Best DevOps Tools Shortlist
Here is a quick list of my favorite tools. I’ve also included a detailed breakdown for each tool below.
- Jenkins - Best for flexible deployments
- Kubernetes - Best for container orchestration
- Puppet - Best for multiple server management
- AWS CloudFormation - Best for AWS configurations
- GitHub - Best for DevOps collaboration
- Chef Automate - Best for cloud security management
- Terraform - Best for complex environments
- Ansible - Best for automating IT tasks
- Docker - Best for faster software delivery cycles
- TeamCity - Best for CI/CD pipeline optimization
- New Relic - Best for application performance monitoring
- Open DevOps - Best for customization and flexibility
In a business culture that’s increasingly concerned with the bottom line, the C-suite is always looking for new efficiency gains. For software teams, this means using strategic DevOps to build better and faster without increasing costs. DevOps tools help development teams achieve these goals by adding automation to every project.
In this post, I’ll discuss the versatility, functionality, and overall popularity of each DevOps tool in my list of favorites. I’ll break down the strengths and weaknesses of each tool to help you get a better understanding of the DevOps landscape in 2023.
What are DevOps Tools?
DevOps is a hybrid abbreviation of “development” and “operations.” Popular DevOps tools enable efficiency in developing, deploying, and maintaining software programs.
These tools can do some or all of the tasks associated with continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), configuration management, and infrastructure as code. Some DevOps tools also include features for continuous monitoring, collaboration, and project tracking.
Overviews of the 12 Best DevOps Tools
From scalability to simplicity, there’s something for everyone on this list of DevOps tools:
1. Jenkins - Best for flexible deployments
Jenkins is an open-source Java-based automation server that facilitates the continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) process.
Why I picked Jenkins: I chose Jenkins for its flexibility. It offers thousands of community-built plugins, which you can customize the platform to fit a massive range of use cases. And because it was developed as a self-contained Java program, it can run on most operating systems.
Jenkins Standout Features and Integrations:
One feature I like about Jenkins is it allows you to distribute builds across multiple environments, which makes testing and deploying code more efficient. I also like that the platform is open-source and backed by a large community of developers.
Integrations include over 1,800+ pre-built plugins. These include Git and Subversion for version control, Apache Maven and Gradle for build tools, and JUnit and Cucumber for testing.
Pricing: Free
Trial: Free
Pros
- Offers an extensive plugin ecosystem
- Provides community support
- Open-source flexibility
Cons
- Notable learning curve for configuration and setup
- Requires extensive ongoing maintenance
2. Kubernetes - Best for container orchestration
Kubernetes is an open-source platform that allows you to manage and deploy containerized applications.
Why I picked Kubernetes: I picked Kubernetes because it helps automate the deployment, provisioning, and scaling of containerized applications—applications that run in isolated environments. With Kubernetes, you can create your own “clusters” to run and manage containers across public, private, and hybrid clouds.
Kubernetes Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that stood out to me about Kubernetes include its built-in storage options, which automatically provision storage from public cloud providers like Amazon Web Service (AWS). Another feature I liked about Kubernetes is that it automatically rolls out application updates without any downtime. It rolls back to a previous version if it detects a malfunction.
Integrations are available natively for cloud providers like AWS and Google Cloud Platform (GCP), as well as network storage systems like NFS, iSCSI, and Cinder. You can also use the Kubernetes API to connect to more third-party tools.
Pricing: Free
Trial: Free
Pros
- Allows you to move applications between on-premise and cloud-based environments
- Provides built-in mechanisms to ensure your applications are always available
- Supports a range of container runtimes, including Docker and CRI-o
Cons
- Can be challenging to set up
- Although free, hosting and maintenance costs can add up quickly
3. Puppet - Best for multiple server management
Puppet is an open-source configuration management platform that automates the process of managing and configuring servers across your infrastructure.
Why I picked Puppet: I picked Puppet because it automates server management at scale—for example, it allows you to create unique configurations for each host and enforce desired states for certain systems. Puppet saves you a lot of time compared to manually configuring virtual machines.
Puppet Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that make Puppet stand apart from the others for configuration management, in my opinion, is that it actively monitors and enforces desired states across your environments. This feature helps combat “configuration drift”—when ad hoc or unauthorized changes are made to a server without any records. Puppet addresses configuration drift by reverting configurations to a compliant state to improve reliability.
