Best Automation Tools For DevOps

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DevOps automation tools are software applications that help streamline repetitive software development and IT operations tasks. They improve the continuous integration and delivery pipeline, reducing errors and increasing efficiency. Moreover, these automation tools for DevOps support configuration management, continuous integration and deployment, and infrastructure as code. Hence, organizations can have more time-to-market and high-quality software releases.

DevOps Automation Tools

Although there are many automation tools for DevOps, however, some of the top automation tools are -

Ansible

It is an open-source IT automation tool that helps organizations automate repetitive tasks and manage their infrastructure. Ansible can automate various tasks, such as software deployment, configuration management, cloud provisioning, and security management. It uses a simple, human-readable language called YAML to define tasks and workflows. This makes it easy for developers, system administrators, and IT teams to interact. Moreover, it can integrate with other tools, like (CI/CD), making it easy to incorporate into existing workflows.

For example, system administrators can use Ansible to automate the deployment of a new application across multiple servers. They can create a playbook specifying the steps needed to deploy the application, including installing dependencies, copying files, and starting services. So, Ansible can run the playbook on all the servers in parallel, ensuring that the deployment is consistent and error-free. This eventually saves the administrator significant time and effort compared to manually deploy the application on each server. Moreover, Ansible's ability to manage multiple servers simultaneously makes it ideal for large-scale deployments.

Puppet

Among the widely used DevOps automation tools for IT automation, Puppet is specifically for infrastructure management and configuration. Organizations use this to automate tasks like software installation, configuration management, and security management.

This tool uses a declarative language called Puppet DSL to define the desired state of infrastructure and maintain it over time. It operates on a client-server architecture, with a centralized Puppet server maintaining a version-controlled repository of all infrastructure configurations. Moreover, Puppet agents installed on individual servers and devices communicate with the server to ensure their configurations align with the desired state.

So, for a system administrator managing multiple servers to ensure that each server runs optimally and up-to-date is nerve-wracking. However, Puppet can simplify and streamline this complex and time-consuming process. Here, the user can write code that defines the desired state of each server, including the software packages and configurations. This code can then be automatically deployed to each server, saving the user from the manual effort of updating individually. Moreover, this also reduces the risk of human error.

Chef

Chef is one of the top DevOps automation tools for configuration and infrastructure management in corporations. It enables teams to define the desired infrastructure state using code and automate configuration and maintenance. This automation tool uses a simple DSL for writing infrastructure code. So, it improves efficiency and reduces human error by automating app deployment, scaling, and management. Moreover, Chef can also integrate with many tools and platforms, including cloud providers, making it a top choice for many.

For instance, if software developers want to change a company's e-commerce website. Typically, they would manually do A/B testing with current and new websites. However, the existing platform can be cloned to a test platform in a few minutes with Chef. This eliminates the manual setting up of servers or clusters.

Jenkins

Among the powerful open-source automation tools for DevOps used in software delivery is Jenkins. This top automation tool supports continuous integration and delivery with other tools and plugins. Moreover, it is language agnostic and works perfectly with various operating and version control systems. Furthermore, the web interface for managing and monitoring automation processes makes it ideal for handling complex pipeline workflows at scale.

Suppose a software developer wants to increase the code's efficiency. So, Jenkins can streamline the development by converting command prompt code into a user-friendly GUI. Since tasks are encapsulated in Jenkins, so the process becomes easier and more efficient. Moreover, customization and user input through parametrized Jenkins tasks results in substantial saving.

Terraform

It is an open-source infrastructure as code (IAC) tool that provides a way to automate the creation, configuration, and management of infrastructure resources. Terraform enables users to define their infrastructure in a high-level configuration language and generates the required cloud provider templates and resources. This allows teams to version control, test, and roll back infrastructure changes, improving the reliability and efficiency of infrastructure operations. Moreover, Terraform can manage popular cloud providers such as AWS, GCP, Azure, etc., as well as on-premise environments and other third-party services, Terraform in DevOps is making it among the top automation tools for DevOps.

Docker

It is a widely used open-source platform for containerizing apps. Docker's containerization approach simplifies app management and deployment at scale as the containers provide a consistent environment for apps to run, encapsulating all dependencies and configurations. Moreover, it standardizes app containers for easy sharing and collaboration among DevOps and customers and with features to speed up the development and release cycle. Furthermore, its extensive community and ecosystem provide access to many pre-built container images for quick app building and deployment.

Consider an application that needs to be isolated, such as for cost reduction through server consolidation or for breaking down a monolithic application into separate components. So, running two REST API servers requires Apache but has different version requirements. Here, using containers allows the "dependency hell" of managing conflicting Apache versions.

