Is there a better way for development and operation teams to collaborate seamlessly? Thankfully, DevOps tools allow both groups to complete software projects while minimizing conflicts among team members.
The increasing demand for faster application delivery signals a better level of expectations. This demand has led to the widespread adoption of DevOps practices in recent years.
Essentially, DevOps is a culture that promotes a healthy, symbiotic relationship between the development and operations teams. But this type of relationship doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It requires the use of DevOps tools to succeed in its goal.
DevOps tools allow organizations to ease some challenges with implementing DevOps practices. These tools incorporate technologies like machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
But, these tools don’t offer a one-size-fits-all solution for all organizations. That being so, several DevOps tools are available for specific requirements. In this article, we’ll explore the right tools and technologies designed for different DevOps processes.
Top DevOps Tools
Today, many emerging DevOps tools exist for software development, version control, configuration, testing, incident management, and project management. Here are a few of the tools we handpicked under each DevOps category.
CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) Tools
Bamboo
Bamboo is a tool made by Atlassian for continuous integration, deployment, and delivery of applications. It allows you to combine automated builds, tests, and software releases in a single workflow.
As for DevOps, Bamboo helps teams to plan project builds in different stages, automate triggers, and assign important builds and deployments. Its most notable features include:
- Easy-to-use and intuitive user interface
- Promotes Agile development through its workflow automation
- Pre-built disaster recovery feature ensures build continuity and resilience.
- Seamless integration with other tools like JIRA, Git, BitBucket, etc.
- Automated tests run in parallel batches and allow hundreds of build agents, offering early feedback to developers.
TeamCity
JetBrain’s TeamCity is a solid CI/CD server for DevOps teams. It’s a powerful DevOps tool that provides flexibility to different workflows and development practices.
Developers and software engineers love TeamCity because it enables them to build, test, and deploy apps, containers, and various packages. These are some features:
- Comprehensive integration with key tools like issue tracker, version control, build tools, and package repository.
- Different plugin choices are installable with just a few clicks
- Faster issue resolutions through its real-time reporting feature
- Gated commits prevent developers from destroying source code.
- Build History records all history of builds, failures, and edits
- User Management allows the team to assign roles easily, sort users into groups, set up user authentication, and log all user actions.
- Flexible integration with IDEs like
- Visual Studio, Eclipse, and IntelliJ IDEA
Version Control Tools
Git
Git is a popular open-source version control tool initially released in 2005. Linus Torvalds created it using Perl, Shell Tcl, and C programming languages.
As a source code management (SCM) tool, Git helps developers monitor all changes and updates done to their code. Doing so would make it easier for them to view the history and reuse previous versions.
Its goals are to increase speed and enhance support and data integrity for distributed workflows. Every Git directory has an exhaustive history and version-tracking capability. The following are the major features that Git offers:
- It is free and open-source with a General Public License version 2
- Easy-to-learn interface for beginners and advanced users
- Cost-efficient local branching
- Convenient staging environment
- Multiple commits/check-ins
- Compatible with Windows, macOS, Solaris, AIX, and Linux
CVS
Concurrent Versions System, or CVS, is a revision control system developed by Dick Grune in July 1986. It allows multiple developers to share control of the software project’s version history while tracking the changes made over time.
CVS was built in UNIX OS and available as free and commercial software. Additionally, it is a popular tool for developers working on Linux and other UNIX-based operating systems. What makes it great is that:
- It allows multiple developers to edit their copies of the files simultaneously, fuse all the changes, and notify them of any conflicts.
- Developers have remote access to the source code repositories, which they can modify virtually.
Configuration Management Tools
Kubernetes
Kubernetes, or K8s, is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
Developed by Google in 2014, Kubernetes was written using the Go programming language. Currently, Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNPF) maintains Kubernetes.
As one of the most widely-used DevOps tools, Kubernetes is useful because it enables developers to logically isolate and package container clusters to deploy on various machines quickly.
Developers use Kubernetes to automate processes such as container configuration, security, networking, and others to make production fast and efficient.
In Kubernetes, you can set up a master-slave node arrangement to simplify the container scheduling and deployment and analyze node connectivity. Also, you can use it to automatically build Docker containers and assign them based on the scaling needs.
Chef
Chef is another open-source DevOps tool for configuration management and cloud infrastructure automation. It is developed and maintained by Opscode, written using Ruby DSL Language.
