SRE: What Do You Need To Know To Master This Role?

SRE professionals are a much-needed role.

As organizations increasingly rely on digital infrastructure, the demand for robust and reliable systems has never been greater.

Enter the Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)—a role that bridges the gap between development and operations.

This role also ensures that systems run smoothly and efficiently.

But what exactly does an SRE do, and why should your organization consider adding this critical position to its roster? 

Let’s dive in!

Understanding the Role of an SRE

SRE engineer working on a black and silver laptop computer on round brown wooden table
Photo by Christina Morillo

What is Site Reliability Engineering?

At its core, Site Reliability Engineering1 is the application of software engineering principles to system administration tasks.

Developed at Google in 2003, SRE focuses on building and maintaining scalable and reliable software systems.

The discipline encompasses various aspects, including availability, performance, latency, efficiency, capacity, and incident response.

But let’s make this personal. Imagine you’re at a restaurant, and your favourite dish is served perfectly every time.

This consistency doesn't happen by chance; it results from a dedicated team's meticulous planning, testing, and refining. 

Similarly, SREs work tirelessly behind the scenes. They guarantee that the digital services you rely on are consistently available.

Making sure the services are performing at their best.

How Much Does the Average Site Reliability Engineer Make In The UK?

If you’re curious about the earning potential of a site reliability engineer (SRE), the figures are pretty promising.

According to Indeed, the average annual salary for an SRE in the UK is £78,303. But let’s dig a little deeper—what factors influence this salary?

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Factors That Affect Your Salary

Concerning salary, various elements come into play, including experience, location, skills, and education.

Level of Experience

Your years of experience can dramatically shape your earning potential.

Entry-level SREs typically earn less than their seasoned counterparts.

As you accumulate experience in this role, your salary often reflects that growth. It’s not just about how long you’ve been in the game; it’s about the skill you bring to the table.

Location

Location is another crucial factor in determining your salary. Different cities have varying living costs, meaning SREs in major urban areas tend to command higher wages.

For instance, if you work in London or Glasgow, your paycheck might significantly exceed the average.

Here’s a quick snapshot of average base salaries across some UK cities, all sourced from Indeed as of September 2024:

  • London, England: £81,748
  • Glasgow, Scotland: £86,759
  • Liverpool: £90,786
  • Birmingham, England: £72,859
  • Cardiff, Wales: £64,361
  • Bristol, England: £62,207
  • Manchester, England: £66,795
  • Sheffield, England: £72,214
  • Newcastle, England: £61,803
  • Leeds, England: £73,096
UK Average Base Salary: £78,303

The variance in salaries across different locations highlights the importance of considering where you work.

For instance, in the US, the base salary for an SRE position is $143,0744.4. If you live in the US, check here to find the average salary in your city.

So, if you’re aiming for a lucrative SRE role, it might be worth exploring opportunities in cities known for higher salaries.

What Does It Take to Become an SRE Engineer?

Becoming a Site Reliability Engineer requires a unique blend of skills, experience, and mindset.

Here’s a closer look at what it takes to step into this critical role:

1. Educational Background

There’s no strict educational path to becoming an SRE.

However, a degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field can provide a solid foundation.

Many SREs start in software development or systems administration2 roles, where they gain essential technical skills.

2. Technical Skills

SREs need a diverse skill set that includes the following:

  • Programming Proficiency: Knowledge of programming languages like Python, Go, or Java is essential for automating tasks and developing reliable systems.
  • System Administration: Understanding Linux/Unix systems, networking concepts, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) is crucial for managing infrastructure.
  • Monitoring and Observability Tools: Familiarity with tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or ELK stack helps SREs effectively monitor system health.
  • Incident Management: Experience with incident response and root cause analysis ensures SREs can effectively manage outages and improve system reliability.

