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DevOps Engineer vs Cloud Engineer - Which One I Should Choose

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025
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In the modern world, thousands of data are daily generated; hence, it should be processed. To process the data, very robust automated devices need to be built, and to construct those devices, professionals like the DevOps Engineers and the Cloud Engineers come into play. The debate goes on as to which profession is better. Let's understand the difference between DevOps Engineers and Cloud Engineers.

DevOps Engineers are professionals responsible for optimizing and automating the software life cycle so that a better development team-operation team can work more collaboratively. This has a job satisfaction rating of 4.3 out of 5 and a tagline of one of the best technology jobs now. In contrast, Cloud Engineers work with designing, deploying, and managing cloud-based infrastructure and services. Surveys show that the demand for cloud engineers will be increasing by 39% much more than the average growth rate for other professions. Let's discuss their work, importance, roles, and responsibilities one by one to better find out the career domain for you. Which is a much better career domain? DevOps Engineer or Cloud Engineer?

Devops-engineer-vs-Cloud-engineer

What Is a DevOps Engineer?

A DevOps engineer is a professional who possesses both software development and IT operation skillsets, targeting efficiency and reliability in the Software Development Life Cycle. They try to bring down cycle time, increase the frequency, and achieve better quality software. DevOps Engineers fill this gap between development and operations through increased communication, collaboration, and integration.

Skills Required to Become a DevOps Engineer

The following are some of the important skills to be a DevOps Engineer:

  • Programming and Scripting: Well-versed with scripting languages to automate tasks.
  • CI/CD: Experience in Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, and CircleCI tooling to automate the release process.
  • Infrastructure as code (IaC): Understanding of tools such as Terraform, Ansible, and CloudFormation for infrastructure management and provisioning.
  • Containerization: Good experience with Docker and orchestration tools, like Kubernetes, which is proficiency in deploying applications to a steady environment.
  • Monitoring and logging: How to work with tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, or the ELK stack.

Roles and Responsibilities of a DevOps Engineer

  • Implementing and managing CI/CD pipelines to streamline software deployment.
  • Automate the infrastructure and deployment processes.
  • Monitoring system performance and optimizing it.
  • Ensuring system security and compliance.
  • Working closely with your development and operations teams to improve these processes.

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What Is a Cloud Engineer?

A Cloud Engineer designs, implements, and manages cloud infrastructure and services. They ensure that the cloud environments of an organization are scaled up, secure, reliable, and cost-effective among a myriad of other cloud platforms, including Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and others that may support or optimize business applications and services.

Skills Required to Become a Cloud Engineer

Given below is the list of highly sought skills for a Cloud Engineer:

  • Cloud Platforms: Experience with the best of the available cloud platforms, such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.
  • Cloud Services: Understanding of cloud services such as EC2, S3, Lambda, RDS, amongst others.
  • Cloud Security: Cloud security principles understanding and cloud environment protection tools.
  • Automation Tools: Ability to use tools such as CloudFormation, ARM templates, or Terraform to automate cloud infrastructure.
  • DevOps Practices: DevOps practices and tools can be understood as practices which often cross the path of cloud engineering.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Cloud Engineer

  • Designing and implementing cloud architectures.
  • Management of cloud services and resources.
  • Ensuring Security and Compliance of the Cloud.
  • Cloud performance monitoring and optimization.
  • Working with development teams to facilitate cloud-native apps.

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Salary Comparison

Both DevOps Engineers and Cloud Engineers command competitive salaries, reflecting their high demand and specialized skill sets. While salaries can vary based on experience, location, and industry, both roles offer lucrative compensation packages.

RoleSalary Outside IndiaSalary in India
DevOps Engineer
Average Salary$90,000 - $130,000 per year₹6,00,000 - ₹15,00,000 per year
Entry-Level$70,000 - $90,000 per year₹4,00,000 - ₹6,00,000 per year
Senior-Level$130,000 - $160,000 per year₹15,00,000 - ₹25,00,000 per year
Cloud Engineer
Average Salary$95,000 - $140,000 per year₹7,00,000 - ₹18,00,000 per year
Entry-Level$75,000 - $95,000 per year₹5,00,000 - ₹7,00,000 per year
Senior-Level$140,000 - $170,000 per year₹18,00,000 - ₹30,00,000 per year

DevOps Engineer vs Cloud Engineer - Which One I Should Choose?

Aspect

DevOps Engineer

Cloud Engineer

Primary Focus

Automating software development and deployment processes

Designing and managing cloud infrastructure and services

Key Responsibilities

  • CI/CD implementation
  • Automation
  • Monitoring
  • Security
  • Collaboration
  • Cloud architecture
  • Resource management
  • Security
  • Performance optimization
  • Collaboration

Skills Required

  • Scripting languages
  • CI/CD tools
  • IaC tools
  • Containerization
  • Monitoring tools
  • Cloud platforms
  • Cloud services
  • Cloud security
  • Automation tools
  • DevOps practices

Workflow

  • Automating infrastructure
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • System monitoring
  • Optimization
  • Designing cloud environments
  • Managing resources
  • Ensuring security
  • Optimizing performance

Collaboration

  • Development teams
  • Operations teams
  • Development teams
  • Business stakeholders

Conclusion

Now we have a filtering factor for DevOps Engineers and Cloud Engineers; both have almost equivalent professions that include proficient programming skills and good communication skills, showing career paths that switch and vice versa. In that light, both DevOps and cloud engineering are striking career opportunities with good prospects. Instead of arguing on the superiority of one profession over the other, it pays to understand that both roles are vital in their own ways. Both jobs are financially rewarding and in high demand. The decision rests solely on personal interests and career choices. Both careers require broad bases of knowledge, hence the best career choices. Similarly, while they differ in concentration, both play a central role in the design and functionality of today's technological infrastructures.


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