Difference between Cloud Engineer and DevOps Engineer
Last Updated :
23 Jul, 2025
Cloud Engineers and DevOps Engineers both play crucial roles in building, deploying, and managing modern software systems. While they often work together and share similar tools, their core responsibilities differ significantly.
In this article you will learn who Cloud Engineers and DevOps Engineers are, how their roles differ and overlap, what skills they require, their career paths, and salary expectations.
What is a Cloud Engineer?
A cloud engineer is an IT professional who is responsible for creating and maintaining cloud infrastructure and platforms for individuals or business. So, a cloud engineer is mainly responsible for various technical responsibilities under cloud computing.
Key Responsibilities of Cloud Engineer
- Creating brainstorming cloud designs and creative solutions.
- Taking care of confidential data in the cloud.
- Ensuring compatibility across different platforms.
- Developing and implementing cloud monitoring strategies.
- Managing cloud infrastructure.
- Measuring performance.
Cloud Engineer Job Roles
- Cloud Developer
- Cloud Architect
- Cloud Security Engineer
- Cloud Network Engineer, etc.
What is a DevOps Engineer?
A DevOps Engineer focuses on automating the software development lifecycle (SDLC) to improve efficiency, speed, and quality. The primary goal of a DevOps Engineer is to bridge the gap between development and operations, ensuring seamless software delivery and integration through continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD) pipelines.
DevOps Engineers use various automation tools to automate the processes of building, testing, and deploying applications, which helps teams work faster and more efficiently.
Key Responsibilities of DevOps Engineer
- Automation: Implementing and managing automated workflows for building, testing, and deploying software.
- CI/CD pipeline management: Managing the automation of code integration and delivery.
- Collaboration: Working closely with development, operations, and quality assurance teams to streamline workflows.
- Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Using tools like Terraform and CloudFormation to automate the provisioning of infrastructure.
- Monitoring and performance: Ensuring software applications and infrastructure are working smoothly and efficiently.
DevOps Engineer Job Roles
- Software Engineer
- Software Tester
- Software Developer
- Security Engineer
- Quality Assurance
- Automation Expert
Shared Skills between Cloud and DevOps Engineers
The following are the list of skills that common to learn for both Cloud and DevOps engineers:
- Linux & Scripting (Bash, Python): Core for automation and system management
- Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP): Understanding cloud environments is key to both roles
- Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, CloudFormation): Manage setups using versioned scripts
- Containers and Kubernetes: Deploy and scale applications consistently
- CI/CD Tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions): Automate code integration and deployment
- Monitoring Tools (Prometheus, Grafana, CloudWatch): Keep systems and apps healthy
- Security (IAM, encryption, backups): Protect cloud infrastructure and software pipelines
Role-Specific Skills
Below is a list of role-specific skills you need to learn to become a Cloud Engineer or DevOps Engineer.
Cloud Engineer-Specific
- Deep knowledge of cloud (AWS, Azure and GCP)
- Virtualization and networking concepts.
- Backup and disaster recovery planning.
- Cloud storage and database configuration.
DevOps Engineer-Specific
- Test automation and quality assurance integration.
- Collaboration with development, QA, and operations teams.
- DevSecOps integrating security early in pipelines.
- Agile and iterative deployment strategies.
Why do they both Overlap?
The roles of Cloud Engineers and DevOps Engineers overlap because both are focused on delivering reliable and scalable software. They often use the same tools like cloud services, automation scripts, and CI/CD pipelines. While Cloud Engineers manage the cloud infrastructure, DevOps Engineers focus on automating the software delivery process. Their shared skills and collaboration help create and maintain software that is delivered quickly and works well in the cloud.
How DevOps and Cloud Engineers Collaborate?
DevOps and Cloud Engineers collaborate closely to ensure efficient, scalable, and reliable software delivery. While their roles differ, their combined efforts are essential in modern software development.
Key Areas of Collaboration
- Infrastructure Setup and Maintenance: Cloud Engineers design and manage the cloud infrastructure, ensuring it's secure and scalable. DevOps Engineers automate deployment processes and manage configurations to ensure smooth operations.
- Continuous Integration and Deployment (CI/CD): DevOps Engineers implement CI/CD pipelines to automate testing and deployment. Cloud Engineers ensure the cloud environment supports these pipelines effectively.
