In today’s competitive software development landscape, mastering the right DevOps tools is crucial for success. DevOps derived from Development and Operations, has become synonymous with efficient software lifecycle management. This article explores the 30 best DevOps tools to master, empowering businesses to streamline their development processes and deliver high-quality software solutions faster.
From automation and monitoring to version control and testing, these tools encompass a wide range of functionalities essential for modern software development practices. Let’s delve into the world of DevOps and discover the 30 Best DevOps Tools that can take your development efforts to the next level.
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What are DevOps Tools?
DevOps tools are responsible for managing the overallSDLC and ensures that their respective teams are working in the same streamline, doing regular followups and also conducting rigorous testing. These tools become the major key factor in delivering any successful project and they tend to follow 2 major approaches i.e. open toolchain and all-in-one.
Whereas the open toolchain can easily integrate with any third-party tools for better integration, all-in-one doesn’t provide any such solution but offers a complete solution that boosts and oversee the complete DevOps software cycle.
30 Best DevOps Tools to Master
Here are the 30 best DevOps tools, categorized into six different categories, each serving a specific purpose in the software development lifecycle. Let’s explore these tools and how they can enhance your DevOps practices, streamline your development processes, and help you deliver high-quality software solutions faster than ever before.
DevOps Automation Tool
The following are some of the most demanding devops automation tools:
1. Docker
Docker is an open-source platform built on Linux. A group of DevOps automation tools called Docker builds containerized environments for apps, improving their portability, security, and test-time conflict reduction. DevOps can quickly and effectively build and execute apps thanks to Docker. Docker apps are independent of platforms and operating systems.
- Feature: Creates containerized environments, ensuring app portability and reducing test-time conflicts.
- Benefit: Enables quick and efficient application deployment across platforms.
2. Kubernetes
It’s a platform for container orchestration and automation that is very well-liked by DevOps teams. It integrates effectively with Docker and manages containers on a wide scale. By automating distribution and scheduling across a cluster, Kubernetes manages hundreds of containers and can be used to deploy containerized software to clusters rather than individual workstations.
- Feature: Automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
- Benefit: Seamlessly integrates with Docker and allows for large-scale container management.
3. Bamboo
Atlassian’s Bamboo is a CI product. Bamboo advertises “integrations that matter” and offers a Small Teams package with a donation to charity component. Bamboo includes prebuilt features similar to Jenkins, thus managing fewer plugins is easier. Compared to open-source alternatives, the interface is more time-efficient and highly intuitive.
- Feature: Offers continuous integration and delivery with built-in functionalities.
- Benefit: Reduces dependency on plugins, making the interface more intuitive and time-efficient.
4. Raygun
Application performance monitoring (APM) tool Raygun is the best in its field and offers superior monitoring and crash reporting. By pointing to the faulty line of the function, API call, or source code, Raygun aids DevOps in finding performance issues.
- Feature: Provides real-time crash reporting and application performance monitoring (APM).
- Benefit: Helps detect and fix performance issues by pointing to faulty code lines.
5. GitHub
One of the best DevOps automation technologies for developer collaboration since 2000 is GitHub. Developers can quickly iterate on existing code (with notifications provided to team members instantly), and they can also perform speedy rollbacks in the event that an error or unintended consequence occurs.
- Feature: Version control and collaborative development with automated workflows.
- Benefit: Facilitates quick iteration, instant team notifications, and rollback capabilities.
DevOps Pipeline (CI/CD) Tools
Managing code updates requires a time-consuming manual process in the absence of CI/CD tools. Using CI/CD tools, software projects can automate code upgrades. Utilizing a Continuous Integration solution is primarily for automation and ensuring that the developer’s changes are consistent with the most recent code version. furthermore to all alterations and dependencies made by the other team members. Before being released, the code modification must go through the entire pipeline thanks to a Continuous Deployment tool. Below is the list of 5 CI/CD tools that can be helpful while working on DevOps methodology.
1. BitBucket Pipelines
A DevOps CI CD tool incorporated into Bitbucket is called Pipelines. You may use it to automatically create, test, and even deploy your code based on the configuration file in the repository. On Bitbucket, cloud containers are created for each activity. These containers can be used to execute commands that have all the advantages of fresh system setups that are suitable for the task at hand.
- Feature: Built-in CI/CD tool in Bitbucket for automating builds, tests, and deployments.
- Benefit: Cloud-based container execution for scalable development.
2. Perforce Helix
The consistent, open, and flexible CI platform Perforce Helix supports all listed APIs. The tool has a wide range of functions, including management of open-source projects, agile planning and management, and application management. Any type and size of the file may be managed and secured by this powerful versioning engine. Additionally, it offers replication for high-performance builds and developments.
- Feature: Flexible version control and agile planning.
- Benefit: Supports high-performance builds with file replication.
3. IBM Urbancode
IBM creates UrbanCode, a multi-tier application paradigm or solution. It provides self-service, rapid feedback, incremental upgrades, continuous automation of application deployments, and continuous delivery. Additionally, alterations can be spread across servers, tiers, and components, and the applications themselves can be rolled back. Versioning, audit trails, and other features are also available.
