Top 12 Infrastructure Engineer Skills to Put on Your Resume

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, infrastructure engineers play a pivotal role in designing, deploying, and maintaining the essential systems that support our digital world. Possessing a well-rounded set of skills is crucial for these professionals to excel in their careers and stand out in the competitive job market, making it vital to carefully curate and highlight these abilities on their resumes.

Infrastructure Engineer Skills

1. Kubernetes
2. Terraform
3. AWS
4. Docker
5. Ansible
6. Azure
7. Python
8. VMware
9. CI/CD
10. PowerShell
11. Linux
12. Git

1. Kubernetes

Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications, ensuring high availability and resource efficiency across a cluster of machines.

Why It's Important

Kubernetes is important for an Infrastructure Engineer because it provides a platform for automating the deployment, scaling, and operations of application containers across clusters of hosts, improving the reliability, scalability, and efficiency of applications.

How to Improve Kubernetes Skills

Improving Kubernetes for an Infrastructure Engineer involves enhancing cluster performance, security, and manageability. Here are succinct strategies:

1. Optimize Resource Usage: Implement resource requests and limits to efficiently manage CPU and memory usage across all pods. Kubernetes Documentation

2. Enhance Security: Regularly update Kubernetes and apply security best practices such as using RBAC (Role-Based Access Control), network policies, and Secrets for sensitive data management. CIS Kubernetes Benchmark

3. Implement Monitoring and Logging: Deploy tools like Prometheus for monitoring and Grafana for visualization to track cluster health and performance. Use Fluentd or similar for logging to ensure you have insights into the system and application performance. Prometheus, Grafana, Fluentd

4. Automate Deployment and Scaling: Utilize Helm for package management and simplify application deployment. Implement Horizontal Pod Autoscaling to automatically scale applications based on demand. Helm, Horizontal Pod Autoscaler

5. Ensure High Availability and Disaster Recovery: Design a multi-master and multi-node architecture. Regularly back up etcd data and have a recovery plan in place. Kubernetes HA, etcd Backup and Restore

6. Network Optimization: Use CNI (Container Network Interface) plugins to improve network performance and security. Consider implementing service mesh technologies like Istio for advanced traffic management. CNI, Istio

7. Continuous Skills and Knowledge Development: Stay updated with the latest Kubernetes features and best practices through official documentation and trusted community resources. Kubernetes.io, CNCF Webinars

Implementing these strategies can significantly improve the performance, security, and manageability of Kubernetes clusters for Infrastructure Engineers.

How to Display Kubernetes Skills on Your Resume

2. Terraform

Terraform is an open-source infrastructure as code software tool that allows Infrastructure Engineers to define and provision data center infrastructure using a high-level configuration language. It supports multiple cloud providers, enabling automated management and deployment of cloud resources.

Why It's Important

Terraform is important for an Infrastructure Engineer because it enables consistent, version-controlled, and automated provisioning of infrastructure across various cloud platforms, reducing manual errors and speeding up deployment processes.

How to Improve Terraform Skills

Improving your Terraform skills and efficiency as an Infrastructure Engineer involves several key strategies:

1. Understand Terraform Core Concepts: Gain a deep understanding of Terraform's core concepts like state management, modules, and providers. Terraform Documentation is an excellent starting point.

2. Use Modules for Reusability: Create reusable components with Terraform modules to streamline your infrastructure as code. Explore Terraform Registry for community modules.

3. Implement Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Best Practices: Follow best practices for IaC, such as keeping your Terraform code in version control and using pull requests for changes. HashiCorp has a guide on Terraform Best Practices.

4. Master State Management: Learn advanced state management techniques, including remote backends for team collaboration. Terraform Backends Documentation provides detailed insights.

5. Automate Terraform Workflows: Integrate Terraform with CI/CD pipelines for automating infrastructure deployments. Terraform Automation offers tutorials and guides.

6. Stay Updated: Terraform and its ecosystem are constantly evolving. Keep up with the latest features and updates by following the Terraform Blog and participating in Terraform Community Forums.

7. Learn from the Community: Engage with the Terraform community through forums, GitHub repositories, and social media. Sharing knowledge and experiences can provide new insights and solutions.

