The Big Book of Agent Ops

A comprehensive guide to deploying quality agentic applications safely and reliably.

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• Quarto CLI - Install here

Setup (< 5 minutes)

1. Clone and navigate

git clone <repo-url>
cd big-book-of-agent-ops

2. Create virtual environment

python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

3. Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Start writing!

./preview.sh  # Live preview at http://localhost:4200

📖 Building the Book

Local Development

# Live preview with auto-reload
./preview.sh

# One-time build  
./build.sh

# View built book
open _book/index.html

Output Formats

• HTML (default): Interactive web book
• PDF: Print-ready version

🤝 Contributing

Writing Guidelines

1. Use .qmd format for rich content (code, diagrams, math)
2. Follow existing structure in _quarto.yml
3. Include practical examples - this is a hands-on guide
4. Test all code snippets before submitting

Adding New Content

New Chapter

1. Create .qmd file in appropriate partN/ directory
2. Add to _quarto.yml under relevant part
3. Use this template:

# Chapter Title

Brief intro paragraph.

## Section 1

Content with examples:

```python
# Working code example
def example_function():
    return "Hello Agent Ops!"

Section 2

More content...

#### Diagrams
Use Mermaid for architecture diagrams:

```mermaid
graph TD
    A[User] --> B[Agent]
    B --> C[Tools]
    C --> B
    B --> A

Code Examples

• Include working examples in examples/ directory
• Reference real tools: MLflow, LangChain, Databricks
• Show complete implementations, not just snippets

Content Areas Needed

• Part 1: Background - Agent vs LLM vs RAG comparisons
• Part 2: Principles - DevOps applied to agents
• Part 3: Implementation - Real deployment examples
• Examples - Complete agent implementations
• Case Studies - Production stories and lessons learned

Review Process

1. Create branch for your changes
2. Test locally with ./preview.sh
3. Submit PR with clear description
4. Address feedback from reviewers
5. Merge after approval

📁 Repository Structure

big-book-of-agent-ops/
├── _quarto.yml          # Book configuration
├── index.qmd            # Home page
├── part1/               # Background and Context
├── part2/               # Principles of Agent Ops  
├── part3/               # People, Process, Technology
├── examples/            # Complete code examples
├── assets/              # Images and diagrams
├── references/          # Bibliography
├── build.sh             # Build script
├── preview.sh           # Preview script  
└── requirements.txt     # Python dependencies

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Quarto not found"

# Install Quarto CLI from https://quarto.org/docs/get-started/
# Or with conda:
conda install -c conda-forge quarto

"Python dependencies missing"

# Make sure virtual environment is activated
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

"Code examples not working"

• Check Python version (3.9+ required)
• Verify all imports are in requirements.txt
• Test in clean virtual environment

Getting Help

• Issues: Use GitHub issues for bugs or content suggestions
• Discussions: Use GitHub discussions for questions
• Chat: Join our [community chat] (if available)

🎯 Goals

This book aims to be:

• Practical: Real examples you can use immediately
• Comprehensive: Cover the full agent lifecycle
• Community-driven: Built by practitioners, for practitioners
• Up-to-date: Reflect current best practices and tools

📄 License

[Choose appropriate license - MIT, CC BY-SA, etc.]

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