Many application development teams utilise DevOps tools to create their software products. DevOps tools help users manage and automate the software development process, simplifying it as a result.
These solutions can also perform other helpful functions, like running tests to ensure the quality of software products or assisting users with compliance requirements. Needless to say, these DevOps tools are greatly valued by those who use them.
As a result of their popularity among software developers and organisations, the industry has been booming in the past few years, and is expected to continue growing.
Take a look below at some of the popular DevOps products available for developers in the UK.
DevOps Tools and Solutions
Best for System AdministrationÂ
Red Hat Ansible
Ansible offers a server and configuration management tool that helps its users to develop applications that can react and scale based on demand. They have helpful features for both development and operations, like bug discovery capabilities and automated patching. Their IT automation process is made safe with the ability for users to establish security baselines, identical quality assurance, development and production. And when it comes to rolling out the final product, Ansible can help align IT with businesses through increased collaboration. Users can also automate their configurational requirements across their organisational teams and automate resource provisioning.
Ansible offers a free trial for its DevOps product, after which it is priced based on tier levels. Those interested in the product can contact Ansible for pricing. The platform can integrate with many different popular services and applications for business and testing.
According to online customer reviews, the product was well-received and reviewers also praised the tool for its ability to help them automate their system administration tasks quickly and easily.
Best for Ensuring Application Quality
AppDynamics
AppDynamics is a Cisco product with DevOps monitoring to ensure quality for its users. The product is cloud-based, and users can benefit from end-to-end visibility of their infrastructures, applications and services. In addition, hybrid environments existing in real-time allow teams to work together in the system and gain valuable insights on automated performance processes. And to help with improving DevOps processes, users can utilise the real-time business and customer telemetry to view their progress with meeting objectives and identifying areas needing revision. The solution makes it easy to access these insights with observability across their business application ecosystems, including serverless and 5G-enabled mobile devices.
After a free trial, interested buyers can receive a custom quote based on the needs of their organisation and the current tier levels. The system’s AppDynamics + ThousandEyes solutions help with network monitoring, so users can integrate and observe each of their global third-party services and SaaS to identify issues with performance.
Some reviewers appreciated the product’s application monitoring features, whereas others found room for improvement in the system’s dashboard and user-friendliness.
Best for Tech-Savvy Users
Azure
Microsoft Azure, of course, has its own tool for DevOps solutions. One of the interesting features involves testing, which lets users capture valuable data on their applications with end-to-end traceability. Scripted tests allow users to gain actionable insights, and tests can even be designed and executed simultaneously. The Azure Boards tools make it easier for users to track their application development plans and processes with each of their team members. Users will also like that the tool has cloud-hosted private Git repositories for code building. Azure Artifacts make team organising and sharing data easy for teams. Seamless package handling can also be integrated into users’ CI/CD pipeline through the system. If you’re looking for an organised tool to help you maintain efficiency in your development processes, this tool may be good for you if you’re tech-savvy enough to handle it.
Azure DevOps services are priced at tiers determined by their features and capabilities, so be diligent when deciding which plan would work best for you. Users can integrate extensions with over 1,000 apps and services, including SonarCloud and Slack.
Users who left online reviews were overall pleased with the tool for managing their software and application development processes. Still, some expressed difficulty with factors like third-party integrations and merging.
Best for Compliance
Chef
Chef is part of the Progress product portfolio and its DevOps solution helps ease the enterprise automation process and promotes safety. Its chief compliance feature allows users to maintain visibility and compliance in each of their actions continuously, and the tool has customisable audit content based on CIS and STIG benchmarks. In addition, the act of remediating issues is simplified with the remediation functionality that can be modified to accommodate users’ specific corporate needs. The solution uses open source tools with policy-based configuration system software, IT automation, and runbook automation for ensuring consistency and quality.
Those interested in the solution can contact Chef for pricing. The platform integrates with a wide range of plugins, allowing easy connections and continuous delivery.
However, while many reviewers appreciate the tool for its configuration management features, others have expressed criticisms for its complexity. Therefore, it may not be the most beginner-friendly tool when it comes to ease of use.
Best for Containerising Applications
Docker
Docker allows users to develop applications through its end-to-end platform both locally and in the cloud. It has many capabilities designed to assist users with the development, shipment and deployment of their apps. Docker ‘containers’ help with the application building and efficiency process, as they are a standard unit of software that packages up dependencies and code, allowing software to run quickly across computing environments and networks. Users can code and develop software for both Windows and Mac applications and collaborate with other team members through the Docker Hub. Team work is also made easy with Docker Hub Audit Logs that gives insights into activity history. Through Docker, users can deliver multiple applications at once, and the Docker Compose CLI makes it easy to ensure the speed of their products.
Pricing is conducted through monthly or annual subscriptions, and costs for higher-level plans increase based on price per user. Users can utilise other helpful applications through the platform’s integrations with GitHub, AWS, JFrog, CircleCI, VS Code, Azure and more.