By focusing on these areas, you can greatly enhance your proficiency and efficiency in managing infrastructure with Terraform.

How to Display Terraform Skills on Your Resume

3. AWS

AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a comprehensive, evolving cloud computing platform provided by Amazon that offers a mix of Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS) offerings. For an Infrastructure Engineer, it provides a suite of scalable and secure cloud infrastructure services like computing power, storage options, and networking capabilities to design, deploy, and manage applications and services.

Why It's Important

AWS is important for an Infrastructure Engineer because it provides a scalable, reliable, and efficient cloud computing platform, enabling the deployment and management of applications and services with ease, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness.

How to Improve AWS Skills

Improving AWS infrastructure involves a multifaceted approach focusing on cost efficiency, performance optimization, security enhancement, and automation. Here's a concise guide:

1. Cost Management: Use the AWS Cost Explorer to monitor and manage AWS costs. Implement auto-scaling to dynamically adjust resources and reduce costs. Consider Reserved Instances for predictable workloads. AWS Cost Management

2. Performance Optimization: Leverage Amazon CloudWatch to monitor performance metrics. Utilize Elastic Load Balancing to distribute traffic and Amazon ElastiCache to enhance database performance. Performance Optimization on AWS

3. Security Enhancement: Implement AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) for secure access control. Use Amazon VPC for network security and AWS Shield for DDoS protection. Regularly audit with AWS Config. AWS Security Best Practices

4. Automation: Automate infrastructure deployment with AWS CloudFormation and manage configurations with AWS OpsWorks. Use AWS Lambda for serverless automation tasks. AWS Automation and Management

5. Continuous Learning and Improvement: Stay updated with the latest AWS features and best practices through the AWS Blog and AWS Training and Certification.

By focusing on these areas, Infrastructure Engineers can significantly improve their AWS environments, ensuring they are cost-efficient, high-performing, secure, and automated.

How to Display AWS Skills on Your Resume

4. Docker

Docker is a platform that enables developers and infrastructure engineers to develop, deploy, and run applications in lightweight, portable containers, ensuring consistency across environments and streamlining the development pipeline.

Why It's Important

Docker simplifies the deployment and scaling of applications by allowing Infrastructure Engineers to package applications into containers, ensuring consistency across environments and improving resource utilization.

How to Improve Docker Skills

Improving Docker performance and efficiency for an Infrastructure Engineer involves several strategies. Here are short, concise tips with relevant resources:

1. Optimize Docker Images: Use smaller base images and multi-stage builds to reduce size. Dockerfile Best Practices

2. Manage Resources: Limit CPU and memory per container to optimize resource usage. Runtime Options

3. Use Docker Compose for Development: Simplify multi-container app configuration for development environments. Docker Compose Overview

4. Implement Docker Swarm or Kubernetes for Scaling: For production, use orchestration tools to scale and manage containers efficiently. Docker Swarm | Kubernetes

5. Enable Docker BuildKit: Speed up image building with advanced features and parallel building capabilities. BuildKit

6. Security Best Practices: Regularly scan images for vulnerabilities and implement security best practices. Docker Security

7. Logging and Monitoring: Use tools like Prometheus and Grafana for monitoring and ELK stack for logging to detect and solve issues early. Prometheus | Grafana | ELK Stack

8. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Automate the building, testing, and deployment processes using CI/CD pipelines. CI/CD with Docker

Each strategy focuses on a specific aspect of Docker use, from image optimization and resource management to scaling, security, and automation, providing a comprehensive approach for Infrastructure Engineers to enhance their Docker environments.

How to Display Docker Skills on Your Resume

5. Ansible

Ansible is an open-source automation tool used by Infrastructure Engineers for IT tasks such as configuration management, application deployment, and task automation, enabling infrastructure as code (IaC) practices.

Why It's Important

Ansible is important for an Infrastructure Engineer because it provides a powerful, simple-to-use automation tool that enables efficient management, provisioning, and configuration of servers and applications across diverse environments, reducing manual efforts and increasing consistency and reliability in infrastructure deployment and maintenance.

