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DevOps Recall

A free, open-source spaced repetition system for DevOps engineers preparing for interviews or wanting to solidify their fundamentals.

The problem​

DevOps spans dozens of tools — Linux, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, AWS, networking, CI/CD, monitoring — and no one can memorise everything from a single read. Studies show that re-reading and highlighting are the least effective study techniques, yet they are what most people default to.

The solution​

This site applies two high-utility learning techniques backed by decades of cognitive science research:

  1. Retrieval practice — you see the question and try to recall the answer before revealing it
  2. Spaced repetition — the SM-2 algorithm schedules your next review at the optimal interval to combat the forgetting curve

Three ways to use this​

1. Learn — pick a topic from the nav​

Each topic page opens with a mental model: a few paragraphs building the big picture, because memorising facts you do not understand is wasted effort. Below that is every question for that topic as a collapsible list.

Read the question, answer it in your head, then expand to check yourself. Self-paced, nothing tracked.

2. Revise (/revise) — test one topic​

Pick a tech stack and work through its questions, grading how well you recalled each one.

To you it is a self-test. Underneath, your grades build a spaced review schedule, so questions you fumbled come back sooner and ones you know cold drop away. No daily habit required — the scheduling just happens.

3. Drill (/drill) — cram before an interview​

Timed, all topics mixed, randomised order. A Terraform question, then Linux, then a troubleshooting scenario. Like the real thing.

Drill deliberately does not touch your review schedule — cramming should not distort your long-term data.

Principles​

  • One card, one fact — atomic questions are easier to remember than complex ones
  • Recall before reveal — never see an answer you haven't first tried to produce
  • Version-stamped — every card carries a verification date because DevOps facts expire
  • Your data stays yours — progress is in localStorage, no accounts, no tracking

Contributing​

This is community-maintained. See the Contributing Guide for how to add cards, fix errors, or propose new topics.