- Feature: Automates deployment and provides continuous delivery.
- Benefit: Enables rollback and incremental updates.
4. Buddy
Buddy is an innovative CI/CD tool for web developers that makes the move to DevOps simpler. It uses delivery pipelines to create, test, and deploy software. It supports all commonly used programming languages, frameworks, and project management programs.
- Feature: Uses delivery pipelines to automate CI/CD processes.
- Benefit: Supports multiple programming languages and frameworks.
5. Circle CI
Circle CI, which can be used in a cross-platform mobile app environment, a Python API server, or a Docker cluster, is another flexible CI CD tool. This tool aids in minimizing the costs associated with using a dedicated server as its cloud foundation.
For the continuous integration process, Circle CI employs the best build, test, debug, and deploy procedures. It eventually produces notifications.
- Feature: Cross-platform CI/CD tool with cloud-based support.
- Benefit: Automates build, test, and deployment cycles efficiently.
DevOps Version Control Tools
Version control is a method to maintain track of code changes so that, in the event that something goes wrong, we can compare various versions of the code and go back as far as we’d want. Where several developers are regularly working on or altering the source code, it is absolutely necessary. Let’s find out some of the best available version control tools that can be used to increase the workflow.
1. Git
Git is a modern distributed version control technology that is free, cross-platform, and open-source. It has strong support for non-linear development and can quickly and effectively manage everything from small to extremely large projects. Git’s key features include local branching, easy staging spaces, and different workflows.
- Feature: Distributed version control for efficient branching and staging.
- Benefit: Enables fast and secure development across large teams
2. SVN(Subversion)
SVN is an advanced VCS that offers efficient windows support and has a perfect blend with GUI (such as TortoiseSVN) and is free and open to use without any charges. By implementing SVN, a team can easily be managed for performing multiple tracking, file locking, MIME support, etc. Besides this, it’s a client-server repository model which makes it efficient for a small or large segment team to sync their tasks so that the workflow can be managed in pace.
- Feature: Client-server model with tracking and file locking.
- Benefit: Ideal for managing team-based development.
3. Gitlab
Version control is a means to maintain track of code changes so that, in the event of a problem, we may compare several code versions and roll back to any desired earlier version. It is absolutely necessary that several developers are constantly working on/changing the source code.
- Feature: Integrated CI/CD and security scanning.
- Benefit: Helps in version tracking and automated deployments.
4. CVS
Another widely used version control system is CVS. It is a crucial part of Source Configuration Management (SCM), a tool that developers have relied on since the 1980s. With the aid of CVS, you may simply record the history of sources, files, and documents. It employs delta compression for effective storage use and excludes symbolic links to reduce security risks.
- Feature: Tracks history of source code and files.
- Benefit: Provides efficient storage and security features.
5. Bazaar
It is a version control system that makes it simple to collaborate with other developers, whether they are a single developer, a team working in the same location, or a global community. It scales and modifies to fit your requirements. It is a free, open-source, distributed version control program that is supported by Canonical and offers an excellent user experience. It is very similar to Git and Mercurial.
- Feature: Distributed version control system with easy collaboration.
- Benefit: Supports both small and large teams.
DevOps Configuration Management Tools
Changes and deployments are made quicker, repeatable, scalable, predictable, and capable of maintaining the desired state with the help of configuration management technologies, putting managed assets in the expected condition. Below are the best 5 DevOps configuration management tools that a team can implement within their next project.
1. Chef
Chef is a Ruby-coded “recipe” to maintain your infrastructure up to date and legal. The recipes list a number of resources that must be in a specific condition. Chef can operate in a client/server setup or in a standalone setting called chef-solo. It is well integrated with the main cloud service providers, allowing for the automatic provisioning and configuration of new workstations.
- Feature: Uses “recipes” to automate infrastructure management.
- Benefit: Seamlessly integrates with cloud providers.
2. Ansible
Ansible is a radically straightforward IT automation tool that streamlines the deployment of your systems and applications. To deploy and update your apps, avoid creating scripts or custom code; instead, automate in a language that is similar to plain English, utilizing SSH, and without the need to install agents on distant computers.
- Feature: Agentless automation tool for system configurations.
- Benefit: Uses simple YAML syntax for easy configuration.
3. Puppet
For your Linux, Unix, and Windows systems, Puppet, an automated administrative engine, handles administrative activities (including adding users, installing packages, and updating server configurations) based on a centralized specification.
- Feature: Automates infrastructure configuration.
- Benefit: Supports Linux, Windows, and Unix.
4. Salt
Salt was developed to expand beyond tens of thousands of computers and collect data quickly. To manage configuration specifics and certain tasks, it makes use of Python modules. All of Salt’s state management and remote execution behavior is controlled by these modules. The modules must be configured, which calls for some amount of technical expertise.
- Feature: Scalable system management tool.
- Benefit: Provides remote execution and monitoring.