How to Improve Ansible Skills

Improving your Ansible skills and efficiency as an Infrastructure Engineer involves focusing on best practices, code reusability, modular design, and staying updated with the latest Ansible features. Here are concise tips:

1. Learn YAML Syntax: Master YAML syntax as Ansible playbooks are written in YAML. YAML Documentation

2. Use Ansible Galaxy: Leverage Ansible Galaxy for shared roles and collections to speed up development. Ansible Galaxy

3. Modular Design with Roles: Organize your playbooks into roles for reusability and simplicity. Ansible Roles

4. Dynamic Inventory: Use dynamic inventories for managing hosts dynamically rather than static files. Dynamic Inventory

5. Ansible Vault for Secrets: Secure sensitive data with Ansible Vault. Ansible Vault

6. Error Handling: Implement proper error handling and retries for more robust playbooks. Error Handling

7. Testing and Linting: Use tools like Molecule and ansible-lint to test and lint your code. Molecule, ansible-lint

8. Continuous Integration: Integrate your Ansible workflows with CI/CD pipelines for automated testing and deployment. Ansible and CI/CD

9. Stay Updated: Regularly check the official Ansible documentation and release notes for new features and best practices. Ansible Documentation

10. Community and Learning: Engage with the Ansible community through forums, GitHub, and attend webinars or conferences for continuous learning. Ansible Community

Focusing on these areas will significantly enhance your proficiency and effectiveness in managing infrastructure with Ansible.

How to Display Ansible Skills on Your Resume

6. Azure

Azure is Microsoft's cloud computing platform, offering services such as virtual computing, networking, storage, and a suite of tools for managing and deploying applications and infrastructure, tailored for infrastructure engineers to build, scale, and manage their organization's IT environment in a cloud-based setting.

Why It's Important

Azure is important for an Infrastructure Engineer because it provides a scalable, reliable, and globally accessible cloud computing platform for deploying and managing applications and services, enabling efficient infrastructure management, automation, and optimization.

How to Improve Azure Skills

Improving your Azure infrastructure involves optimizing performance, security, cost, and reliability. Here are concise tips tailored for an Infrastructure Engineer:

1. Performance Optimization:

   • Utilize Azure Advisor for personalized recommendations to improve performance across your resources. Azure Advisor
   • Implement Azure Monitor to analyze and maximize the performance and availability of your applications. Azure Monitor

2. Security Enhancement:

   • Use Azure Security Center for unified security management and advanced threat protection across your hybrid cloud workloads. Azure Security Center
   • Implement network security groups (NSGs) and Azure Firewall for a layered security approach. Network Security Groups, Azure Firewall

3. Cost Management:

   • Take advantage of Azure Cost Management + Billing for analyzing and managing cloud costs effectively. Azure Cost Management + Billing
   • Review and resize underutilized resources using Azure Advisor cost recommendations.

4. Reliability and Disaster Recovery:

   • Implement Azure Site Recovery for disaster recovery of on-premises machines and Azure VMs. Azure Site Recovery
   • Use Azure Backup for protecting your data in the cloud. Azure Backup

5. Automation:

   • Automate repetitive tasks and manage your Azure resources at scale using Azure Automation. Azure Automation

6. Networking:

   • Optimize your network performance and reliability by using Azure ExpressRoute or VPN Gateway for a more stable connection to your Azure resources. Azure ExpressRoute, VPN Gateway

7. Knowledge and Learning:

   • Keep abreast of the latest Azure updates and best practices by frequently visiting the Azure Updates page and the Microsoft Tech Community Azure Blog. Azure Updates, Microsoft Tech Community Azure Blog

Implementing these strategies will significantly improve your Azure infrastructure.

How to Display Azure Skills on Your Resume

7. Python

Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language known for its readability and versatility, widely used by Infrastructure Engineers for scripting, automation, and developing deployment tools, facilitating efficient infrastructure management and operations.

Why It's Important

Python is crucial for Infrastructure Engineers due to its simplicity and versatility, allowing for efficient automation, scripting for system management, and easy integration with infrastructure tools and APIs.

