20 Most Popular DevOps Tools in 2023

DevOps is a software development approach that combines software development and operations. It aims to shorten the development lifecycle and provide continuous delivery and deployment of software.

Introduction

DevOps is a software engineering practice combination of development and operations. Tools that can help organizations to achieve their goals under this concept are what we refer to as DevOps tools. These tools can significantly facilitate processes and optimize workflows from development to deployment and monitoring. To stay ahead and give you an edge in the quickly evolving tech world, here are 20 of the best DevOps tools to watch out for in 2023. 

Definition: DevOps Tools 

DevOps tools are automated tools that streamline and accelerate the development and operational processes. This helps organizations in automation and real-time monitoring of their systems. Additionally, DevOps tools enable collaboration among teams and optimize workflow. Standard DevOps tools tasks include, but are not limited to, configuration management, continuous integration and delivery, incident management, service experience management, and container orchestration. 

Top 20 DevOps Tools Lists

Many tools are available to assist with implementing DevOps practices and methodologies. To help you make the right choice for your organization, we have compiled a list of the top 20 DevOps tools on the market. These tools were chosen based on how popular they are, how well they work, and how well they support the core ideas of DevOps, such as collaboration, automation, and continuous delivery.

Chef

Chef is a powerful DevOps automation tool. It helps to solve configuration management problems related to IT infrastructure and applications. With Chef, you can reduce the complexity of tasks and automate the software deployment lifecycle. It also facilitates hassle-free migration of IT environments with its compliance and security regulations.

Features

Infrastructure as code
Custom resources and cookbooks
Data-driven automation
Policy-based governance

Netflix and Nordstrom are some of the companies that use Chef. 

Git

Git is one of the most popular distributed version control tools for source code management. It is a free and open-source tool that helps track source code changes. It also facilitates collaboration and easy rollback of changes. Any organization looking forward to extending its DevOps pipeline has to have Git on its list of must-have tools.

Features

Distributed version control
Branching and merging
Collaborative workflows
Data integrity

Facebook and Microsoft use Git for their source code management. 

Puppet

Quite similar to Chef, Puppet is a configuration management tool used to automate administrative tasks about systems and their applications. Using Puppet, you can easily manage multiple hosts, which is a huge time-saver. Puppets can be used to manage infrastructure across multi-cloud and hybrid-cloud environments.

Features

Declarative language
Cross-platform support
Resource management
Agent/master architecture

It helps organizations improve the speed of application deployment and reduces downtime. Google, Bloomberg, and Intel use Puppet. 

Kubernetes (K8s)

Kubernetes is a container-orchestration tool popularly used in DevOps practice. It is an open-source platform that helps to automate application deployments, scaling, and management of container-based services. Using Kubernetes, you can easily manage container components within an infrastructure. Additionally, it ensures the availability and scalability of applications within the system.

Features

A cluster-based system
A container orchestrator
An open platform for container orchestration
A distributed system that has predictable resource usage

Companies such as Spotify, Adobe, and Microsoft are some popular users of Kubernetes. 

Nagios

Nagios is an open-source network monitoring platform that monitors networks and servers. It is used to detect and troubleshoot any problems related to performance or availability. It also helps administrators identify potential issues and act on them before they become critical.

Features

Network, server, and application monitoring
Custom plugins and alerts
Centralized configuration
Escalation and notification

A powerful instrument used as a DevOps tool to monitor and secure devices, including applications, services, OSs, networks, and system metrics. Facebook and Intel use Nagios. 

Docker

Docker is a container-based platform used for simplifying the deployment of applications. It helps to automate processes related to the deployment, testing, and running of applications. It also enables developers to move their applications into production using industry-standard container technology.

Features

Containerization of applications
Image management
Volume management
Networking

Docker provides organizations with the scalability, flexibility, and portability they need. Paypal, eBay, and Adobe are the popular users of Docker. 

Ansible

Ansible is an open-source configuration management and automation tool for deploying, configuring, and managing applications and services. It has a simple and easy-to-understand configuration language. It also helps to automate lengthy tasks in a short time. Ansible saves time and resources, making it a perfect tool for organizations looking for convenient and efficient workflows.

Features

Infrastructure as code
Idempotent operations
Agentless architecture
Task automation

Dell and Adobe are some of the users of Ansible. 

Selenium

Selenium is an open-source, automated testing platform made for web applications. It helps detect and fix bugs quickly, saving time and money. It also enables testers to create more robust and powerful test scripts with minimal effort. Selenium can be employed to identify and resolve any compatibility issues with different platforms and browsers.

Features

Cross-browser testing
Test script recording and replay
Test result reporting
Test parallelization

Organizations such as Intuit and WordPress use Selenium. 

Jenkins

Jenkins is an open-source automation and continuous integration tool for managing and monitoring software development. It helps teams to deliver software no matter the size and complexity. Jenkins automates tasks with its wide range of plugins and is preferred for its flexibility and scalability.

Features

Automated builds and tests
Customizable pipelines
Plugin system
Distributed builds

Companies that use Jenkins include Netflix, Twitter, and Google. 

Splunk

Splunk is a machine-data analytics platform that digitizes and indexes machine data in real-time. It is used to create alerts, dashboards, and reports to improve the performance of applications and systems. This helps organizations gain visibility into their operations and accelerate their DevOps pipelines.

Features

Real-time data collection and indexing
Search and analysis of machine data
Custom dashboards and alerts
Integration with various data sources

LinkedIn and eBay are popular users of Splunk. 