3. Soft Skills

In addition to technical expertise, SREs must possess strong soft skills, such as:

  • Problem-Solving: The ability to troubleshoot complex issues quickly and effectively is critical.
  • Collaboration: SREs work closely with development and operations teams, so being a team player is vital for success.
  • Communication: Clear communication skills help SREs explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and facilitate collaboration.

4. Mindset and Approach

An effective SRE embodies a mindset focused on continuous improvement.

They should be proactive in identifying potential issues and passionate about implementing solutions that enhance reliability. 

Understanding DevOps principles is also beneficial, as SREs often bridge the gap between development and operations.

Who Can Become an SRE?

SRE roles are accessible to various professionals, including:

  • System Administrators: Professionals with experience managing systems can shift to SRE by enhancing their programming and automation skills.
  • DevOps Engineers: Those already in a DevOps capacity have many necessary skills for SRE roles, making it a natural progression.
  • Network Engineers: Individuals with a strong understanding of networking can transition to SRE by focusing on system reliability and automation.

Technical expertise, soft skills, and a proactive mindset contribute to a successful career.

These elements are crucial in Site Reliability Engineering.

Whether you’re a developer, system admin, or network engineer, you can become an SRE.

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The path is within reach with exemplary dedication and training.

Daily Responsibilities of an SRE

So, what does a typical day look like for a Site Reliability Engineer?

Here are some of their key responsibilities:

  • Monitoring and Alerting: SREs set up systems to track the health of applications and infrastructure. They create alerts to notify the relevant teams when issues arise, ensuring quick responses to potential problems.
  • Incident Response: SREs are often the first responders when something goes wrong. They identify the root cause of incidents and develop plans to resolve issues swiftly while communicating effectively with stakeholders.
  • Automation and Tooling: To reduce manual work and minimize human error, SREs focus on automating repetitive tasks. This might include developing scripts for system provisioning or creating tools that enhance operational efficiency.
  • Capacity Planning: An SRE’s foresight is crucial. They analyze usage patterns to ensure the digital infrastructure can handle future demands, avoiding performance bottlenecks and outages.
  • Collaboration: SREs work closely with development, product, and operations teams to ensure that systems are designed for reliability and resilience. This cross-functional collaboration helps embed reliability principles into every development lifecycle stage.

Rotas in SRE

Site Reliability Engineers often participate in on-call rotas3, a critical aspect of ensuring system reliability.

This schedule involves being available to address incidents and outages that occur outside of regular hours.

Initially, these rotations can feel demanding. SREs must quickly respond to alerts.

They have to diagnose issues and implement fixes to maintain service availability.

However, as automation and understanding of systems increase, the frequency of these on-call responsibilities tends to diminish. 

Automating repetitive tasks can resolve many issues. Implementing robust monitoring solutions helps address problems early.

This prevents them from escalating to the point of requiring manual intervention.

This shift alleviates the burden on SREs and allows them to focus on more strategic initiatives, enhancing overall system resilience.

You Build It, You Support It

SRE engineer with headphones facing computer monitor
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Moreover, a crucial part of the SRE philosophy4 is that service owners must also take ownership of their systems.

Just as a parent nurtures and protects their child, service owners should nurture and protect their applications. Service owners should be actively involved in the reliability of their applications.

They are responsible for ensuring that their services are designed with reliability in mind. They must understand the implications of the changes they make.

Fostering a culture of shared responsibility is crucial. Organizations can empower service owners to take proactive measures.

This reduces the need for SREs to step in as frequently.

It ultimately leads to a more resilient infrastructure.

Essential Skills for Becoming an SRE

To thrive as a Site Reliability Engineer, you need a robust skill set that spans technical and interpersonal domains.

Here’s a breakdown of the critical skills essential for success in this role:

1. Programming and Scripting Skills

Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Go, or Java is fundamental.

SREs use these languages to automate tasks, develop custom tools, and enhance system reliability.

Scripting knowledge (e.g., Bash, PowerShell) is crucial for streamlining workflows and automating routine operations.

