DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development and IT operations to allow for faster delivery of applications and services through collaboration and automation. It was coined in 2009 to allow for rapid and effective software updates. Benefits of DevOps include faster upgrades and improvements, improved work environments through collaboration, increased product quality, and lower costs. Popular programming languages for DevOps include Python, Ruby, JavaScript, Go, and Perl due to their versatility and ability to create infrastructure projects and applications.