Integrations are available natively for various platforms, including AWS, Red Hat, ServiceNow, Splunk, VMware, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Microsoft Azure.
Pricing: Pricing upon request
Trial: Free trial + Free demo
Pros
- Supports Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Helps you enforce compliance across your infrastructure
- Enables Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for managing and provisioning resources
Cons
- Can be difficult to troubleshoot issues
- May not be suitable for smaller organizations
4. AWS CloudFormation - Best for AWS configurations
AWS CloudFormation is an infrastructure automation platform that allows developers to manage and deploy resources in AWS using template text files.
Why I picked AWS CloudFormation: I put AWS CloudFormation on this list because you can use it to automate the deployment and configuration of practically any AWS service, like Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Simple Storage Service (S3), and Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles. By automating the deployment of your AWS resources, you can reduce time-consuming tasks and the risk of manual errors.
AWS CloudFormation Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that make AWS CloudFormation worth learning, in my opinion, include its deployment speed. With a JSON or YAML text template, you can instantly provision multiple AWS resources in one go. Of course, you’ll have to spend time setting up a template, but I found it far more efficient than manually setting up deployments using the AWS Command Line Interface (CLI).
Integrations Native integrations are available for dozens of tools, including network scanning solutions such as Faddom and Autobahn network scanning, AI monitoring tool Mona, and no-code development platforms like AppMater and Neptune DXP.
Pricing: From $0.0009 per handler operation
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Offers a range of sample templates to provision your AWS resources
- Lets you model your cloud environment with text files like JSON or YAML
- Works with AWS and third-party resources
Cons
- Initial learning curve to configuring AWS CloudFormation
- May not be suitable for more complex deployments
5. GitHub - Best for DevOps collaboration
GitHub is a cloud-based service that allows developers to manage their code repositories and collaborate remotely with their team. It also integrates with various DevOps tools.
Why I picked GitHub: Distributed workforces can make collaboration challenging, which is why I chose GitHub as one of the top DevOps tools. Its distributed version control system (DVCS) replicates code repositories and tracks individual changes for each user. This means users can work independently and merge their changes later, regardless of their location.
GitHub Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that I think make GitHub a great tool for DevOps teams include GitHub Actions—a tool that allows you to build, test, and deploy applications from your GitHub repository. You can create your own actions or access pre-built workflows from the GitHub Marketplace. Another standout feature is GitHub Issues, which allows you to visualize projects as boards or tables and assign tasks to different users.
Integrations are pre-built for various platforms like CodeFactor, Azure Pipelines, Codacy, Jira, Argos CI, Slack, and DevHub.
Pricing: From $4/user/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Supports both on-premise and cloud deployments
- Offers Android and iOS mobile apps
- Provides collaboration tools to share and co-edit code
Cons
- Can be expensive for large development teams
- Steep learning curve for beginners
6. Chef - Best for cloud security management
Chef Automate is a DevOps platform that enables organizations to automate the process of managing, deploying, and securing their cloud infrastructure.
Why I picked Chef: I picked Chef for its robust cloud security management, which enforces compliance with industry best practices to protect your infrastructure. It works for on-premise and public cloud environments, as well as container and Kubernetes deployments.
Chef Standout Features and Integrations: asdf
Features that I think make Chef stand out include its IAC scanning tools that automatically scan your infrastructure for security vulnerabilities or misconfigurations. If your company operates in an industry with strict regulatory standards, using Chef can help ensure compliance. It can also automatically reconfigure IT resources at scale before they go into production.
Integrations are available natively for cloud platforms like AWS, GCP, and Azure. You can also use Chef’s native integration with ServiceNow to automate your IT operations and Terraform to provision infrastructure for the cloud.
Pricing: Pricing upon request
Trial: 60-day free trial
Pros
- Ensures that deployed systems comply with security standards
- Offers excellent customer support if any issues arise
- Provides comprehensive product documentation
Cons
- Has limited integrations with other tools
- Complex setup depending on your infrastructure
7. Terraform - Best for complex environments
Terraform is a cloud infrastructure automation tool from HashiCorp. It enables DevOps teams to manage and provision resources across on-premise and cloud environments.
Why I picked Terraform: I chose Terraform because it facilitates multi-cloud provisioning at scale—something that’s increasingly important as more companies rely on multiple cloud providers for their infrastructure. With Terraform, you can use the same workflow to provision resources and manage workloads across different providers.