2. Systems and Infrastructure Knowledge

A deep understanding of operating systems (primarily Linux/Unix) and networking concepts is vital.

SREs must be comfortable managing servers.

They should also be able to configure network settings. Additionally, they need to troubleshoot issues in complex infrastructures.

This is especially important in cloud environments like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud.

3. Monitoring and Performance Management

Familiarity with monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK stack is essential. SREs must implement and manage monitoring systems.

They need to track performance metrics and detect anomalies. This ensures the health of applications and infrastructure.

4. Incident Response and Problem Solving

SREs are often the first line of defence during outages. Problem-solving solid skills enable them to diagnose issues quickly and implement solutions.

Familiarity with incident management practices, including root cause analysis and postmortem reviews, helps improve system reliability over time.

5. Automation and DevOps Practices

A key aspect of SRE is automating manual processes. Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines is crucial for streamlining deployments.

Configuration management tools (like Ansible, Chef, or Puppet) are also necessary. Infrastructure as code (IaC) practices (using Terraform or CloudFormation) help maintain consistent environments.

6. Collaboration and Communication Skills

Excellent communication skills are essential since SREs often work closely with development and operations teams.

They must convey technical information clearly to non-technical stakeholders, advocate for reliable best practices, and collaborate effectively across teams.

7. Analytical Thinking and Data-Driven Mindset

An analytical approach is necessary for interpreting performance data and identifying trends. SREs should be comfortable using metrics to make informed decisions.

They need to focus on system improvements and optimizations. This ensures reliability aligns with business goals.

Honing these skills and adopting a proactive mindset can significantly contribute to the reliability and performance of your organization’s systems.

Why Does Your Organization Need an SRE?

1. Increased Reliability and Uptime

One primary benefit of having SREs in your organization is improved system reliability.

According to a 2021 report by the Uptime Institute5, 29% of companies experienced an outage the previous year.

Each incident cost them an average of $300,000. With SREs focused on preventing and mitigating incidents, organizations can expect fewer outages and improved uptime.

2. Enhanced User Experience

A reliable system translates directly to a better user experience. When services are consistently available and responsive, customer satisfaction rises.

Research by Microsoft 6 found that 96% of customers say customer service is essential. This factor significantly influences their choice of loyalty to a brand.

SREs play a crucial role in ensuring that services meet user expectations. Their work can exceed these expectations. This leads to improved brand loyalty. It also brings potential revenue growth.

3. Cost Savings through Efficiency

Organizations waste approximately 30% of their IT budgets on unnecessary complexity.

SREs help eliminate this waste by optimizing resource usage and automating repetitive tasks.

By focusing on efficiency, SREs can significantly reduce operational costs, allowing organizations to redirect those savings toward innovation and growth.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making

SREs leverage metrics and data to identify areas for improvement.

SREs help organizations understand where they excel. They focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) and service level objectives (SLOs).

Also, help identify areas for improvement. This data-driven approach ensures that decisions are based on real-time insights rather than gut feelings.

5. Fostering a Collaborative Culture

The SRE role encourages collaboration between development and operations teams, breaking down silos that often hinder productivity.

When developers and operations personnel work closely, they share ownership of reliability and performance.

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This collaborative culture fosters a sense of accountability and encourages everyone to prioritize the end-user experience.

The Key Qualities of a Successful SRE

To excel in the role, SREs must possess certain qualities:

  • Problem Solvers: SREs thrive on challenges and view incidents as opportunities for improvement. They analyze issues deeply and devise practical solutions.
  • Automation Enthusiasts: A passion for automating repetitive tasks allows SREs to focus on higher-value activities that drive innovation.
  • Effective Communicators: SREs must communicate complex technical information clearly to non-technical stakeholders. Strong communication skills help ensure everyone understands the status and implications of incidents.
  • Team Players: Collaboration is vital. Successful SREs work well within teams, building relationships across departments to foster a shared commitment to reliability.

