The practical field of site reliability engineering, or SRE, combines software development and IT operations to create highly dependable and expandable digital systems. The goals of SRE practitioners are to keep the systems they manage operating at maximum efficiency, with outstanding availability, and with unwavering stability.

SRE builds on the DevOps concept, which aims to eliminate boundaries between development and operations teams, by implementing software engineering methods and concepts across the entire system lifecycle, from conception and development to launch and maintenance. SREs work closely with programmers, utilizing techniques and tools like automation, experimentation, and observation to ensure that new features are introduced carefully and thoughtfully and that original designs are inherently robust. SREs work closely with operations squads in tandem to identify issues early on and address them before they develop into serious crises.

SRE theory is based on the idea of “error budgets.” In other words, an error budget counts the acceptable number of system failures or downtime allowed within a given time frame. SREs use error budgets to manage the fine line between encouraging innovation and new features and promoting system reliability. If the budget runs out, development teams may have to shift their focus from implementing new features to strengthening system resilience.

SRE, taken as a whole, stands for a specialty in software engineering that emphasizes expandability and unwavering reliability. Practitioners make use of technology and expertise to ensure that systems function smoothly, quickly, and robustly. SREs collaborate closely with the development and operations teams to make sure that new features are implemented thoughtfully and that bugs are found and fixed before they get out of hand. SRE’s focus on scalability and dependability is more important than ever in our increasingly connected world, as it lays the groundwork for successful digital transformation initiatives and opens the door to a promising future powered by technology.