Terraform Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that I liked in Terraform include its built-in drift detection capabilities that can identify configuration drift in your deployments. It does this by comparing the current state of your infrastructure against the desired state in your configuration file. The system reports any differences as drift, allowing you to maintain the integrity of your deployments.
Integrations are available natively for version control system (VCC) providers like GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Azure DevOps. Other native integrations include CI/CD tools GitHub Actions and CircleCI.
Pricing: From $0.00014/hour/resource
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- IaC features are great to streamline development in CI/CD pipelines
- Supports a range of cloud infrastructure providers
- Offers role-based access control to manage permissions
Cons
- Can be difficult to troubleshoot issues
- Doesn’t have built-in rollback capabilities
8. Ansible - Best for automating IT tasks
Ansible is an open-source platform that allows organizations to automate IT tasks like cloud provisioning and application deployment.
Why I picked Ansible: I picked Ansible because of its simplicity in automating repetitive IT tasks. The platform uses “playbooks” in simple yet another markup language (YAML) that tell Ansible what to do. This enables you to automate aspects of your infrastructure without writing custom code from scratch.
Ansible Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that I believe differentiate Ansible from other DevOps tools include its declarative language for easily defining the end state of your system. The agentless architecture means you don’t need to install software on your host server or set up a separate management structure. I also liked that the automation could be deployed easily both in the cloud and on-prem.
Integrations include native options for platforms like VMware, Cisco, Juniper, AWS, Microsoft Azure, GitHub, ServiceNow, Dynatrace, and Splunk.
Pricing: Pricing upon request
Trial: 60-day free trial
Pros
- Allows you to collaborate and share automations in one place
- Uses a declarative language, making configurations easy to maintain
- Doesn’t require that you install an agent on the host server
Cons
- Can be complex to set up and configure
- Playbooks are difficult to manage for large projects
9. Docker - Best for faster software delivery cycles
Docker is an open-source containerization platform that allows developers to package and deploy applications in isolated environments called containers.
Why I picked Docker: I put Docker on this list because containers are a game-changer for streamlining DevOps and Docker is arguably the best platform for developing containerized apps. Instead of setting up multiple virtual machines, you can use Docker to create a single container configuration that runs the same way atop any infrastructure, whether on-premise or in the cloud. The portable nature of Docker containers means you can quickly deploy applications to your production environments.
Docker Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that make me recommend Docker to DevOps teams include its scalability. Docker’s ability to spin up multiple instances of a container means that developers can scale their applications up or down based on workloads. Docker also supports version control, so you can roll a container image back to a previous version if necessary.
Integrations are available natively with integrated development environment (IDE) tools like Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ IDEA, and GitPod. Other native integrations include GitHub Actions, GitLab, CircleCI, and Render.
Pricing: From $5/month (billed annually)
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Containers are more lightweight and portable than virtual machines
- Makes it easy to scale applications based on demand
- Has a large and active community of developers
Cons
- Steep learning curve for developers unfamiliar with containerization
- Can be difficult to configure compared to traditional deployments
10. TeamCity - Best for CI/CD pipeline optimization
TeamCity is a CI/CD server from JetBrains that enables DevOps teams to automate the testing and deployment of software applications.
Why I picked TeamCity: Your end-users expect frequent software updates with new features and bug fixes, which is why I chose TeamCity. It helps you deliver these new versions quickly by automating code testing in your CI/CD pipeline. The fact that it provides instant feedback with associated code changes and builds artifacts makes it easier to troubleshoot issues.
TeamCity Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that impressed me about TeamCity are its code quality tracking features. These include support for testing frameworks like JUnit and code coverage tools like IntelliJ IDEA that assess new builds in your pipeline before you commit them. TeamCity also lets you create build configuration templates. You can apply these templates to new projects instead of setting up CI/CD pipelines from scratch.
Integrations are available natively for various platforms and services, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, Kubernetes, VMware, Mercurial, and Perforce.
Pricing: From $1,999.00 (first year)
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Supports popular programming languages like Java, Python, and Ruby
- Offers mobile apps for iOS and Android devices
- Allows you to set up and build templates
Cons
- Free plan has limited functionality
- Can be expensive for small development teams
11. New Relic - Best for application performance monitoring
New Relic is a real-time application performance monitoring (APM) tool that helps developers identify and resolve issues in their infrastructure.
Why I picked New Relic: I should point out that New Relic is primarily an infrastructure monitoring tool. However, I included it in this list because DevOps teams can use it to monitor the performance of their applications in real time. The insights the platform delivers can help you improve software performance and deliver better customer experiences.