The 7 SRE Principles: Why You Need to Know

Whether it’s a website, app, or any digital service, reliability isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a non-negotiable requirement. That’s where Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) steps in.

Now, you might be thinking, “I’ve heard about DevOps, but why should I care about SRE principles?” Let’s dive into why these principles are more than just technical guidelines—they’re essential insights for anyone who cares about delivering reliable, scalable services.

The SRE principles, born out of Google’s playbook for keeping their services online, offer a structured yet flexible framework. They help teams navigate the tricky terrain of reliability, speed, and customer satisfaction. 

But, more importantly, they serve as a mindset shift, urging us to focus on long-term value rather than short-term fixes.

So, whether you’re new to SRE or simply looking to refine your approach, understanding these principles is key to creating a resilient system and a happier team.

Embracing Risk: Why You Can’t Achieve 100% Uptime (and That’s Okay)

We live in a world that demands constant uptime, but here’s the uncomfortable truth—100% reliability isn’t just unrealistic; it’s unnecessary. SRE’s first principle, Embracing Risk, asks you to take a step back and recognize that there’s a sweet spot between perfection and practicality.

Think of it like this: if you’re always trying to prevent every possible failure, you’re probably wasting resources. You could be pouring time, money, and energy into areas that aren’t making a noticeable impact on your users.

At some point, the returns on improving reliability start to dwindle. Your customers won’t appreciate a 99.999% uptime more than a 99.9% uptime if they don’t notice a difference. It’s all about balancing risk with reward.

But, and this is critical—embracing risk doesn’t mean ignoring it. It means being smart about where you invest. You identify your service’s tolerance for failure (often through Service Level Objectives, which we’ll get to next) and allow some wiggle room to prioritize other business goals, like feature development or innovation.

It’s about building a culture where risk isn’t a four-letter word but an informed decision. When teams feel safe taking calculated risks, you open the door to faster progress and innovation.

Service Level Objectives: The Bridge Between What Customers Expect and What You Deliver

When was the last time you were genuinely satisfied with a service because of how reliable it was?

Most of us only notice a service when it breaks, right? This is why the Service Level Objectives (SLOs) principle is so vital—it creates a clear, measurable bridge between what customers expect and what your system delivers.

SLOs 7are more than just a fancy name for metrics. They are designed to align your system’s reliability with customer expectations.

You might be thinking, “Aren’t we already doing that with Service Level Agreements (SLAs)?” Well, yes and no. SLAs are usually legal documents meant to avoid breach of contract, while SLOs are about setting internal targets that reflect what truly matters to your users.

Let’s get real—SLOs provide breathing room. They allow your team to budget for failure (yes, failure) through an “error budget.”

This is essentially the acceptable amount of downtime or degradation your system can experience before you need to switch gears from innovation to stabilization. It’s a bit like having a rainy day fund, ensuring that you’re not constantly in firefighting mode, but rather able to focus on new features or optimizations when the system is stable.

Eliminating Toil: Focus on What Really Matters

No one gets into engineering to do repetitive, mind-numbing tasks. Yet, that’s often what teams find themselves doing—deploying manual patches, fixing the same issues over and over, and generally engaging in what SRE calls toil.

And here’s the kicker: toil doesn’t just waste time, it kills morale.

The Eliminating Toil principle8 is all about freeing up your team to focus on what matters. Think about it: the more time engineers spend on repetitive, low-value tasks, the less time they have to innovate or improve the system in meaningful ways.

And let’s not underestimate the mental toll this kind of work takes. When you’re stuck in a loop of manual labour, creativity, problem-solving, and real progress take a back seat. To avoid this, the goal is simple—automate wherever possible.

The more you automate, the more you create space for your team to tackle the complex, high-impact problems that require human ingenuity.

Monitoring: Listen to Your System’s Pulse

Here’s a simple truth: you can’t fix what you don’t measure. But that doesn’t mean you should measure everything under the sun.

