Thinking beyond technical delivery is now a must for every IT company in the market. Rapid and high-quality application delivery models have become the new standard of expectation, resulting in the rapid adoption of DevOps practices, necessitating high demand in recent years for DevOps tools and service providers.
Have you ever encountered a slower and faulty application? It gets frustrating and slows us down. What’s more worrisome is the need for a remedy for this slow software. The communication channel between management processes and the execution of customer satisfaction should be smooth and error-free. Top DevOps tools help to provide relief in this hectic management environment. Businesses and manufacturers must implement the best DevOps tools to improve and increase efficiency. This article will provide a thorough understanding of DevOps tools and a detailed explanation.
The main basic question here is what DevOps Tools are. First, let us understand that.
What are DevOps Tools?
DevOps tools aid in the simplification and acceleration of testing, configuration, deployment, and other software-related tasks required to implement DevOps processes. Some DevOps tools enable detecting and resolving errors and defects at high velocity and scale. Others improve collaboration and information sharing by automating monitoring, testing, deployment, updates, and infrastructure management.
Transparency, automation, and collaboration are kept at the forefront of your value stream by using DevOps tools. For effective product output, these tools facilitate the effective sharing and exchange of information and technical know-how among all stakeholders, whether development, operations, security, or business teams. In addition, an effective DevOps toolchain can improve application quality, stability, and reliability while also assisting in identifying and resolving problems earlier in the development lifecycle.
How Can DevOps Tools Benefit Your Business?
DevOps tools enable the effective sharing and exchanging of resources, information, and technical know-how of the tasks between development, operations, and security teams to produce high-quality products. Furthermore, these tools make it easier by introducing a new SDLC flow and addressing key aspects of your DevOps environment by automating the process chain with Build, Test, Deploy, and Release features.
Benefits of Using DevOps Tools
- Accelerated Development
- Rapid Release
- Improved Operational Efficiency
- Enhanced Collaboration
- Faster Recovery Time
- Continuous Delivery
- Regular Deployment
- Faster Rate of Innovation
- Seamless Flow Across Value-Chain
Best DevOps Tools
If you are looking for top 10 DevOps tools or trying to identify the best DevOps tools available in the market, you are at the right place. DevOps Tool automates processes such as identifying and resolving bugs, increasing monitor speed, overseeing update requirements, testing, and improving the overall quality of the application’s development stages. DevOps firms coordinate these tools and integrate them into one or more productive activities such as planning, creation, verification, packaging, releasing, configuring, monitoring, and version control. We’ve divided various DevOps tools into categories based on the production activities they can support.
DevOps Automation Tools
Automation is inseparable in DevOps, from code generation, Integration, and delivery to continuous testing and monitoring. In DevOps, operational teams started using automation for all their work, which gave DevOps the wings to fly so high.
DevOps Automation Tools are one of the important factors that can help you to automate and control your applications. But there are many tools available in the market, making it difficult to find the best DevOps tools for an organization. However, these tools make tasks easier, faster, and more reliable, helping to reduce errors and save time!
Git
It’s a version control system (VCS) that allows you to keep track of changes within your file. It boosts productivity and eliminates the inefficient process of making separate files and folders for each source code version. In addition, Git helps developers easily coordinate the work among the team. If a version goes haywire, it can instantly revert to the most stable version. Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Accenture, etc., are some of the numerous tech companies that use Git.
Key Features of Git:
- An open-source tool that is free to use
- Very scalable and reliable
- It’s easy to implement and compatible with most HTTPS, FTP, and SSH protocols
- Good package for developing mission-critical software
- Enables a faster release cycle
- Supports Pull Requests
- Secure Hash Functions (SHA1) to name and identify objects within its repository
- Features branch workflow
- Allows distributed development that continues without disruption, unlike a centralized development environment
Docker
Docker packages securely deploy and run apps regardless of the running environment. As a result, the containerization trend is quickly gaining traction in the IT industry. Furthermore, each app container includes source code, supporting files, system configuration files, run time, and all other components required for app execution.
Docker is used daily by many multinational enterprises and businesses to increase productivity and reduce costs. For example, Docker is used by companies such as Uber, eBay, The New York Times, and PayPal to achieve their goals.
Key Features of Docker:
- It can be used with any language
- Containers can run in any environment
- Capable of scaling to thousands of nodes
- Update without even facing a downtime
Jenkins
Jenkins is a widely popular open-source continuous integration server. It automates the complete build cycle of software. In addition, Jenkins offers a Pipeline feature, which developers use to commit code to the repository, run test cases, and even fetch test reports. You can also use it for reporting.
Jenkins offers a highly customizable tool offering real-time feedback. It helps in tracking bugs faster and eliminating them in the development process. In addition, Jenkins automates most tasks and tools within the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC).
Key Features of Jenkins:
- Free Open-Source Tool
- Easy distribution
- Extensible using plugins
- Easy to install
Puppet
Puppet is a DevOps-related open-source configuration, server management, and deployment tool. It can be organized as reusable modules for quick setup and is cross-platform compatible with many platforms.