New Relic Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that make New Relic stand out as a monitoring tool include its error-tracking capabilities; development teams can monitor errors in a single view and get all the details they need to identify root causes. Comparing code changes with historical data can help you assess your code’s impact on performance. I also like that its integration with Slack facilitates collaboration and enables teams to resolve issues before they affect end users.
Integrations are available natively for over 600 platforms and services. Notable integrations include Amazon ECS, CentOS, Elasticsearch, Kafka, MariaDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Redis.
Pricing: From $49/user/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Provides insights into the performance of your applications
- Helps teams identify optimization improvements in their software
- Offers a fully customizable dashboard
Cons
- Overwhelming interface
- Lack of comprehensive documentation for advanced features
12. Atlassian Open DevOps - Best for customization and flexibility
Atlassian Open DevOps is a platform that integrates Jira and partner tools, allowing DevOps teams to build a stack that supports their development processes.
Why I picked Atlassian Open DevOps: If you’re looking for a way to centralize the DevOps tools you use, I recommend checking out Atlassian Open DevOps. It combines four of Atlassian’s tools into one platform: Jira for issue tracking, Bitbucket for CI/CD, Opsgenie for incident response, and Confluence for documentation. You can also add the tools you use to fit your workflow.
Atlassian Open DevOps Standout Features and Integrations:
Features that impressed me about Atlassian Open DevOps include its native support for a host of tools that support the entire DevOps life cycle. One-click installations made it easy for me to add the tools I regularly use and configure the platform based on my needs. With Atlassian Open DevOps, you get access to Jira’s extensive automation template library, where you can automate repetitive tasks across your projects.
Integrations are available natively for various platforms like Bitbucket, CircleCI, Datadog, Dynatrace, GitHub, Jenkins, Microsoft Teams, Miro, Slack, and PagerDuty. There are also pre-built integrations available through the Atlassian Marketplace.
Pricing: From $7.75/user/month
Trial: Free plan available
Pros
- Supports an extensive range of third-party tools
- Offers robust issue tracking and project management
- Has iOS and Android mobile apps available
Cons
- Initial learning curve, especially for users unfamiliar with Jira
- Some users note slow loading times
Other Options
Still looking? Here are a few more notable DevOps tools to choose from:
- CircleCI - Best CI/CD automations
- Artifactory - Best for hosting and managing artifacts
- Spinnaker - Best for application management and software delivery
- Salt - Best for complex IT systems
- Rancher - Best for enterprise Kubernetes management
- Selenium - Best for testing web applications
- Packer - Best for automating image builds
- GitLab CI/CD - Best for continuous methodologies
- Apache Maven - Best build automation tool
- Nagios - Best for infrastructure monitoring
- Gradle - Best for multi-language development
- Sentry - Best for error tracking
- SysAid - Best for IT service automation
Selection Criteria For DevOps Tools
Wondering how I came up with my list? Here’s a closer look at the selection criteria I followed to identify the best DevOps tools for this article:
Core Functionality
I prioritized tools with the following functionalities:
- Enable you to automatically build and test code changes
- Allow you to create and provision resources at scale
- Offer flexible deployment options
- Automate repetitive IT tasks
- Integrate with third-party tools and services
Key Features
To deliver the core functionalities listed above, I looked for DevOps platforms with the following features:
- Continuous integration: Continuous integration is a major part of DevOps, so I looked for tools that could automate the building and testing of new code.
- Continuous delivery: Automatically deploying code to production environments allows for faster software delivery cycles.
- Configuration management: This refers to managing configurations for different development environments. I prioritized solutions that can enforce desired states and identify configuration drift.
- Infrastructure as Code (IAC): This is the practice of provisioning infrastructure resources through code. Solutions that offered IaC templates were far more likely to make it onto my list.
Usability
A key aspect of any tool is ease of use. DevOps tools that are difficult to use or require extensive training can slow development processes. I chose solutions with user-friendly interfaces. I also preferred platforms that offered extensive documentation and helpful support.
People Also Ask
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions about DevOps:
What automation features are popular in DevOps?
What collaboration features should a DevOps tool have?
How can I tell if a DevOps tool supports scalability?
What Next?
Users today have higher expectations than ever. The right DevOps tools can facilitate better collaboration and enable faster development cycles without compromising on quality. Use this list of the best DevOps tools to find a solution that fits your needs.
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