Originally devised by Heroku, a twelve factor application is a methodology for building software-as-a-service applications. At first glance, it seems geared toward application development. However, like an iceberg, there is far more hiding beneath the surface. 12 Factor will change the way that you build applications and how you think about systems. The first step, though, is to recognize that we have a problem — traditional methods are unmanageable. They do not easily scale. Dependencies are hard to isolate. Concurrency is hard. Logging and monitoring are an afterthought. Backing services are closely coupled. Servers and applications follow the 4-H model — we raise them with loving, devoted care until it’s time to slaughter them. 12 Factor addresses these issues and many more. This session discusses the 12 Factors and why they are important to DevOps. Twelve factor is not just for developers any more.