Intro to Cloud Native, Microservices, Containers, & Agile from Coursera

Over 80% of enterprises now rely on cloud-native technologies to drive innovation and scale efficiently (CNCF). Professionals with cloud-native, microservices, and DevOps skills are highly sought after! This course equips both aspiring and experienced professionals with the practical, job-ready expertise employers are looking for.

During the course, you’ll explore cloud-native fundamentals, including hybrid cloud infrastructures and modernization strategies. Plus, you'll gain hands-on experience mastering RESTful APIs, CI/CD pipelines, and Agile and Scrum practices that enhance collaboration and delivery.

The course also covers essential containerization concepts for using Docker and Kubernetes, ensuring you can build scalable and resilient applications. Plus, through interactive labs and real-world projects, you'll develop the technical skills and confidence to apply these practices effectively in professional environments.

By the end, you'll have the expertise to build scalable cloud-native applications, automate development workflows, and align technical solutions with business objectives. If you’re keen to open up exciting career opportunities in cloud, enroll today!

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Provides hands-on experience with RESTful APIs, CI/CD pipelines, and Agile and Scrum practices, which are essential for modern software development

Covers containerization concepts using Docker and Kubernetes, enabling learners to build scalable and resilient applications, which are highly valued in cloud-native environments

Explores cloud-native fundamentals, including hybrid cloud infrastructures and modernization strategies, which are critical for enterprises adopting cloud technologies

Presented by IBM, a company recognized for its contributions to cloud computing and enterprise solutions, which may add credibility to the course content

Reviews summary

Intro to cloud native essentials

According to learners, this course provides a solid introduction to cloud-native concepts. Students appreciate the clear explanations and the inclusion of practical hands-on labs. While it offers a broad overview of topics like microservices, containers (Docker & Kubernetes), CI/CD, and Agile, some feel it serves primarily as a foundational stepping stone, suggesting the need for more advanced study to achieve mastery. Overall, it's seen as a valuable starting point for professionals looking to understand the cloud-native landscape.

Covers essential cloud-native areas.

"I got a good overview of cloud native, microservices, containers, and agile."

"It touches on all the key technologies mentioned in the title."

"A great primer if you're new to these interconnected concepts."

Explanations are easy to follow.

"The lectures were clear and easy to understand."

"Concepts were explained concisely."

"Good pacing for an introductory course."

Includes helpful exercises and projects.

"The labs reinforced the lectures really well."

"Working with Docker and Kubernetes in the labs was key."

"I appreciated the practical examples and hands-on activities."

Provides introduction, not deep dive.

"It's a good starting point, but only scratches the surface."

"You'll need more courses for in-depth knowledge."

"Don't expect to be an expert after this one course."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Intro to Cloud Native, Microservices, Containers, & Agile with these activities:

Review Containerization Fundamentals

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Refresh your understanding of containerization concepts to better grasp the Docker and Kubernetes modules.

Browse courses on Containerization

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Read articles on Docker and Kubernetes basics.
Watch introductory videos on containerization.
Complete a basic Docker tutorial.

Review 'The Phoenix Project'

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Gain insights into DevOps principles and practices through a fictional narrative.

View The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps,... on Amazon

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Read the book and identify key DevOps concepts.
Reflect on how these concepts apply to real-world scenarios.
Discuss the book's themes with peers.

Review 'Cloud Native Patterns'

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Deepen your understanding of cloud-native architectures and design patterns.

View Cloud Native Patterns: Designing change... on Amazon

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Read the chapters on microservices architecture.
Study the sections on resilience and scalability.
Relate the patterns to the course's practical examples.

Four other activities

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Practice REST API Calls

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Reinforce your knowledge of RESTful APIs by practicing making calls to public APIs and handling responses.

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Choose a public API (e.g., OpenWeatherMap).
Write code to make GET requests to the API.
Parse the JSON responses and display the data.
Handle potential errors and exceptions.

Create a CI/CD Pipeline Diagram

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Visualize the CI/CD pipeline process to better understand its components and workflow.

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Research common CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI).
Design a diagram illustrating the pipeline stages.
Label each stage with its corresponding actions.
Explain the diagram in a short presentation.

Deploy a Simple Microservice

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Solidify your understanding of microservices by deploying a simple application using Docker and Kubernetes.

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Containerize a basic application using Docker.
Deploy the container to a Kubernetes cluster.
Expose the microservice via a service.
Monitor the application's performance.

Follow Kubernetes Tutorials

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Enhance your Kubernetes skills by following online tutorials and implementing various deployment strategies.

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Find tutorials on Kubernetes deployments and services.
Follow the tutorials step-by-step.
Experiment with different configurations.
Document your learning process.

Career center

Learners who complete Intro to Cloud Native, Microservices, Containers, & Agile will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Cloud Architect

A Cloud Architect designs and oversees the implementation of cloud computing strategies. This involves selecting the appropriate cloud services, designing the cloud infrastructure, and ensuring its security and scalability. This course equips professionals with the essentials of cloud-native development, hybrid cloud infrastructures, and modernization strategies. With the growing reliance on cloud-native technologies, professionals who understand how to build scalable and resilient applications are in high demand, ensuring they can architect effective cloud solutions. You will also gain confidence to translate business needs into effective technical solutions.