- Monitoring and Performance Optimization: Both roles monitor system performance. Cloud Engineers handle infrastructure monitoring, while DevOps Engineers focus on application performance, collaborating to address issues promptly.
- Security and Compliance: Cloud Engineers implement security measures at the infrastructure level. DevOps Engineers integrate security practices into the deployment pipeline, ensuring both infrastructure and applications are secure.
- Automation and Tooling: Both engineers utilize automation tools like Terraform, Ansible, and Kubernetes. Cloud Engineers manage infrastructure automation, while DevOps Engineers automate deployment and monitoring processes.
Difference between Cloud Engineer and DevOps Engineer
The below table helps you to compare the difference between Cloud Engineer and DevOps Engineer:
| Cloud Engineer | DevOps Engineer |
|---|
| A Cloud Engineer is an IT professional responsible for creating and maintaining cloud infrastructure and platforms. | A DevOps Engineer bridges software development, engineering, and management to speed up the software development process. |
| Focuses on technical responsibilities related to cloud computing. | Focuses on development, operations, and ensuring smooth software deployment and testing. |
| The primary focus is on cloud infrastructure and its operations. | Focuses on development, operations, and quality assurance (QA). |
| Cloud Engineer is considered a subset of DevOps Engineer. | DevOps Engineer is considered a superset of Cloud Engineer. |
| The job growth for Cloud Engineers is comparatively less than that of DevOps Engineers. | DevOps Engineers have higher job growth prospects compared to Cloud Engineers. |
| The salary of a Cloud Engineer is comparatively lower than DevOps Engineers. | DevOps Engineers earn higher salaries due to the demand for CI/CD skills. |
| Cloud Engineers have a limited understanding of the software lifecycle. | DevOps Engineers have a comprehensive understanding of the software lifecycle. |
| Agile methodology is partially followed. | DevOps Engineers diligently follow Agile methodology. |
| Cloud Engineers create cloud solutions and designs. | DevOps Engineers focus on finding automation solutions. |
Key Takeaways:
- Cloud Engineers specialize in creating, maintaining, and securing cloud infrastructure for businesses.
- DevOps Engineers focus on automating the software development lifecycle, from code writing to deployment.
- DevOps Engineers generally enjoy higher salaries and faster career growth due to the increasing demand for continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) skills.
- Cloud Engineers often work with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, while DevOps Engineers work with a variety of tools and platforms to ensure seamless software delivery.
Job Growth and Career Path
- Cloud Engineer Career Path: Cloud Engineers typically start by learning cloud technologies such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. Career advancement opportunities include roles such as Cloud Architect or Cloud Security Engineer.
- DevOps Engineer Career Path: DevOps Engineers have a broader skill set, covering cloud platforms, automation tools, and programming. As organizations continue to adopt DevOps practices, career growth is abundant, with roles such as Automation Expert, Software Developer, or Security Engineer.
Salary Comparison: Cloud Engineer vs DevOps Engineer
The salary comparison between Cloud Engineers and DevOps Engineers varies depending on experience, location, and demand for skills in the market. However, in general, DevOps Engineers tend to have higher salaries due to the increasing demand for their specialized skills in automation, CI/CD pipelines, and cross-functional collaboration.
1. Cloud Engineer Salary
- Entry-Level: $60,000 - $85,000 per year
- Mid-Level: $85,000 - $115,000 per year
- Senior-Level: $115,000 - $145,000+ per year
2. DevOps Engineer Salary
- Entry-Level: $70,000 - $100,000 per year
- Mid-Level: $100,000 - $130,000 per year
- Senior-Level: $130,000 - $160,000+ per year
- Cloud Engineers use tools like AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and Terraform for cloud management and deployment.
- DevOps Engineers work with Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, Ansible, and Chef to automate the software delivery process.
Conclusion
Both Cloud Engineers and DevOps Engineers play pivotal roles in modern IT infrastructure, but they focus on different aspects of software deployment and infrastructure management. While Cloud Engineers are experts in cloud-based solutions and infrastructure, DevOps Engineers focus on improving the speed and quality of software delivery through automation and continuous integration.
If you are looking for a role that focuses on cloud technology and platforms, then Cloud Engineering might be the right fit. However, if you are interested in automating development processes and creating efficient pipelines, DevOps Engineering could offer exciting opportunities for growth and career advancement.
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