Developers use Chef to simplify the configuration and maintenance of the servers. Moreover, it integrates well with most cloud-based solutions like Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and Amazon EC2 to condition new machines efficiently.
Chef ensures all nodes are connected to an IT infrastructure and quickly adds more nodes without manual updates. Here’s why you should add Chef as part of your DevOps tools:
- Written in Ruby and Erling and uses a Domain Specific Language for system configuration.
- Works on a server/client mode or a standalone configuration platform.
- Compatible with different software like macOS, Windows, Ubuntu, AIX, FreeBSD, and others.
- Effortlessly maintains various data centers and cloud environments.
Build Automation Tools
Apache Maven
Apache Maven is a build automation software built by the Apache Software Foundation in 2004. It’s written in C# and Java and is used to create, publish, and deploy various software projects simultaneously.
For DevOps purposes, this tool enables team members to build and document the software lifecycle phases. It is mainly used for Java-based projects but is also ideal for managing projects written in C#, Scala, Ruby, and others.
Maven has many features and benefits, which explains why it remains a popular tool today. Here are a few of the noteworthy features that Maven is known for:
- Includes predefined targets that run clear-cut processes such as packaging and code compilation
- A massive repository of user libraries that continually grows
- Robust error and integrity reporting
- Comes with Apache License 2.0
- It’s backward-compatible with the older versions
- Ability to create projects using the software best practices
- Its dependency management is great, which includes automatic updating, dependency closure, and transitive dependency.
- High extendable with an ability to write plugins using Java or other scripting languages
Jenkins
As a premier open-source automation server, Jenkins accelerates the software development processes like CI/CD, development, testing, and deployment. Developers use it to create and test software projects, allowing them to incorporate changes continuously.
Jenkins is written in Java and features plugins designed for Continuous Integration. These plugins support the integration of different DevOps stages. Such plugins include Amazon EC2, Git, HTML Publisher, Maven, etc.
Jenkins is relatively easy to install and configure for both novice and expert users. Aside from these upsides, the following are some of Jenkin’s features and benefits:
- A Java-based program that works flawlessly across various operating systems like macOS, Windows, Unix, and Linux.
- Compatible with over 300 plugins that integrate with all types of CI/CD tools, such as Git, Maven, and Amazon EC2.
- Includes built-in error detection and tips.
- Need little maintenance with a GUI tool for painless updates
- Distributes tasks to multiple machines, which speeds up the development, tests, and deployment
- It’s extensible, so it’s ideal as a CI/CD tool for all software projects.
Application & Server Monitoring Tools
Prometheus
Prometheus is a powerful open-source performance monitoring software initially released in 2012 and written in Go. Licensed under the Apache 2 license, its source code is available on GitHub. It is one of the notable projects of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, together with Envoy and Kubernetes.
It facilitates container monitoring and records real-time metrics in a time-series database using dimensional data models and queries. It is popular among DevOps teams that use Grafana.
Prometheus’s primary features include:
- PromQL, a versatile query language that supports dimensionality
- Offers various data visualization options on the dashboard like tables and graphs, making it easy to analyze data
- Provides multiple libraries for easy service instrumentation and supports over ten languages
- Facilitates data exporting from third-party solutions like HAProxy, JMX Monitoring, StatsD, and Docker.
- Discover targets through static configuration or service discovery
- Leverages time series collection through pull method via HTTP
- Multidimensional data model using time series data identified via key/value pairs and metric names.
Nagios
As one of the most efficient DevOps tools, Nagios offers a mission-critical monitoring infrastructure. Ethan Galstad and a group of developers wrote Nagios originally as NetSaint in 2002.
Nagios is a free, open-source application that provides monitoring and alerting services for switches, servers, and applications. Essentially, it alerts users when errors arise and notify them when issues are resolved. Large organizations use Nagios to monitor network problems caused by network connections and data overload.
With Nagios, you can:
- Respond and fix IT issues once detected.
- Minimize IT outages and ensure that these outages won’t affect business processes
- Plan future infrastructure upgrades before outdated systems can cause problems
- Work effortlessly across numerous platforms (including Linux and UNIX)
- Monitor resources like system logs, disk usage, and process loads together
- Meet your company’s Service Level Agreements
- Provides historical records of events, outages, notifications, and alert responses for future access.