How to Improve Python Skills

Improving your Python skills as an Infrastructure Engineer involves understanding both Python's core features and its applications in automation, scripting, and infrastructure management. Here are concise steps with resources for enhancement:

1. Master Python Basics: Ensure a strong grasp of Python syntax, data structures, and OOP concepts. Python Official Tutorial is a great starting point.

2. Learn Automation with Python: Understand how to automate repetitive tasks. Automate the Boring Stuff with Python offers practical applications.

3. Dive into Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Explore tools like Ansible, Terraform, and Pulumi which use Python or Python-like syntax for infrastructure management. Start with Ansible Documentation.

4. Explore Cloud SDKs: Most cloud providers offer Python SDKs. Familiarize yourself with AWS Boto3, Azure SDK for Python, or Google Cloud’s Python SDK. Begin with Boto3 Documentation.

5. Understand Container Orchestration: With tools like Kubernetes and Docker being essential, explore their Python clients. The Kubernetes Python Client is a useful resource.

6. Embrace DevOps Tools: Learn about integrating Python with CI/CD pipelines using tools like Jenkins or GitHub Actions. Python in Jenkins might be insightful.

7. Practice Coding: Regularly solve problems on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to improve your coding skills. Start coding on LeetCode.

8. Contribute to Open Source: Engage with Python projects related to infrastructure. GitHub is an excellent place to find projects in need of contributions. Explore GitHub.

9. Keep Learning: Python and its applications evolve rapidly. Follow blogs, podcasts, and forums dedicated to Python and Infrastructure Engineering. Planet Python aggregates Python blogs.

10. Networking and Community: Join Python and Infrastructure-related communities on sites like Reddit, Stack Overflow, or specific forums like r/Python.

By focusing on these areas, you'll not only improve your Python skills but also enhance your capabilities as an Infrastructure Engineer.

How to Display Python Skills on Your Resume

8. VMware

VMware is a software company that provides cloud computing and virtualization technology, enabling the creation and management of virtual machines on physical servers, which allows infrastructure engineers to optimize hardware utilization, manage resources more efficiently, and ensure high availability and disaster recovery.

Why It's Important

VMware is crucial for an Infrastructure Engineer as it enables efficient virtualization, allowing for the creation, management, and optimization of virtual machines. This significantly enhances hardware utilization, simplifies disaster recovery, and facilitates scalable, flexible infrastructure management.

How to Improve VMware Skills

To improve VMware performance and efficiency as an Infrastructure Engineer, consider the following steps:

1. Optimize Resources: Regularly review and adjust resource allocations based on performance metrics and application needs. Use VMware's Resource Management Guide for detailed instructions.

2. Upgrade VMware Tools: Keep VMware Tools updated within your guest OSes for improved performance, stability, and security. See VMware's documentation for upgrade procedures.

3. Use Latest VMware Version: Stay updated with the latest VMware ESXi and vCenter versions to leverage new features and improvements. Check the VMware Product Interoperability Matrices for compatibility.

4. Enable DRS and HA: Use Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) and High Availability (HA) to ensure optimal resource distribution and minimize downtime. Learn more from VMware's DRS Overview and HA Guide.

5. Implement Storage Best Practices: Properly configure storage based on your workloads. Utilize VMware's Storage Best Practices to enhance performance.

6. Network Optimization: Ensure your network setup is optimized for VMware use, including adequate bandwidth and proper VLAN configurations. VMware's Network Best Practices provide valuable insights.

7. Regular Monitoring and Maintenance: Use VMware vRealize Operations Manager for comprehensive monitoring and proactive management of your VMware infrastructure. Explore its features here.

8. Security Practices: Follow VMware's security best practices to protect your virtual environment. The VMware Security Hardening Guides offer detailed advice.

By implementing these strategies, you'll enhance the performance, reliability, and security of your VMware infrastructure.

How to Display VMware Skills on Your Resume

9. CI/CD

CI/CD stands for Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment. It is a methodology that automates the integration of code changes from multiple contributors into a single software project, and the automatic deployment of this code to a production or staging environment, ensuring a seamless and efficient pipeline for building, testing, and deploying applications. For an Infrastructure Engineer, it involves managing and optimizing the infrastructure and tools needed to support this automated pipeline, ensuring scalability, reliability, and security throughout the development lifecycle.