See salaries and explore the career path for Cloud Architect

DevOps Engineer

DevOps Engineers automate and streamline software development processes, bridging the gap between development and operations. This role requires a strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and agile methodologies. If you are looking to become a DevOps Engineer, this course can help you, as it focuses heavily on these crucial aspects of modern software development. The course's hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes equips DevOps Engineers with the skills needed to build scalable and resilient applications, automate development workflows, and improve collaboration between development and operations teams.

See salaries and explore the career path for DevOps Engineer

Software Engineer

Software Engineers design, develop, and test software applications. The course's focus on cloud-native architectures, microservices, and containerization practices helps build a foundation for developing scalable and resilient software in modern cloud environments. The practical experience gained with RESTful APIs, Docker, and Kubernetes helps software engineers write efficient and maintainable code. This course may be particularly helpful if you aspire to work on cloud-based applications or migrate existing applications to the cloud.

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Solutions Architect

Solutions Architects design and implement IT solutions to address specific business problems. This often involves integrating different technologies and platforms to create a cohesive system. This course may be useful because it provides a solid understanding of cloud-native fundamentals, microservices architecture, and agile practices. Expertise in hybrid cloud infrastructures, containerization, and CI/CD pipelines will help a solutions architect design and deploy complex IT solutions, and align them with business objectives. This course helps translate business logic into technical requirements.

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Cloud Consultant

Cloud Consultants advise organizations on how to best utilize cloud computing technologies to improve efficiency and reduce costs. They need to understand cloud-native architectures, modernization strategies, and security best practices. The course's comprehensive coverage of these topics helps you provide informed recommendations and guide organizations through successful cloud transformations. By understanding the nuances of hybrid cloud infrastructures, containerization, and agile development, a cloud consultant can guide organizations effectively, ensuring they leverage cloud technologies to their full potential.

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System Administrator

System Administrators are responsible for maintaining and managing computer systems and servers. This course helps future system administrators manage cloud-based systems effectively. This course helps system administrators understand the fundamentals of cloud-native infrastructure, containerization with Docker and Kubernetes, and automation tools like CI/CD pipelines. It helps system administrators manage and maintain cloud environments, ensuring their reliability and security. A system administrator may find the modernization strategies particularly useful.

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Technical Lead

Technical Leads oversee technical projects and guide development teams. The course's emphasis on agile and scrum practices, as well as its focus on cloud-native architectures, helps technical leads effectively manage projects. With this course, technical leads can guide their teams through successful cloud transformations, ensuring alignment between technical solutions and business objectives. You will learn how to make the right technical decisions, especially regarding cloud infrastructure.

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Site Reliability Engineer

Site Reliability Engineers focus on ensuring the reliability, availability, and performance of software systems. This role requires a strong understanding of automation, monitoring, and incident response. The course's focus on CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and agile methodologies helps build a foundation for automating and streamlining software delivery processes. By mastering Docker and Kubernetes, site reliability engineers can build scalable and resilient applications, improving the overall reliability of the systems they manage. You may find the discussion on hybrid cloud particularly helpful.

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Agile Coach

Agile Coaches guide teams in adopting and improving agile methodologies. This role demands a strong understanding of Scrum and other agile frameworks. This course may be helpful because it covers agile and Scrum practices. Agile coaches can help teams work more efficiently and deliver high-quality products more quickly. You will also understand the cloud-native environment within which many agile teams operate.

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Database Administrator

Database Administrators manage and maintain databases, ensuring their performance, security, and availability. This course may be helpful because many modern databases are deployed in cloud-native environments. Understanding cloud-native fundamentals, containerization, and automation tools will help database administrators manage databases effectively in these environments. The course's coverage of hybrid cloud infrastructures may also be valuable.

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Quality Assurance Engineer

Quality Assurance Engineers test software applications to ensure they meet quality standards. This course may be helpful because it covers CI/CD pipelines. This will help quality assurance engineers automate testing processes and integrate them into the development pipeline. You will understand how to continuously and automatically test new cloud-native applications.

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Security Engineer

Security Engineers protect computer systems and networks from security threats. This role requires a strong understanding of security best practices, risk management, and incident response. Modern cloud environments can at times present unique threats, and this course introduces you to such technologies. Containerization using Docker and Kubernetes can introduce unexpected security risks. As a security engineer, you can understand whether applications deployed using containers are properly secured.

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Product Manager

Product Managers define the vision, strategy, and roadmap for a product. This course may be useful because knowing cloud-native technologies can help a product manager make informed decisions about a product's architecture and deployment. An understanding of agile and Scrum practices will help ensure a product is developed and delivered efficiently. The course may also help the product manager relate well to software engineers.

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Business Analyst

Business Analysts identify business needs and translate them into technical requirements. This course may be helpful because understanding cloud-native technologies will help a business analyst communicate effectively with technical teams. The course's coverage of agile and Scrum practices may also be valuable. You may find the discussion of microservices architectures particularly relevant to your job.

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Project Manager

Project Managers plan, execute, and close projects, ensuring they are completed on time and within budget. This course may be helpful because understanding agile and scrum practices will help project managers manage software development projects effectively. An understanding of cloud-native technologies and CI/CD pipelines may also be valuable. You will understand the language of software in the cloud.

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Intro to Cloud Native, Microservices, Containers, & Agile

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