Kubernetes

Kubernetes is an open-source platform for automating containerized applications' deployment, scaling, and management. It helps to manage containers as a single unit, called a pod, which allows for easy scaling, rolling updates, and failover. Kubernetes provides a unified solution for deploying and managing containers, making running complex, large-scale applications easier. This platform also supports various stateless and stateful applications and can run on any cloud, on-premises, or hybrid infrastructure.

For instance, an operator wants to utilize both internal resources and the unlimited computing power of the cloud. A hybrid cloud setup allows for utilizing existing hardware resources while increasing computing capacity without new hardware purchases. Here, Kubernetes acts as a container orchestration tool in a multi-cloud operating system, allowing the operator to specify the resources needed without worrying about the operating system's location or provider.

Also Read: What is Orchestration in DevOps?

Nagios

Nagios is among the popular open-source automation tools for DevOps to monitor the availability, performance, and status of IT infrastructure components like servers, applications, and network devices. It sends alerts in case of failures or unusual behavior and provides detailed information for a quick resolution. Moreover, it also provides a centralized view of the entire IT infrastructure and can be integrated with other tools for extended functionality. This is why many enterprises use this to ensure system uptime and prevent downtime incidents. This tool can also be customized with plugins and add-ons to meet specific monitoring needs.

Splunk

Splunk is one of the leading automation tools for DevOps software platforms that enable organizations to collect, index, analyze, and visualize big data generated from various sources. It provides real-time operational intelligence that helps organizations to detect and resolve issues quickly. Moreover, it provides a centralized view of data, enabling organizations to make data-driven decisions and improve operations. With its scalable architecture, Splunk can handle massive amounts of data, making it an ideal solution for large organizations. It is also used for log management, security analytics, network analysis, and performance monitoring.

For example, the user wants to simplify the process of understanding complex machine data. So, the user can input the machine data into Splunk for processing and extracting the relevant information. This saves the user from spending hours deciphering complex logs and quickly identifying where problems occurred.

New Relic

This is a software analytics platform that provides real-time insights into application performance. It monitors applications and infrastructure to identify issues and provide data-driven recommendations for improvement. New Relic also provides a centralized dashboard to visualize and analyze application performance data and integrates with various technologies such as servers, mobile devices, and microservices. This helps the DevOps teams quickly identify and resolve performance bottlenecks, improve user experience and drive business growth.

For instance, the developers want to monitor and manage app deployments by correlating app performance changes and deployments. So, with New Relic's deployment tracking feature, they can easily identify and resolve issues during deployments through APM charts and dashboards.

Grafana

Grafana is another powerful open-source devops automation tool for visualizing and analyzing data. It supports multiple data sources, including Prometheus, InfluxDB, and Elasticsearch, and provides a customizable dashboard for displaying metrics and alerts, making monitoring your system and identifying trends easy. Moreover, it also offers collaboration and sharing features, allowing teams to work together on creating and maintaining a comprehensive monitoring system.

AWS CloudFormation

AWS CloudFormation is a service that helps automate, create, update, and delete AWS infrastructure. It allows users to define the infrastructure as code in a JSON or YAML template and then manage the entire stack as a single unit. This eliminates manual tasks, reduces errors, and helps track infrastructure changes over time. The CloudFormation supports a wide range of AWS services and can be integrated with other tools like AWS CLI and AWS SDKs. So, users can quickly and easily build, update, and manage the cloud environment.

Azure DevOps

This is a suite of development tools provided by Microsoft. It includes various services such as Git Repository Management, Agile Project Management, continuous integration, and delivery, testing, and reporting. Azure DevOps helps organizations streamline the development process and release high-quality software faster. Moreover, it integrates with many tools and platforms, making it easy to automate the development pipeline. Additionally, it also offers a centralized platform to manage the entire software development life cycle, from planning to deployment, making it among the top automation tools for DevOps.

Factors to Consider Before Deciding on the DevOps Automation Tools

It is ideal to ensure whether a particular DevOps automation tool justifies the requirement. So, some key factors to consider before deciding on the DevOps automation tool are -

The type of project, such as a tool for infrastructure management or continuous integration.
Integration with other tools to avoid switching between multiple tools for different tasks.
Customization feature to fit specific requirements, such as custom scripts and plugins.
Has a user-friendly interface and provides monitoring and reporting features to track progress.
Offers community support to users and developers for any assistance.
Meets security requirements against hacking and data breaches.

Takeaway

DevOps automation tools are essential to boost efficiency and enhance the software development and deployment processes. That is why top companies prefer to hire a professional having DevOps Training. After all, a trained talent ensures the best outcomes. With expert trainers having 20+ years of experience, 6 Months of Certified Project Experience, and a 100% Job Guarantee, enroll in this Devops Online Training Course and take your career to a new height.

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