Why It's Important

CI/CD streamlines and automates the process of integrating code changes and deploying them to production environments, ensuring infrastructure is consistently and reliably updated with minimal manual intervention. This enhances efficiency, reduces errors, and accelerates deployment times, crucial for maintaining robust, scalable, and secure infrastructure.

How to Improve CI/CD Skills

Improving CI/CD, particularly from an Infrastructure Engineer perspective, involves optimizing automation, ensuring security, and enhancing collaboration. Here are concise steps with resources for deeper exploration:

1. Automate Everything: Automate not just application deployment but also infrastructure provisioning and configuration. Use Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools like Terraform or Ansible.

2. Use Containers and Orchestration: Leverage containers for consistency across environments. Use orchestration tools like Kubernetes to manage containers efficiently.

3. Implement Microservices: Break down the application into microservices to improve scalability and deployment speed. Learn more about microservices here.

4. Incorporate Security: Shift security left by integrating security tools into the CI/CD pipeline. Explore tools like Snyk for vulnerability scanning.

5. Optimize Pipeline: Continuously review and optimize the pipeline for speed and efficiency. Consider parallelizing tasks where possible.

6. Monitor and Feedback: Implement monitoring and logging to gather feedback on deployments. Tools like Prometheus and Grafana can be helpful.

7. Collaborate and Document: Ensure clear documentation of processes and encourage collaboration between development and operations teams.

8. Stay Updated and Educate: Keep abreast of the latest trends in CI/CD and infrastructure technologies. Platforms like Pluralsight and LinkedIn Learning offer courses on these topics.

Implementing these strategies will not only improve your CI/CD pipeline but also enhance the reliability and security of your infrastructure.

How to Display CI/CD Skills on Your Resume

10. PowerShell

PowerShell is a task-based command-line shell and scripting language designed for system administration, enabling automation of tasks, configuration management, and the automation of administrative tasks across Windows, Linux, and macOS environments.

Why It's Important

PowerShell is important for an Infrastructure Engineer because it provides a powerful scripting language and command-line shell that enables automation, configuration, and management of diverse IT environments, significantly improving efficiency, accuracy, and scalability of infrastructure operations.

How to Improve PowerShell Skills

Improving your PowerShell skills as an Infrastructure Engineer involves honing your scripting abilities, understanding system management tasks, and leveraging automation for efficiency. Here's a concise guide to enhance your PowerShell expertise:

1. Master the Basics: Start with the fundamentals of PowerShell syntax, cmdlets, and modules. Microsoft's PowerShell documentation is an excellent resource.

2. Learn Scripting: Dive into scripting to automate your tasks. Explore loops, conditionals, and error handling. The PowerShell Scripting guide offers a structured approach.

3. Use the PowerShell Gallery: Discover and share scripts, modules, and DSC resources. Visit the PowerShell Gallery to expand your toolkit.

4. Practice Version Control: Implement version control with Git for your scripts. GitHub offers a guide on getting started with Git and GitHub.

5. Explore Advanced Tools: Familiarize yourself with Desired State Configuration (DSC), and PowerShell remoting to manage and automate across multiple systems. Microsoft's DSC overview and remoting introduction are useful resources.

6. Stay Updated and Network: Follow PowerShell blogs, forums, and user groups to stay updated with the latest trends and network with peers. The PowerShell subreddit and PowerShell.org are great places to start.

7. Practice, Practice, Practice: The best way to improve is by applying what you learn in real-world scenarios. Challenge yourself with new projects and automate existing manual tasks.

By focusing on these areas, you'll enhance your PowerShell skills, contributing to more efficient and effective infrastructure management.

How to Display PowerShell Skills on Your Resume

11. Linux

Linux is a free, open-source operating system kernel that serves as the foundation for various distributions used in server, cloud, and networking infrastructures, providing robustness, security, and flexibility for system administration and automation tasks.