Slack

Slack is a collaboration platform used by organizations to facilitate communication. Its simple and intuitive interface makes it ideal for teams in different departments and locations to stay connected. This makes communication faster and more efficient, reducing errors and cases of miscommunication.

Features

Group and direct messaging
File sharing
Audio and video calls
Custom integrations

Big names such as NASA, SalesForce, and Adobe use slack. 

SaltStack

SaltStack is an open-source and powerful tool used for configuration management. It helps to deploy and manage applications in the cloud or on-premises. SaltStack accelerates the development process, automating repetitive tasks and improving efficiency.

Features

Declarative configuration management
Remote execution
Event-driven automation
Scalability

It is used mainly for large-scale instances. Popular users are Google, Uber, and Change. 

Maven

Maven is an automation tool used for project management and application building. It helps to automate and simplify the whole project process by letting people work together and keeping track of how projects depend on each other. Maven helps to make projects much more consistent, thereby improving the quality of the applications.

Features

Dependency management
Project builds and testing
Project documentation
Plugin system

Companies such as Sony and Walmart use Maven. 

QuerySurge

QuerySurge is a data testing tool used to streamline the testing of large and complex databases. It helps to detect differences in expected and actual data quickly and is an excellent tool for accelerating DevOps pipelines. It is a cost-effective and scalable solution that helps organizations speed up their development projects.

Features

Automated data testing
Data validation
Data comparison
Test result reporting
Integration with various data sources and testing frameworks

Oracle and IBM are some of the top users of QuerySurge. 

Vagrant 

Vagrant is an automation tool used for creating and configuring development environments. It helps to simplify and streamline platform-agnostic development processes. It makes development environments virtual, so teams can work in the same environment no matter where they are.

Features

Virtual machine management
Development environment provisioning
Configuration management
Collaborative development

Popular users include Microsoft and Adobe.

Consul 

Consul is an open-source multi-cloud service networking platform made for automating and scaling distributed architecture. It helps to connect, secure, and monitor services, applications, and networks in real-time. Consul reduces incident resolution time, improving business productivity.

Features

Service discovery
Health checking
Key/value storage
Multi-datacenter support

Companies such as Atlassian and Credit Suisse use Consul.

Code Climate 

Code Climate is a tool for analyzing and optimizing code, making code better, and moving development along faster. It has a powerful, easy-to-use interface that makes code analysis and reviews practical and safe. It is the perfect tool for organizations to secure and improve their existing codes.

Features

Static analysis
Test coverage analysis
Duplication detection
Security vulnerability detection

Google, Amazon, and Apple are some of the top Code Climate users.

Gremlin 

Gremlin is a chaos engineering platform used for accelerating development and testing processes. It helps to identify and eliminate any weaknesses in applications and systems. It includes tools and processes that help organizations reach their goals for reliability, availability, and scalability.

Features

Controlled failure injection
Custom chaos experiments
Observability integrations
Collaborative incident resolution

Some of the companies that use Gremlin are Microsoft and NASA.

PagerDuty

PagerDuty is an incident and alert management platform used to detect and respond to IT issues quickly and resolve them just as fast. It helps organizations control incidents and optimize operations efficiently. This is an essential tool for IT and DevOps teams, enabling quick response to incidents and outages and reducing the impact on business operations.

Features

On-call scheduling
Incident response and escalation
Custom incident workflows
Integration with monitoring and alerting tools

Companies such as Slack and Walmart are some of the most significant users of PagerDuty.

Phantom 

Phantom is a security orchestration tool used to simplify and automate security operations. It helps improve incident response times, enabling users to quickly detect, investigate, and respond to threats. It also ensures that the security operations are updated with the latest security threats.

Features

Security incident response automation
Threat intelligence management
Custom playbooks
Integration with security tools

Popular users include Microsoft and Adobe. 

Conclusions 

DevOps tools are crucial in assisting an organization’s development and operational processes. This article lists 20 of the most popular DevOps tools you should look out for in 2023. The list contains popular tools such as Chef, Kubernetes, Puppet, and Nagios. With these tools’ help, organizations can speed up their DevOps pipelines and stay ahead of the competition.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

What are DevOps tools?

DevOps tools are automated tools that streamline and accelerate development and operational processes. Tasks related to configuration management, continuous integration and delivery, incident management, service experience management, and container orchestration can be performed using DevOps tools. 

What are some DevOps tools examples? 

Chef, Git, Puppet, Kubernetes, Nagios, Docker, Ansible, Selenium, Jenkins, Splunk, Slack, Saltstack, Maven, QuerySurge, Vagrant, Consul, Code Climate, Gremlin, PagerDuty, and Phantom are some famous DevOps tools examples. 

Is Jenkins a DevOps tool? 

Yes, Jenkins is an open-source automation and continuous integration tool for managing and monitoring software development. 

Which are the Best DevOps Tools? 

Chef, Git, Puppet, Kubernetes, Nagios, Docker, Ansible, Selenium, Jenkins, Splunk, Slack, Saltstack, Maven, QuerySurge, Vagrant, Consul, Code Climate, Gremlin, PagerDuty, and Phantom are some of the best DevOps tools in 2023. 

Which DevOps tools are suitable for your team? 

The answer depends on your team’s requirements. Some of the things you should think about are automation, IT infrastructure, application needs, budget, and scalability.