The SRE principle of Monitoring encourages you to focus on actionable, meaningful metrics rather than drowning in a sea of data.

Think of your system like a patient.

Sure, you could check their entire medical history every time they visit, but what’s important are the vital signs.

In SRE, these vital signs are known as the four golden signals: latency, traffic, error rate, and saturation. These signals give you a high-level view of your system’s health, allowing you to make informed decisions about when to intervene and when to let things ride.

And let’s not forget the human side of monitoring. Automating alerts and tying them into your incident management process can reduce burnout and false alarms.

A smart monitoring setup ensures your team is notified only when something genuinely needs attention, leaving them free to focus on proactive improvements the rest of the time.

Automation: Freeing Your Team for What Matters Most

We’ve all heard the saying, “Work smarter, not harder,” and that’s precisely what the Automation principle is about. Automating tasks—whether it’s deployment, testing, or incident response—frees up your team for higher-value work.

But it’s more than just about speed. Automation introduces consistency and reliability into processes that humans, despite their best efforts, are prone to messing up, especially under pressure.

By automating repetitive tasks, you can dramatically increase the pace of development while reducing errors. It’s like having a well-oiled machine working behind the scenes so that your team can focus on tasks that truly move the needle—building new features, optimizing performance, and driving innovation.

Release Engineering: Don’t Just Build, Build to Last

You’ve spent weeks, maybe months, on a new feature or product. The worst thing that can happen now? A botched release.

That’s why Release Engineering is such a vital SRE principle. It’s about ensuring that your software is deployed in a consistent, stable, and repeatable way.

Good release engineering minimizes the risk of errors, speeds up deployment, and allows for more frequent, smaller releases.

This not only reduces downtime but also increases reliability. A smooth, automated release process means that you can iterate faster and with less fear of breaking things—a win-win for both developers and customers.

Simplicity: Less Is More

The final principle, Simplicity, is a bit of a paradox. In a world where systems tend to grow increasingly complex, simplicity often gets overlooked. But here’s the truth: simplicity breeds reliability. A simpler system is easier to debug, easier to maintain, and easier to scale.

Think of simplicity as the north star that guides all other principles. It pushes you to ask tough questions:

Does this new feature really add value? 

Or does it just add complexity? Is this process the simplest way to get the job done?

By consistently aiming for simplicity, you reduce the risk of failure and make your system more robust in the long run.

How Chaos Engineering Can Help with SRE

Chaos engineering is a powerful practice that aligns seamlessly with the principles of Site Reliability Engineering (SRE).

At its core, chaos engineering involves intentionally introducing failures into a system to observe how it behaves under stress.

This proactive approach offers several benefits for SRE teams:

  1. Enhancing System Resilience: By simulating unexpected failures, teams can identify vulnerabilities within their systems before they lead to real outages. This helps to build more resilient services that can withstand adverse conditions.
  2. Validating Assumptions: Chaos engineering tests the assumptions SREs make about system performance and reliability. When teams understand how their services respond to various failure scenarios, they can refine their SLOs and SLIs based on actual performance data rather than theoretical models.
  3. Improving Incident Response: Regular chaos experiments prepare teams for real incidents by familiarizing them with the types of failures that could occur. This practice cultivates a culture of preparedness and enhances the overall incident response process.
  4. Promoting a Culture of Learning: Chaos engineering encourages experimentation and learning from failures. By fostering an environment where teams can safely test and learn, organizations can drive innovation and continuous improvement in their reliability practices.

Incorporating chaos engineering into SRE practices not only strengthens system reliability but also enhances the overall confidence of teams in their ability to manage and respond to unexpected challenges.

The Future of SRE Engineers in the Age of Automation and AI

Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) roles might diminish in importance or be automated away.

Some believe that with advanced tools, less human input will be required, and the role of the SRE could fade.

This perspective, however, misses the core of what SRE is about.