Why It's Important

Linux is crucial for Infrastructure Engineers because it offers a stable, secure, and highly customizable operating system platform for deploying and managing scalable, robust infrastructure environments. Its widespread adoption and support for a vast array of hardware and software make it an essential tool for building and maintaining flexible, efficient IT systems.

How to Improve Linux Skills

Improving Linux as an Infrastructure Engineer involves optimizing performance, enhancing security, managing resources efficiently, and automating routine tasks. Here are concise recommendations:

1. Performance Tuning: Utilize tools like htop, iotop, and nmon for monitoring. Adjust system parameters via /etc/sysctl.conf. Learn more about performance tuning from Red Hat Performance Tuning Guide.

2. Security Enhancements: Implement firewall rules with firewalld or iptables. Use SELinux or AppArmor for mandatory access control. Stay updated on security best practices at Linux Security Quickstart Guide.

3. Resource Management: Leverage cgroups to limit resource usage. Automate cleanup of temporary files and logs with logrotate and tmpwatch. Dive deeper into resource management with Linux Kernel cgroups documentation.

4. Automation: Use tools like Ansible, Puppet, or Chef for configuration management and automation. Start automating with Ansible by reading Ansible Documentation.

5. System Monitoring: Implement comprehensive monitoring with tools such as Prometheus and Grafana for real-time metrics and alerts. Find out more on setting up monitoring at Prometheus Official Docs.

6. Backup and Disaster Recovery: Plan and implement a robust backup strategy using tools like rsync, Bacula, or Amanda. Explore backup solutions further at Amanda Network Backup.

7. Networking Optimization: Use ethtool and nftables for network configuration and firewall management. Understand advanced networking with Linux Advanced Routing & Traffic Control.

8. Kernel Updates and Tuning: Regularly update the Linux kernel to ensure performance enhancements and security patches. Customize kernel parameters through /etc/sysctl.conf based on your needs.

9. Documentation and Best Practices: Always document your configurations and changes. Follow best practices from the official Linux documentation and the wider community.

By focusing on these areas, an Infrastructure Engineer can significantly improve the performance, security, and reliability of Linux systems in their infrastructure.

How to Display Linux Skills on Your Resume

12. Git

Git is a distributed version control system used for tracking changes in source code during software development, enabling collaboration, versioning, and history tracking, essential for infrastructure code management and automation scripts.

Why It's Important

Git is crucial for an Infrastructure Engineer as it enables efficient version control and collaboration on code and configuration files, facilitating reliable and rapid deployment of infrastructure changes.

How to Improve Git Skills

Improving Git usage, especially for an Infrastructure Engineer, involves enhancing efficiency, security, and collaboration. Here are concise strategies:

1. Use Git Hooks: Automate tasks like code linting, commit message validation, or automated testing before pushes. Git Hooks Guide.

2. Branching Strategies: Adopt a branching strategy like Git Flow or GitHub Flow for better collaboration and release management. Comparing Workflows.

3. Version Large Files with Git LFS: Use Git Large File Storage (LFS) for versioning large files without bloating your repository. Git LFS.

4. Secure Repositories: Implement signed commits with GPG to verify commit authenticity, and use pre-commit hooks for secret scanning. Signing Commits.

5. Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Use Git to manage IaC with tools like Terraform, ensuring changes to infrastructure are version-controlled and peer-reviewed. Terraform with Git.

6. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD): Integrate Git with CI/CD pipelines to automate testing and deployment, enhancing efficiency and reliability. GitLab CI/CD.

7. Leverage Git Submodules: Manage dependencies or share common libraries across projects using Git submodules. Git Submodules.

8. Regular Housekeeping: Periodically prune obsolete branches, compact your Git history, and use git fsck to check for inconsistencies. Repository Maintenance.

9. Utilize gitignore Files: Properly use .gitignore files to avoid committing unnecessary or sensitive files to the repository. Ignoring Files.

10. Educate and Collaborate: Promote Git best practices within your team and contribute to open source projects to improve skills. Open Source Guides.

By focusing on these areas, an Infrastructure Engineer can significantly enhance their Git practices, contributing to more secure, efficient, and collaborative development workflows.

How to Display Git Skills on Your Resume