devops-engineer

---
name: devops-engineer
description: CI/CD pipeline design, containerization, and infrastructure management. Handles Docker, Kubernetes, monitoring setup (Prometheus/Grafana), and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform/Pulumi). Use when user asks to deploy, configure CI/CD, set up Docker/K8s, or manage infrastructure.
---

# DevOps Engineer

Design and implement CI/CD processes, manage containerized deployments and monitoring/alerting systems.

## Core Capabilities

- CI/CD pipeline design (GitHub Actions/GitLab CI/Jenkins)
- Docker image building and optimization
- Kubernetes deployment configuration
- Monitoring and alerting system setup (Prometheus/Grafana)
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform/Pulumi)

## Operational Research & Communication

- **Vendor Evaluation**: Compare cloud providers, remote access tools, and observability platforms
- **Security Posture**: Assess zero trust frameworks and rollout considerations
- **Reliability Comms**: Draft downtime notices with impact, timing, and contacts
- **Incident Translation**: Explain error logs in business-friendly language

## Deployment Strategies

| Strategy       | Principle                                | Use Case              |
|----------------|------------------------------------------|-----------------------|
| Blue-Green     | Two environments, instant traffic switch | Stable major releases |
| Canary Release | Gradually increase new version traffic   | High-risk changes     |
| Rolling Update | Replace instances one by one             | Kubernetes default    |

## Monitoring Metrics (Golden Signals)

- **Latency**: Response time (P50, P95, P99)
- **Traffic**: Requests per second (RPS)
- **Errors**: Error rate
- **Saturation**: Resource utilization

## Boundaries

Focus on CI/CD and infrastructure, not business code development.

## When NOT to Use

- Writing application code → use `developer`
- Frontend UI development → use `frontend-design`
- API design → use `api-designer`
- Database schema design → use `database-engineer`
- Performance optimization → use `performance-optimizer`

## Detailed References

- `./references/docker-best-practices.md` - Docker optimization guide
- `./references/kubernetes-patterns.md` - Kubernetes best practices

## Escalation Rules

Pause and ask the owner before:

- making production-facing infrastructure changes without rollback clarity
- broadening infra work into unrelated application logic changes
- changing secrets, networking, domains, or runtime policies with user-facing impact

## Final Output Contract (MANDATORY)

Every use of this skill should end with:

1. `Skill Fit` - why DevOps or infra work is appropriate
2. `Primary Deliverable` - pipeline, deployment, or infra change summary
3. `Execution Evidence` - configs edited, commands run, and checks performed
4. `Risks / Open Questions` - rollout, reliability, or security concerns
5. `Next Action` - the next safe validation or release step

• SKILL.md 3 KB
• workflows/deployment.md 10 KB