In smaller companies or SMEs, SREs are often the “several hats” engineers who handle many different responsibilities. But this is a misconception.

SRE is not just a role; it’s a discipline and a way of doing things. It requires a cultural mindset that focuses on reliability, risk management, and continuous improvement. Automation and AI may streamline certain tasks, but they won’t solve cultural challenges overnight or ensure that systems are resilient.

The true value of SRE lies in cultivating a culture of reliability and proactively improving systems. This involves more than just adding features or fixing issues only when they break or after a security breach occurs.

Instead of relying solely on tools, organizations need to focus on refining their platforms, addressing technical debt, and preventing outages before they happen.

AI can assist in operational tasks, but it cannot replace the thoughtful approach to risk, system design, and collaboration that a strong SRE culture brings.

Ultimately, the future of SRE engineers depends on their ability to lead cultural shifts towards reliability, not just their use of automation tools.

Which takes us to the next step, SRE.

SRE journey to AIOps

We can start imagining how to use generative AI to code, test and troubleshoot your systems.

This marks a significant evolution in managing complex, large-scale systems. As organizations increasingly rely on automation and AI-driven solutions, SREs can now envision harnessing generative AI to revolutionize their workflows.

This accelerates incident resolution, minimizes downtime, enhances system resilience, and allows engineers to focus on higher-level problem-solving.

[Stay tuned to this part], where I will discuss Cleric AI.

Conclusion: The Value of SRE in Today’s Digital Landscape

As organizations continue to navigate the complexities of digital transformation, the need for Site Reliability Engineers is increasingly evident.

This role is critical for ensuring reliability and performance.

By focusing on reliability, efficiency, and collaboration, SREs help organizations deliver exceptional digital experiences while optimizing costs and resources.

Downtime can lead to significant financial losses and tarnish reputations.

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Investing in SRE practices is not just a choice; it’s a necessity.

So, if you're still deciding whether to hire an SRE, consider this: reliability is not merely a technical necessity. It's a competitive advantage.

Key Takeaways

  • SREs apply software engineering principles to improve system reliability and efficiency.
  • The role involves monitoring, incident response, automation, capacity planning, and collaboration.
  • Organizations benefit from increased reliability, enhanced user experiences, cost savings, and a collaborative culture.
  • Successful SREs are problem solvers, automation enthusiasts, effective communicators, and team players.

A dedicated Site Reliability Engineer can make all the difference in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

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Are you ready to embrace the future of reliability?

Books Suggestions;

  • Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems
  • The Site Reliability Workbook: Practical Ways to Implement SRE
  • Kubernetes Up & Running: Dive into the Future of Infrastructure
  • Monitoring Distributed Systems: A Practical Guide to Building Distributed Monitoring Systems
  • Site Reliability Engineering: A Practical Guide to SRE
  • Seeking SRE: Conversations About Running Production Systems at Scale
  • The Art of Troubleshooting
  • The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery
  • Debugging: The 9 Indispensable Rules for Finding Even the Most Elusive Software and Hardware Problems
  • Practical Linux Infrastructure
  • Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems
  • The Site Reliability Workbook: Practical Ways to Implement SRE
  • Observability Engineering: Achieving Production Excellence
  • The Practice Of Cloud System Administration: Designing and Operating Large Distributed Systems
  • Web Operations — Keeping the Data On Time
  • The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
  • Microservices in Production — Standard Principles and Requirements

Training:

References

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Site_reliability_engineering ↩︎
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_administrator ↩︎
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Out-of-hours_service ↩︎
  4. https://sre.google/prodcast/transcripts/sre-prodcast-01-01/ ↩︎
  5. https://uptimeinstitute.com/annual-outage-analysis-2021 ↩︎
  6. https://info.microsoft.com/rs/157-GQE-382/images/EN-CNTNT-Report-DynService-2017-global-state-customer-service-en-au.pdf ↩︎
  7. ↩︎
  8. ↩︎