9 : (SEP) - DevSecOps : Its now time to enhance your CI/CD Pipeline by incorporating security into every stage. This starts with pre-commit hooks, SCA, SAST, Container Image Scanning and Linting, DAST, Kubernetes Scanning and Security, Infra Compliance if you are interested.
Month 10 (OCT) - EKS with Karpenter and KEDA: Build a managed Kubernetes cluster on AWS. Yes, we are now going beyond your personal build lab and entering into Cloud Territory. Learn the cloud essentials such as Networking (VPC), Compute (EC2), Databases (RDS), Storage and Content Delivery (S3, CDN). Autoscaling and Load Balancing. Then build EKS Cluster and deploy the same application using ArgoCD with HELM Charts, with images that you built with Docker which are now published by your automated CI System. Its all a connected learning path. If you setup Karpenter for Node Autoscaling and KEDA for event driven Pod scaling, you have already earned the bragging rights.
Month 10 (OCT) - EKS with Karpenter and KEDA: Build a managed Kubernetes cluster on AWS. Yes, we are now going beyond your personal build lab and entering into Cloud Territory. Learn the cloud essentials such as Networking (VPC), Compute (EC2), Databases (RDS), Storage and Content Delivery (S3, CDN). Autoscaling and Load Balancing. Then build EKS Cluster and deploy the same application using ArgoCD with HELM Charts, with images that you built with Docker which are now published by your automated CI System. Its all a connected learning path. If you setup Karpenter for Node Autoscaling and KEDA for event driven Pod scaling, you have already earned the bragging rights.
Month 11 (OCT) - Service Mesh with Istio: Setup Service mesh with Istio and build advanced traffic routing and traffic shifting, observability as well as integrate with Argo etc.
Month 12 (Dec) - Chill: All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy ! Ain't it. Its time to retrospect your learning, appreciate and celebrate. Don't forget to add each of this as a portfolio project to your resume, LinkedIn etc. Enjoy the fruits of your learning. You'll realise how productive you have been and how much you have grown by building these 11 projects. Lets me know at time time if it was worth it all :)
Weekly Learning Flow
Monday - Project Launch & Deep Dive
New Nano Project announcement
Project specifications released
Learning objectives and success criteria
Technology stack overview
Thursday - BuildCamp Live (9:00 PM IST)
Open to all community members
Expert-led implementation guidance
Best practices discussion
Live coding and demonstrations
Interactive Q&A session
Build & Share Phase (Thursday-Tuesday)
Implementation time
Work on your solution
Experiment with approaches
Test and refine
Document your journey
Community Showcase (Tuesday)
Share your implementation
Present your approach
Learn from peer solutions
Get community feedback
Build your project portfolio
The Ultimate Learning App: Craftista
To support your learning journey, we've created Craftista - a purpose-built microservices application designed specifically for learning Devops. Unlike typical "hello world" examples, Craftista is:
Built with modern tech stack (Node.js, Python, Go, Java)
Structured as microservices for real-world scenarios
Complete with working unit and integration tests
Designed for iterative learning
Equipped with visual feedback mechanisms
Production-ready in architecture
Our Learning Philosophy: Shu Ha Ri
We believe in the natural progression of learning:
Shu (Follow): Understand the fundamentals and concepts
Ha (Detach): Practice through guided hands-on labs
Ri (Transcend): Build your own solutions through projects
BuildCamp represents the "Ri" stage, where you apply your knowledge creatively while building real-world solutions.
What You'll Build
Each month focuses on essential Devops skills through practical projects:
Containerization with Docker
CI/CD Pipeline Implementation
Kubernetes Deployments
GitOps with ArgoCD
Observability Setup
Cloud Infrastructure Design
And much more...
Getting Started
Join our community at r/vevopsbuilders
Check out the Craftista app at [Craftista on GitHub]
Subscribe to School of Devops for weekly live sessions
Start with this week's Nano Project!
Thats all … !
Supporting Our Mission
Devops Buildcamp is and will remain completely free and open to everyone. We believe in democratizing Devops education while maintaining the highest standards of quality. This initiative is sustainably supported by our premium offerings:
Structured Learning Programs
Cohort-based Intensive Courses
MiniDegree Programs
Corporate Training
These premium programs offer additional value through:
Distraction-free learning environments
Interactive quizzes and assessments
Gamified learning paths
Direct mentorship
Career guidance
Certification preparation
Why Trust Us?
School of Devops isn't a side project or a moonlighting venture. We're a professionally run organization led by Gourav Shah, a leading corporate trainer who has:
Conducted 450+ workshops for top global companies
Created courses for Linux Foundation
Published on edX
Developed comprehensive learning paths
Built real-world applications for learning
The Real Impact
Our approach has helped professionals:
Land high-paying Devops positions
Transition to cloud-native roles
Lead digital transformations
Build successful Devops careers
Join the Building Revolution
Whether you choose to learn through our free BuildCamp or enhance your journey with our premium programs, you're getting professionally crafted, battle-tested content from practitioners who do this full-time.
Ready to start building real-world Devops skills? Join us this Thursday for our live session and take your first step toward Devops mastery.
Let's build something awesome together! 🚀
Gourav Shah
Founder,