Software Testing Tools
Selenium
If you want a fast and straightforward software testing tool, Selenium is an excellent choice. Released in 2018, Selenium is open-source software that carries out tests and authors functional tests without the need to learn scripting languages.
It supports popular OS like Windows, Linux, and macOS. Moreover, it works on a vast suite of programming languages (Ruby, JavaScript, Java, Python, C#, PERL, PHP) and other automation testing solutions.
Aside from automating software testing, Selenium is also beneficial for automating web-based admin tasks. This software highlights three main components:
- Selenium WebDriver – creates robust, browser-based regression automation tests and scales and distributes scripts in multiple environments.
- Selenium IDE – Build bug reproduction scripts and exploratory testing; features browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, and Edge that shows the browser’s record and playback of interactions.
- Selenium Grid – it distributes and performs tests across multiple machines from a central point, making it convenient to run tests on various browsers or OS.
SoapUI
SmartBear’s SoapUI is another great option if you’re looking for software testing tools. It’s an open-source DevOps tool that lets you perform and manage end-to-end tests for SOAP, REST, JMS, JDBC, GraphQLAPI, and other web services.
First released in 2005, SoapUI offers a wide range of testing capabilities such as load functional, regression, security, and load testing on various web APIs. Additionally, it supports all technologies and standard protocols when testing all types of APIs. SoapUI is widely popular for the following features:
- User-friendly graphical interface
- Offers API Mocking for software without waiting for it to complete
- Convenient drag-and-drop test creation for functional testing
- Includes one-click test refactoring when updating tests
- Provides comprehensive and up-to-date API testing reports to measure and analyze its success
Team Communication/Collaboration Tools
Slack
When it comes to a collaborative workplace communication tool, Slack truly stands out. Slack is a messaging platform for businesses that want to bring communication into one place.
It sorts conversations into different channels (group chats) where members can brainstorm ideas, make decisions, and stay in sync with their work. Slack offers free, standard, and enterprise plans to answer the communication needs of a wide range of businesses.
Here are some features that make Slack an excellent choice for a messaging tool:
- Fast and easy communication through direct messages and channels using chats, voice, and video conferencing
- Intuitive search capabilities using search modifiers
- Add-on features that help people stay productive such as notifications, alerts, workflow builders, and notes
- The user interface is easy to navigate and comes with helpful tutorials for extra help.
- Pre-built integration tools to synchronize work with other platforms
- Provides an accessible project management infrastructure that works well with other project tools like Trello, Jira, etc.
- Generous storage space (paid version)
Atlassian JIRA
JIRA is not just a project management software. It’s also a top-notch tool for team collaboration. Developed by Atlassian in 2002, JIRA lets Agile teams assign tasks, track issues, automate workflow, and manage software projects all in one place.
It offers an intuitive interface with a visual dashboard to provide the team an insight into their progress. Additionally, JIRA has ready-made templates and Scrum boards to help teams manage big and complex projects. That being said, here are JIRA’s world-class features that made it the #1 project tracking tool:
- Roadmaps give teams a bird’s eye view of their project milestones, so everyone stays in sync with their goals.
- Dashboards and reports offer insights into their work, providing teams with critical data for decision-making.
- Scale as the team grows with customizable workflows.
- Powe up projects through apps and integrations with over 300 apps available in the JIRA apps market.
- Drag-and-drop automation simplifies their tasks so developers can prioritize coding and less on issue tracking.
Stay Productive with DevOps Tools
And there you have it! These are the best tools that DevOps teams can use across different stages of the software lifecycle. DevOps tools enable the development and operations team to automate the development process for faster time-to-market.
Choosing the right tools actualizes your DevOps team’s goals by increasing productivity, promoting transparency, and reducing the time to deploy products to market.
Build A Top-Tier DevOps Team with Full Scale
Remember that these tools alone won’t lead to groundbreaking transformation for your teams. It will help if you have the right people who truly understand the core concept of DevOps.
At Full Scale, we support our clients’ DevOps goals by making it easy for them to build and manage a team of software experts. Whether you need software developers, DevOps engineers, QA Testers, or project managers, we make the recruitment process fast and easy.
Ready to assemble your DevOps team? Talk to us to get your FREE consultation.