Many top companies, including Cisco, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Teradata, and others, use it. You can manage multiple teams and resources with Puppet Enterprise. It can also handle disasters intelligently. It has several modules that make it easy to connect to many other popular DevOps tools.
Key Features of Puppet:
- It’s based on the master-slave concept
- Convenient, intuitive tool
- Real-time node management, reporting, etc.
Ansible
It is an extremely simple IT automation engine. Ansible helps automate apps and infrastructure such as cloud deployments, network configuration, development environment creation, orchestration, etc. This tool does not use agents and additional custom security infrastructure; therefore, it’s easy to deploy.
Key Features of Ansible:
- Open-source tool
- Supports push configuration
- Features minimal commands and is user-friendly
- Completely agentless
- Easy to learn
- Doesn’t hang your device because it doesn’t have features loaded like Puppet or Chef
- Lowers infrastructure costs and increases replication speed
Chef
The Chef can transform infrastructure into code and is a powerful configuration management automation tool. Therefore, it configures IT and system components like networks, servers, applications, and storage. Chef also maintains security and stability with patches and bug fixes for the product’s life. Top leading companies such as Mozilla Firefox, HP, Rackspace, Walt Disney, and Expedia use Chef to handle this crucial phase of their SDLC.
Key Features of Chef:
- Open-source tool
- Easy to integrate with cloud-based platforms
- Active and fast-growing community support
GitHub
GitHub is a popular tool in the collaborative space. Developers use this tool to make quick iterations of the code. While they change the source code, the notification stating this change is sent instantaneously to other team members. In case of any mishap, developers could easily roll back to the previous version within a few seconds.
Key Features of GitHub:
- Easy project management
- Effective team management
- Packages and codes are secured
- Easy code hosting
Gradle
Gradle is a build automation tool known for its flexibility in software development. It is used to automate application development. The tool is widely used for developing software and large projects. With the assistance of build automation tools, the process becomes more consistent.
It’s well-known for its ability to create automation in languages such as Java, Scala, Android, C/C++, and Groovy. Furthermore, the tool supports groovy-based Domain Specific Language (DSL) over XML. Gradle allows you to build, test, and deploy software across multiple platforms.
Key Features of Gradle:
- Multi-Project Build Software
- High Performance
- Provides Support
- Incremental Builds
Terraform
HashiCorp’s Terraform is an open-source, self-managed infrastructure-as-code platform designed to automate cloud components. It is the industry standard and, thus, one of the most widely used tools for deploying cloud services in enterprises. Terraform makes it simple and easy to manage cloud services through the ability to codify cloud APIs into declarative configuration files. It can also deploy and provision all your infrastructure across all major cloud providers, including Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure.
Key Features of Terraform:
- Infrastructure as Code
- Resource Graph
- Change Automation
- Execution Plans
DevOps Monitoring Tools
Continuous monitoring tools for DevOps are an essential component of the DevOps pipeline. It provides automated features that enable developers to monitor the production environment’s apps, infrastructure, and network components. Here are the top DevOps Monitoring Tools you can use for various functions.
Nagios
Nagios is a popular open-source infrastructure monitoring tool. It enables DevOps teams to monitor the network and infrastructure, assisting them in locating and resolving issues. It also allows them to keep track of events, interruptions, and failures. Major organizations like Sony, Siemens, Toshiba, and Yahoo use it to monitor and troubleshoot various issues.
Key Features of Nagios:
- Automatically fix problems when detected
- Server performance issues are tracked and troubleshooted
- Aids in the planning of infrastructure upgrades before they fail due to outdated systems
Prometheus
Prometheus is another metrics-based time series database designed primarily for white-box monitoring. It is an open-source monitoring and alerting solution with a robust community-driven ecosystem. Many organizations and corporations have integrated this technology into their ecosystems since its release, allowing the user and developer communities to interact.
Key Features of Prometheus:
- Employs a simple query language “PromQL,” which is a “read-only” and flexible language
- Doesn’t rely on distributed storage; it is built to work on a single server node
- It can collect time-series data for your company and connect to PagerDuty
- Has no dependencies and provides a Web API for custom development
- Its default libraries and servers include Windows, Linux, MySQL, and others.
Sensu
Sensu is a popular DevOps monitoring tool that keeps track of infrastructure and applications. This platform can track and measure the safety of your infrastructure, apps, and business KPIs. It also addresses current infrastructure issues by integrating dynamic, static, and temporary infrastructure. Sensu does not offer software-as-a-service (SaaS), but you can monitor your system as you see fit.
Key Features of Sensu:
- It can dynamically register and de-register clients
- It’s ideal for streamlining operations
- It enables dynamic client registration and de-registration
- While being open-source, it has excellent commercial support
- It is unaffected by mission-critical applications or multi-tiered networks
PagerDuty
PagerDuty is a platform for function execution that works closely with operations professionals. The tool enables the development team to monitor app dependability and performance and to manage errors as soon as they occur.
When alarms arrive on time from the development to the production environment, the operations team can notice, triage, and handle them more quickly. PagerDuty is an excellent, user-friendly incident response and alerting system.
