The IT industry in India has witnessed tremendous growth over the past decade, and one of the most in-demand roles today is that of a DevOps Engineer. With businesses rapidly adopting cloud technologies, automation, and agile practices, the need for DevOps professionals has grown significantly. A common question learners and job seekers ask is: “What is the salary of a DevOps Engineer in India?”
Short answer: DevOps Engineers are some of the best-paid IT professionals in India. As a fresher entering the job, or an experienced professional looking to make a career change in DevOps, the profession comes with high-paying packages, quick growth, and long-term prospects.
Here is a comprehensive guide:
- Average salary of an Indian DevOps Engineer
- Salary distribution for freshers and experienced professionals
- Salaries in various Indian cities
- Factors affecting DevOps salaries
- Skills and certifications that increase pay
- DevOps salary comparison with other IT positions
- DevOps salary prospects in India for the future
- How to optimize your revenue potential as a DevOps professional
Why DevOps Engineers Get Paid So Much
Before getting into salary numbers, it's worthwhile to get a grip on why DevOps Engineers have high salaries in India:
- Two worlds bridged – DevOps bridges software development and IT operations and thus is an essential role.
- High demand, short supply – There are fewer skilled DevOps personnel than increasing industry demand.
- Flexible skill set – Needs knowledge of coding, automation, cloud, and system management.
- Business-critical position – Speedier deployments and system stability have direct effects on firm success.
- Future prospects – DevOps is linked with cloud, AI, and security, guaranteeing long-lasting careers.
Average Salary of a DevOps Engineer in India
The salary of a DevOps Engineer in India varies based on various factors, but overall estimates indicate that:
- Freshers – Competetive packages, better than conventional IT support or testing jobs.
- Mid-level professionals – Good growth after 2–4 years of practical DevOps experience.
- Senior professionals – High-end salaries with experience in cloud, Kubernetes, and automation.
Average salary of a DevOps Engineer in India is much more compared to other IT jobs because of the multi-disciplinary skills asked for.
Freshers Salary of DevOps Engineer in India
For freshers and graduates entering the IT sector, DevOps is among the most lucrative career options.
Starting salary – Freshers with DevOps skill begin with good pay packets.
Influencing factor for fresher salary:
- Basic knowledge of Linux, Git, and cloud fundamentals.
- Familiarity with the automation tools such as Jenkins or Ansible.
- AWS, Azure, or Kubernetes certifications.
- Location and employer type (startups, MNCs, or IT services).
Fresher salaries can skyrocket with only 1–2 years of project experience, making DevOps a great option for career beginners.
Salary of a DevOps Engineer in India for Experienced Professionals
For experienced IT professionals, a transition to DevOps opens up higher remuneration.
- 2–4 years experience – Significant hike over conventional developer or sysadmin roles.
- 5–8 years experience – Salaries increase steeply with cloud platform and automation pipeline specialization.
- 10+ years experience – Positions such as DevOps Architect, Lead, or Consultant command high-end salaries.
Salary drivers for experienced engineers:
- Proficiency in CI/CD and infrastructure automation.
- Multi-cloud skills (AWS, Azure, GCP).
- Expertise in Kubernetes and container orchestration.
- Leadership skills to manage DevOps teams in large-scale enterprises.
DevOps Engineer Salary in India by Location
Indian city salaries for DevOps Engineers are different because of demand, living costs, and density of IT parks.
- Bengaluru (Bangalore) – Paying the most for DevOps engineers.
- Hyderabad – High demand for cloud and IT services.
- Pune – Growing IT market with competitive compensation.
- Chennai – Huge enterprise adoption of DevOps, consistent salaries.
- Gurugram & Noida – High demand for DevOps in IT services and product companies.
Tier-2 cities – Increased opportunities but slightly lower salary scales.
Factors That Affect the Salary of a DevOps Engineer in India
The following factors establish how much a DevOps Engineer is paid:
- Experience level – Freshers compared to senior experts
- Skills acquired – Cloud, automation, monitoring, and security consolidation.
- Certifications – AWS, Azure, Kubernetes, Terraform, etc.
- Employer type – MNCs, startups, or consulting organizations.
- Job location – Metro cities compared to smaller towns.
- Project complexity – Large-scale cloud deployments tend to be better paid.
DevOps Skills That Boost a DevOps Engineer's Salary
Employers compensate more for experts with specialized DevOps skills. Some of the most sought-after skills are:
- Linux administration and shell scripting
- Programming (Python, Go, Java)
- Version control with Git
- CI/CD tools – Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, CircleCI
- Cloud platforms – AWS, Azure, GCP
- Containerization & orchestration – Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC) – Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation
- Monitoring tools – Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack
- DevSecOps skills – Security integration in pipelines
DevOps Certifications That Increase Salary in India
Certifications confirm expertise and can result in increased salaries. Some of the most popular certifications are:
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer
- Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
- Google Cloud Professional DevOps Engineer
- Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)
- Docker Certified Associate
- HashiCorp Terraform Associate
Certified professionals tend to have 20–30% higher salaries compared to their non-certified counterparts.
DevOps vs Other IT Jobs: Salary Difference in India
On comparing IT job roles, DevOps salaries in India always top the list.
- DevOps Engineer > Software Tester
- DevOps Engineer > System Administrator
- DevOps Engineer ≈ Cloud Engineer (based on skills)
- DevOps Engineer < Data Scientist (in certain situations, but the gap is closing fast)
This easily illustrates why most professionals are migrating to DevOps positions.
Career Path and Salary Growth for DevOps Engineers
A standard Indian career path for a DevOps engineer is as follows:
- Junior DevOps Engineer (Fresher) – Entry-level salary.
- DevOps Engineer (2–4 years) – Increased compensation with automation and CI/CD skills.
- Senior DevOps Engineer (5–7 years) – Expertise in Kubernetes, cloud, and leadership positions
- DevOps Architect / Consultant (8–12 years) – High-end packages.
- Head of DevOps / Engineering Manager (12+ years) – Leadership positions with highly paid salaries.
Future of DevOps Salaries in India
The future of DevOps jobs in India is very bright. Salaries will increase owing to:
- Increased use of cloud computing and automation.
- Growing need for DevSecOps and AIOps experts.
- Shortage of skilled DevOps experts compared to industry needs.
- Global companies are outsourcing DevOps work to India.
This means DevOps Engineers in India can expect sustained salary growth for the next decade and beyond.
Tips to Maximize Your DevOps Salary
If you are planning a career in DevOps, here’s how to boost your salary potential:
- Build a strong foundation in Linux, cloud, and Git.
- Gain hands-on experience through projects and internships.
- Pursue recognized DevOps certifications.
- Continuously update skills with emerging tools and practices
- Display projects on GitHub and professional portfolios.
- Connect with industry peers and DevOps communities.
Conclusion
Therefore, how much does a DevOps Engineer in India earn?
- The answer is unequivocal: DevOps Engineers have some of the most lucrative salary packages in the IT sector.
- Freshers have competitive compensation, better than most entry-level IT positions.
- Seasoned professionals receive premium salaries with cloud, automation, and Kubernetes expertise.
- Salaries differ based on location, qualifications, certifications, and company size, but overall trends are rising.
- With the growing use of cloud, automation, and DevSecOps, DevOps jobs in India are future-proofed, well-paying, and among the highest-paid IT jobs.
If you seek a stable and well-paying IT career option, DevOps is certainly one of the top options available today.