5. CFEngine
In 1993, Mark Burgess presented CFEngine as a methodological approach to automated configuration management. The objective was to deal with the entropy in the configuration of computer systems and bring it to an end-state “convergence.” Convergence describes idempotence as the ability to achieve the intended end-state and defines convergence as a desired end-state.
- Feature: Ensures system convergence and consistency.
- Benefit: Scales to large infrastructures.
DevOps Testing Tools
Over the entire SDLC, there are tons of tasks and management involved to develop, handle and deliver the product and this requires a fast and precise solution so that the chain doesn’t break. To handle such complexity there are DevOps testing tools that were designed to ease management. Below are the 5 best DevOps Testing tools that you might consider using it.
1. Jenkins
Jenkins is among the most popular and widely used testing tools that are known for distributing tasks across multiple machines to perform the repetition. The best part about this tool is that it has over 400 supported plugins that can cater to all your project’s needs and has a very simple web-based interface.
- Feature: Distributed CI/CD tool with extensive plugins.
- Benefit: Automates testing and deployment cycles.
2. JMeter
The Apache JMeterTM is open-source software that runs exclusively on Java and was created by Stefano Mazzocchi of the Apache Software Foundation to load test applications and track performance. JMeter is a tool that you may use to analyze and gauge the performance of various services, including online applications. Performance testing involves putting a web application through a rigorous load, concurrent, and multiple user traffic tests.
- Feature: Performance and load testing tool.
- Benefit: Ideal for web applications and APIs.
3. Selenium
Seleniuman open-source software testing platform that offers multiplatform testing for both Android and iOS and is well-known among testers for automating tests. But that’s not the best part, in fact, you can also integrate different development tools with it and manage all other tasks in a single dashboard.
- Feature: Automates web browser testing.
- Benefit: Supports multiple programming languages.
4. Appium
Appium is an open-source tool for automating native, mobile web, and hybrid apps. The iOS, Android, and Windows SDKs are used to create native apps. Web applications that can be accessed on a mobile device are known as mobile web apps. Besides this, Appium supports Chrome, Safari, and the built-in “Browser” app on Android.
- Feature: Automates mobile app testing.
- Benefit: Compatible with Android and iOS.
5. SoapUI
SoapUI supports Eclipse, NetBeans, and IDEA and is open-source, cross-platform, as well as language-independent, making it a crucial tool for testing the Web domain. It enables the testing of a variety of Web services and APIs using functional, non-functional, performance, regression, compilation, and load testing.
- Feature: API testing with functional, performance, and regression testing capabilities.
- Benefit: Supports REST and SOAP APIs.
DevOps Monitoring Tools
DevOps Monitoring involves the process of planning, development, testing, deployment, and operations i.e. right from the scratch. This requires real-time monitoring of all statuses and services that are linked with product delivery. In short, they are responsible for making a smooth transition and ensuring that their team is not falling behind. Below are the 5 best DevOps Monitoring tools that can be considered while working.
1. PagerDuty
One of the highly used platforms that enable working closely within the teams to monitor dedicated apps/projects and their performance so that identified issues can be addressed. Besides this, this platform is seamless to work on and has an attractive interface which makes it easy for professionals to track and manage every dedicated phase.
- Feature: Incident response platform.
- Benefit: Enables real-time issue tracking.
2. Librato
Librato allows users to monitor all of their tasks in real time and understand the metrics of the businesses so that they can plan and analyze their ongoing projects and tasks. Besides this, it also provides visualization and has a clean and easy user interface and that’s what makes it among the best DevOps monitoring tools that exist today.
- Feature: Real-time monitoring and visualization tool.
- Benefit: Helps in analyzing business metrics.
3. Prometheus
It’s a community-driven, open-source solution for monitoring dedicated tasks and offers a web API for customer development. Prometheus was designed in Golang and it collects and organizes data in a symmetric way which makes an easy pathway to connect with PagerDuty.
- Feature: Open-source monitoring solution.
- Benefit: Provides real-time analytics and alerting.
4. Splunk
Splunk has been designed to generate powerful insights so that businesses can take effective decisions. It is used for searching, monitoring, and analyzing data with precise accuracy (even to the decimal points). The interface is elegant yet simple (web-based) and allows users to analyze data from networks, servers, and applications.
- Feature: Data analytics and monitoring tool.
- Benefit: Helps in log management and performance tracking.
5. App Dynamics
App Dynamics is a paid monitoring platform that offers accurate data insights from networks, servers, and applications. The best part about this tool is that you can use it over multiple platforms such as IBM, AWS, Microsoft, etc.
- Feature: AI-powered monitoring solution.
- Benefit: Works with IBM, AWS, and Microsoft.
Conclusion
Using the right DevOps tools enhances automation, efficiency, and collaboration in software development. This article covered 30 essential tools across key categories, including Docker and Kubernetes for container management, Jenkins and CircleCI for CI/CD, Git and GitLab for version control, Ansible and Puppet for configuration management, Selenium and JMeter for testing, and Prometheus and Splunk for monitoring.
Mastering these tools helps streamline workflows, improve software quality, and speed up deployments. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, staying updated with these tools will ensure scalability, security, and reliability in your DevOps journey.
