The DevOps industry is booming, with DevOps jobs rising to the top five most sought-after tech roles in 2024.1 More and more companies want to hire DevOps professionals because of their ability to use special tools that make software development faster and more efficient.
However, despite this surging demand, 64% of IT leaders struggle to find people with the right technical skills in this field.2 This gap in the industry provides a huge opportunity for those seeking career growth. Mastering DevOps tools and enhancing technical skills can future-proof your career in the tech industry.
What Are DevOps Tools?
DevOps tools are software designed to help achieve the goal of DevOps: to develop and deploy software faster, more efficiently, and with better quality. They are used to apply key DevOps principles, such as automation, continuous integration, and enhanced collaboration between development and operations teams.
For instance, DevOps automation means using tools run by simple scripts to handle tasks that are traditionally done by hand, such as setting up infrastructure, configuring servers, and monitoring systems. These tools also help continuously integrate new codes into a project. For example, when a developer updates the code, tools can automatically test, bundle, and deploy it to the app in an instant. They can also help teams collaborate better by providing instant feedback, keeping everyone on the same page, and streamlining communication between development and operations.
Key DevOps Tools IT Professionals Need to Know
Tech professionals have a long list of high-quality software that they use for DevOps. Some of these tools have already set the industry standard because of their exceptional capabilities and innovative features. After being used by top companies for many years, the following examples have proven to be the most effective and reliable tools for DevOps.
1. Git
Git is a distributed version control system that manages changes in your codebase, making it easier for teams to collaborate by efficiently managing different versions of code. It allows developers to work on different features or fixes at the same time by creating separate branches, which can all be merged back into the main project once needed. Git also records a detailed history of all code changes, so if something goes wrong, you can easily roll back to a previous version. Additionally, platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket enhance Git by offering features like pull requests, code reviews, and integration with other DevOps tools.
2. Jenkins
Jenkins is an open-source automation server that simplifies the process of building, testing, and deploying software. It reduces manual effort and human error in Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CICD) processes. Jenkins enables continuous integration by automatically running tests whenever developers make changes to the code. If the changes pass the tests, Jenkins can also handle continuous delivery by deploying the updated application to a staging or production environment. Furthermore, this tool supports a vast library of plugins, making it compatible with almost any tool or workflow in DevOps.
3. Docker
Docker is a tool that packages an application and its necessary components into a lightweight, portable container. This ensures that the application runs the same way, regardless of the environment—whether it’s a developer’s laptop, a testing server, or a production environment. Containers are more efficient than virtual machines because they share the host system’s operating system, making them faster to start and consume fewer resources. This DevOps tool makes it easy to build, ship, and run applications consistently across different platforms.
4. Kubernetes
Kubernetes is a platform that automates the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized applications. While Docker helps create containers, Kubernetes handles running those containers at scale. It ensures that the right number of containers are running, distributes traffic between them, and restarts any that fail. This DevOps tool is ideal for managing complex applications with many components, as it simplifies tasks like scaling resources during peak traffic or recovering from failures automatically.
5. Terraform
Terraform allows you to define and manage your infrastructure using code, making it easier to automate and version your infrastructure setup. With Terraform, you write configuration files that describe the desired state of your resources—like servers, databases, and networks—and Terraform creates and aligns them with this desired state. It works across multiple cloud providers, like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, giving you a unified way to manage infrastructure. This approach makes deploying, updating, and scaling infrastructure faster and less error-prone.
6. Ansible
Ansible is a simple yet powerful tool for automating IT tasks like configuring servers, deploying applications, and orchestrating complex workflows. It uses YAML files to define tasks in a human-readable format, making it accessible even to beginners. Unlike other tools, Ansible is agentless, which means you don’t need to install additional software on the systems it manages. This simplicity, combined with its effectiveness, makes Ansible a popular choice for maintaining consistency across servers and environments.
7. Prometheus
Prometheus is an open-source monitoring system designed to collect metrics from various sources, such as servers, applications, and databases. It allows you to query these metrics to monitor system performance and diagnose issues quickly. Prometheus also supports alerting, so you can set up thresholds—for example, if CPU usage exceeds 80%—and get notified when something goes wrong. It’s widely used in combination with tools like Kubernetes to monitor containerized environments.
8. Grafana
Grafana is a visualization tool that works with monitoring data from Prometheus and other sources. It allows you to create interactive dashboards to track metrics like system performance, application response times, and error rates. With this DevOps tool, teams can easily spot patterns and identify issues by analyzing clear, customizable graphs and charts. This visual representation of data helps teams make informed decisions quickly, whether it’s optimizing performance or addressing a critical failure.
9. ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)
The ELK Stack is a suite of tools designed for managing and analyzing log data. Logstash collects and processes logs from various sources, while Elasticsearch stores and indexes these logs, making them easily searchable. Finally, Kibana provides a user-friendly interface for visualizing the data. Together, these tools help teams centralize logs, troubleshoot issues faster, and gain insights into their systems. For example, if a server crashes, the ELK Stack can help pinpoint what went wrong by analyzing the logs.
10. Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Instead of using physical hardware, cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) provide the infrastructure and services needed to host and manage applications. They offer resources like virtual machines, databases (such as managed services), and storage that can be scaled up or down as needed. These platforms enable businesses to focus on building their applications without worrying about managing physical hardware. AWS, for instance, offers services like EC2 for virtual machines, S3 for storage, and RDS for managed databases, making it a comprehensive solution for modern DevOps workflows.
Find the best DevOps career opportunities with C4 Technical Services.
At C4 Technical Services, we believe that the skills you’re developing deserve the best opportunities. That’s why we are here to connect talented IT professionals like you with top-notch tech employers. From DevOps management to data science and full-stack development, we focus on matching you with roles in companies that we know can support your high potential for long-term success.
Contact us today to explore the best tech career options for you!
References:
- Sherif, Ahmed. “Most demanded technical positions by recruiters worldwide in 2024.” Statista, 2024, www.statista.com/statistics/1367003/in-demand-it-roles/.
- DevOps Institute. “2021 Upskilling Enterprise DevOps Skills Report.” GitLab, 2021, learn.gitlab.com/devops-institute/2021-doi-devops-upskilling-report?utm_medium=email&utm_source=marketo&utm_campaign=devopsgtm&utm_content=doi-devops-upskilling-report.