Most reviewers online were happy with Docker’s microservices functions and image creation capabilities.
Best for Workflow Management
Git
Git is a free source control system allowing users to manage their workflows for each of their actions and programs. Git makes version-control and workflow collaboration easy for its users. Users can have multiple local development branches for creating, merging, and changing each of their projects, and switching between them to make alterations. The solution’s branching system means that users can implement them at one time. Its locally performed operations on centralised systems mean faster processing and reduced overhead for users. Git allows teams to stage their files in the best ways for their needs. The platform also provides users with helpful features for processes like data assurance management, trademarking and distribution.
If you’re interested in the product, you’re in luck because Git provides a free trial and a free version for its users. Git’s source code management tool can integrate with other business applications like Azure, GitHub and GitLab, among others.
Reviews online reflect an appreciation for the tool’s coding features and capabilities.
Best for Beginners and Customisation
Gradle
Gradle offers a build tool for users wishing to accelerate their automated application and software development rate. Notable features include the capability to run customisable scans for debugging, grid comparisons, tracking and metrics, to name a few. The customisation features don’t end here, as the platform’s exclusion options mean that users can pick and choose tasks to exclude from automation so that they can build a system fine-tuned to their needs. Through this, users can alter tasks and their dependencies easily, and they can run error reports to resolved modules and artifacts.
The system’s API, plugins and integrations help users automate quickly and scale their development from end to end. For task-level caching, plugins that work with the platform include Kotlin, C++, Scala and Android. Finally, it even offers features specific to its integrated ecosystems, like Android, Objective C, Swift, JVM and more. Free training and trials are available for this tool, which is a generous perk.
Of the reviews we could find online, many enjoyed the product for its cache features and integrations. However, some wish that the tool could improve the speed of its functions.
Best for Self-Service Automation
Puppet
Puppet offers a DevOps tool that helps teams and individual users to eliminate their manual tasks with its imperative operation and model-driven automation. It provides a secure way to automate infrastructure with less effort and flexible options. Users can manage their infrastructure with imperative and declarative automation types. The system is secured by providing pre-built patching task automation for Windows and Linux. Additionally, the solution has security and compliance requirements, so users can feel confident that they can maintain compliance and easily remediate any issues. With Puppet’s Self-service automation, users can own and manage their own infrastructure authoring, validation and delivery of the automation content for their service without worrying about blocking complications. Users can also benefit from valuable insights on automation performance.
Users can choose from flexible pricing options for multi-year purchases, academic institutions, larger volumes, and other qualifiers to receive the best solution for their needs. In addition, the system can integrate with various third-party applications and resources, including Google Cloud, AWS, Azure, Splunk, Red Hat and more.
While some online reviewers criticised the product’s ease of use, others enjoyed its scripting and testing features.
Best for Performance Monitoring and Insights
Raygun
Raygun provides a DevOps service that helps its users to gain and use actionable insights from their applications. The system’s code-level insights allow users to gain a better understanding of their application’s performance, quality and health in real-time, so they can resolve issues efficiently and quickly. Performance is maintained through tracking, filtered metrics for comparing data, and instance-level diagnostics to identify issues and resolve performance bottlenecks. Real-user insights mean that every deployment is monitored for issues like errors and crashes, so users can be proactive about staying on top of potential problems. Additionally, the customer-experience monitoring means ensuring satisfaction and quality.
Raygun offers a free trial of its products, after which it charges based on annual or monthly plans. The solution plays well with other programs, even providing language support for systems like iOS, React, Android, JavaScript and Xamarin, to name a few. Users who integrate their platform with Slack can even receive daily performance summaries for each of their team’s members.
Reviewers of Raygun seem to enjoy the product’s capabilities for handling issues and crashes. However, some had criticisms regarding the company’s pricing methods.
Best for Infrastructure Monitoring
Splunk
Splunk provides application development and delivery services through its DevOps application. Its platform assists users through each step of the delivery lifecycle through its many specialised features. Features that promote security include automated incident management capabilities and a monitoring toolset that helps users eliminate blind spots, locate and eradicate problems, and recover with post-incident reports. It’s all made possible with the help of DevOps monitoring, which is performed in real-time by the Splunk platform. In addition, the platform monitors the performance of servers and infrastructure to improve the velocity and quality of the application delivery process.
There is a free trial of the solutions for those interested. The infrastructure monitoring service is available as an affordable standard or a more advanced enterprise plan. Prices begin at approximately $15 (£11) per host monthly, billed annually. Splunk’s product has many integration options with popular apps for business and collaboration to bring in data from multiple sources across the user’s entire network.
Customers reflected satisfaction in reviews for the system’s real-time status, but several reviewers shared their criticisms about the program’s cost and learning curve.
