Over the years, DevOps has become a buzzword in the IT industry. People want to know and explore more about this phenomenon. It is all about implementing a set of best practices that combines development and operation teams to shorten the release cycle and provide continuous delivery with the highest level of quality. Organizations implementing DevOps have improved their software quality by 63%, team collaboration by 55%, and code quality by 38%.
However, for utilizing the full potential of the DevOps ecosystem, choosing the right tools is of prime importance. The selection of the right tools will help the organization optimize the development environment, improve speed and efficiency, reduce errors, and cut down the cost of software development. Fortunately, there are so many DevOps tools available in the market.
But, the challenge is to find the best DevOps tools for engineering teams. This article will introduce you to the top DevOps tools that your engineering teams can use for implementing the best practices and principles. So, let’s set the ball rolling.!
Top DevOps tools
1. Docker
Docker is one of the most popular DevOps tools utilized by many engineering teams across the globe. It is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) product that uses virtualization to deliver the software in various packages known as containers. Furthermore, Docker focuses on an automated supply chain to shorten the software delivery time. It is helpful for existing applications and also for new apps. You can also use Docker with platforms like AWS and Google Cloud. Docker ensures that the same environment is available across various stages of the DevOps lifecycle.
2. Kubernetes
When you talk of container orchestration platforms, Kubernetes is the first name that comes to mind. The open-source tool automates the deployment, management, scaling, networking, and availability of container-based applications. In addition, you can use Kubernetes to create Docker-based containers on-demand. Deployment automation is the most significant benefit with Kubernetes in a DevOps lifecycle. As a result, Kubernetes is an integral part of continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment mechanisms.
3. Git
Git is one of the most helpful DevOps tools for source code management. The open-source contributors and remote developers primarily utilize this fantastic tool. With the help of Git, you can track the progress of development work. Moreover, you can also save various versions of your source code and move to a specific version when required. By default, Git is a command-line tool, but you can download a GUI client if you want a better user experience. Nowadays, many source code editors have Git integration available, which shows its popularity.
4. Jenkins
When you talk about the top tools for continuous integration, Jenkins is the first name that comes to the mind of everyone. It helps you to automate the software development lifecycle with utmost ease. The core feature of Jenkins is building a pipeline that developers can utilize for automatic code commit, running test cases, and fetching testing reports. Furthermore, Jenkins provides you with all levels of customization and provides instantaneous feedback in case of any error. As a result, you can automate most tasks and increase the SDLC throughput.
5. Slack
Launched in 2013, Slack is one of the most effective DevOps tools used by developers for establishing effective communication and collaboration. The tool offers a persistent chat room organized by various topics. With the help of the DevOps toolchain, engineering teams can collaborate through Slack within the same environment. Slack integrates with many third-party services such as Trello, Dropbox, Box, Heroku, IBM Bluemix, Crashlytics, GitHub, etc. Furthermore, there are three ways to communicate in Slack: private, public, and direct message.
6. Selenium
Selenium is a free and open-source automated testing framework used for testing web applications. Through test automation service, you can automate various test cases and execute them through Selenium. The tool will generate scripts that can test web applications for multiple conditions. Furthermore, you can use Selenium across various browsers and operating systems. The flexible and extensible testing framework also supports a parallel testing mechanism, and that’s why it has become a favorite of DevOps teams across the globe. Lastly, it can integrate with many third-party tools.
7. Puppet Enterprise
Puppet Enterprise is one of the most widely used tools for configuration management. It helps you implement the Infrastructure as a Code (IaC) philosophy and deliver the software in an agile way. Puppet Enterprise also provides developers with open-source tools for smaller projects. On the other hand, you can utilize add-on features such as real-time reporting, role-based access control, and node management if you’re dealing with large-scale projects. Lastly, with ease, Puppet Enterprise can effectively deal with various dependencies and configuration failures.
8. Chef
Chef is another configuration management tool like Puppet Enterprise that helps you automate and simplify the deployment, repair, update, and management of application infrastructure. It also provides you with a container orchestration engine that allows engineering teams to ensure continuous software delivery. Furthermore, Chef uses the Infrastructure as a Code (IaC) technique and pre-built policies to automate the deployment process. There are three major components of Chef that you need to know – Chef Server, Chef Workstation, and Chef Nodes.
9. Nagios
Nagios is a free and open-source continuous monitoring tool that helps you monitor systems, networks, and infrastructure. It can also help you monitor server switches, applications, and services. The tool has a real-time alert mechanism that provides feedback on a problem and its resolution. Moreover, it also provides you with graphs and reports of all the failure events based on which you can predict bugs/errors and detect security threats. Nagios is a set of four monitoring tools – Nagios Core, Nagios XI, Nagios Log Server, and Nagios Fusion.
10. Jira
Jira is one of the finest project management tools you will ever encounter. You can use Jira as a SaaS product or as an on-premise tool. Jira initially got famous as a bug tracking tool, and many developers still utilize it for that purpose. However, you can use Jira to track the development of your project, view commits, manage various dependencies, visualize progress, etc. These are fundamental aspects of continuous monitoring, one of the DevOps best practices. That’s why DevOps people are keen on this tool. Lastly, Jira also helps you to build the automation rules.
Wrapping up
Here, we have analyzed and discussed some of the top DevOps tools that most engineering teams utilize daily. However, the tooling ecosystem is not limited to this much only; there are many other tools that one can pick and choose as per their requirements. Furthermore, some of these tools are open-source, while others are pretty expensive. Therefore, it all boils down to the individual project need and budget allocated.
So, choose the tool at your convenience and start implementing the DevOps best practices into your organization. What are your thoughts on these tools? Which is your personal favorite? Do let us know in the comments.