Key Features of PagerDuty:
- User-friendly alerting API has made it quite popular
- It is a powerful GUI (graphical user interface) tool for policy scheduling and escalation
- It provides an effective graphical user interface for scheduling and escalation policies.
Datical Deployment Monitoring Console
If you want to instantly monitor the status of every database deployment across the enterprise, you should look into the Datical Deployment Monitoring Console. Keeping track of all SQL script execution across all environments is a task that should be automated to reduce the possibility of human error. This is exactly what the Datical Deployment Monitoring Console does. It is also accountable for simplifying database auditing and deployment monitoring.
Key Features of Datical Deployment Monitoring Console:
- Database auditing has been made easier
- It automatically tracks deployments and failures
- Streamlines the release process so that both users and administrators can automatically track, audit, and resolve all deployment-specific database issues
- It enables on-demand access to deployment data
Tasktop Integration Hub
Tasktop lets you connect all the tools your business uses to a single piece of software, which adds value to your business. It is the one-stop solution that controls all the software delivery integration requirements without having to vouch for another tool. The Tasktop Integration Hub provides the right information to the right individual via the right tool at the right time.
Key Features of Tasktop Integration Hub:
- It allows for the rapid integration of new tools into existing software
- Connectivity is available for 45 tools, all of which are fully functional
- A filter can be used to route artifacts and specific field updates based on customer frequency and direction requirements
- It provides secure login via a web-based interface
AWS DevOps Tools
AWS DevOps offers a range of tools that help develop software in the cloud. Let’s take a closer look at some of the well-known and commonly used AWS DevOps tools.
AWS CodeStar
AWS CodeStar is a cloud-based development service that gives you the tools to build, develop, and deploy apps on AWS quickly. With AWS CodeStar, you can fix your continuous delivery toolchain in minutes. This lets you start releasing code faster. AWS CodeStar also makes it easy for your team to work together safely. It has built-in role-based policies that make it easy to manage access and add project owners, contributors, and viewers.
Each AWS CodeStar project includes a unified project dashboard and integration with Atlassian JIRA, a third-party problem-tracking and project management tool. The AWS CodeStar project dashboard makes it simple to track your entire software development process, from backlog work items to production code deployment.
Features of AWS CodeStar:
- CodeStar can be used to set up cloud application development
- It can be used to manage the user’s application through a centralized dashboard
- Creating new software projects on AWS in minutes using templates designed to build web applications, web services, and much more
- CodeStar is made up of templates designed to work in a variety of programming languages
AWS CodePipeline
AWS CodePipeline is a workflow management tool that enables users to build and manage a process for building, testing, and deploying code into a test or production environment. When any step in the process fails, the pipeline is paused, ensuring that avoidable bugs and errors are not automatically deployed into your ecosystem.
Key Features of AWS CodePipeline:
- The workflow of your release process is defined
- It can pull pipeline source code directly from AWS CodeCommit, GitHub, Amazon ECR, or Amazon S3
- Describes how a new code change is handled in your release process
- It makes use of AWS IAM to control and manage who can make changes to your release workflow
AWS CodeBuild
AWS CodeBuild is a highly managed build service that compiles source code, runs tests, and generates deployable software packages. It eliminates the need to provision, manage, and scale your build servers. Instead, CodeBuild keeps getting bigger and handles multiple builds simultaneously, so your builds never have to wait. You can begin quickly by using prepackaged build environments or creating custom-built environments that use your tools. CodeBuild charges you by the minute for the computing resources you use.
Key Features of AWS CodeBuild:
- Supports Linux and Windows operating systems
- Builds and tests your code
- Allows you to get up and run quickly by providing sample build specification files for common scenarios like Apache Maven, Gradle, or npm builds
- Displays the build’s start and end times and its status and commit ID
AWS CodeDeploy
AWS CodeDeploy is a highly managed deployment service that automates software deployments to Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2), AWS Fargate, AWS Lambda, and your on-premises servers. It facilitates the rapid release of new features, avoids downtime during application deployment, and manages the complexity of updating your applications.
Key Features of AWS CodeDeploy:
- Uses a file and command-based install model, allowing it to deploy any application and reuse existing setup code
- Tracks and stores the recent history of your deployments
- Monitors your deployment and will stop deployment if there are many failed updates
- It can shift the traffic from your prior version to your new version according to your specifications
Conclusion
We hope this article has provided you with a thorough understanding of the concept of DevOps tools and their features. The goal of compiling this list of popular devOps tools is to understand a smoother and more efficient way to run organizations and their businesses. They are automated, dependable, and self-service tools that enable users to expect high accuracy with minimal manual effort.
DevOps adoption is at an all-time high, and so is the demand for DevOps skills. However, DevOps is more than just seasoned skills; it is a culture that begins with learning. Are you ready to begin your DevOps career? Then sign up for Invensis Learning’s DevOps Certification training, which is useful for both beginners and managers, or more tool-based training courses like:
The DevOps course is structured around a learning path recommended by industry experts with years of experience. You will have access to live instructor-led online classes taught by subject matter experts.
