In today’s fast-paced software development landscape, DevOps tools play a vital role in automating, scaling, and streamlining operations. With organizations adopting DevOps methodologies to improve deployment speed and product quality, choosing the right tools has become crucial.
In this blog, we’ll explore the top 10 most used DevOps tools in the industry in 2025, based on popularity, community support, and enterprise usage.
Table of Contents
- 10 Most used DevOps tools in the Industry
- Conclusion
- FAQs – DevOps Tools 2025
- 1. What are DevOps tools and why are they important?
- 2. How do I choose the right DevOps tool for my team?
- 3. Can I use multiple DevOps tools together?
- 4. What is the difference between CI and CD in DevOps?
- 5. Are open-source DevOps tools reliable for enterprise use?
- 6. What is the observability stack in DevOps?
- 7. How does GitLab CI/CD compare to Jenkins?
- 8. Do I need to know coding to use DevOps tools?
- 9. Are cloud-based DevOps tools better than self-hosted ones?
- 10. What DevOps tools are best for startups vs. enterprises?
10 Most used DevOps tools in the Industry
Whether you’re a DevOps engineer, SRE, or software developer, this list will help you understand which DevOps tools are dominating the market and why.
1. Docker
Primary use: Containerization
Category: Automation, CI/CD
Docker is one of the most popular DevOps tools for creating, deploying, and managing containers. It simplifies container orchestration by allowing teams to package applications and their dependencies into lightweight, portable containers. It ensures consistency across multiple environments and simplifies application scaling. Docker is one of the most widely used DevOps container tools, revolutionizing how developers build, ship, and run applications.
Why it’s popular:
- Lightweight containers
- Consistent development-to-production workflow
- Supports microservices architecture
2. Kubernetes
Primary use: Container orchestration
Category: Automation, Cloud-Native
Kubernetes is a leading orchestration tool that has become the backbone of cloud-native DevOps practices.
Kubernetes, or K8s, automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It’s widely used in production environments to manage Docker containers. Kubernetes offers powerful capabilities for managing complex workloads across clusters. Its robust ecosystem and community support make it the go-to solution for teams building scalable, resilient systems in the cloud.
Why it’s popular:
- Seamless container orchestration
- Self-healing and auto-scaling
- Strong open-source community
3. Jenkins
Primary use: Continuous Integration
Category: CI/CD tools
Jenkins is one of the most popular CI tools in the DevOps ecosystem, known for its flexibility and powerful automation capabilities. As a leading open-source CI/CD platform, Jenkins supports continuous integration and delivery through a wide range of plugins and integrations. A staple in the DevOps pipeline, Jenkins is an open-source automation server used to automate building, testing, and deploying code.
The Jenkins pipeline feature allows developers to define and manage complex build, test, and deployment workflows as code, enabling greater efficiency and consistency across the software development lifecycle.
Why it’s popular:
- Extensive plugin ecosystem
- Highly customizable pipelines
- Supports multiple programming languages
4. Git
Primary use: Version control
Category: Source code management
Git remains the foundation of modern DevOps practices. Git is the most widely adopted version control system, playing a vital role in modern software development and DevOps workflows. As one of the core Git DevOps tools, it enables developers to track changes, collaborate seamlessly, and manage code across distributed teams. Git supports branching, merging, and code review processes, making it essential for maintaining high code quality and streamlined delivery pipelines. Combined with platforms like GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket, it enables effective collaboration and code versioning.
Why it’s popular:
- Distributed architecture
- Efficient branching and merging
- Widely supported across DevOps platforms
5. Terraform
Primary use: Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Category: Configuration management
Terraform by HashiCorp enables infrastructure provisioning using declarative configuration files, making it essential for cloud DevOps workflows. Terraform is a powerful open-source tool widely recognized in the DevOps community for its role in infrastructure provisioning and automation. As one of the most popular IaC tools (Infrastructure as Code), Terraform allows teams to define, manage, and version infrastructure using simple, declarative configuration files. Terraform is a go-to solution for DevOps teams looking to streamline and standardize infrastructure management.
Why it’s popular:
- Cloud-agnostic infrastructure automation
- GitOps compatibility
- State management and modularization
6. Ansible
Primary use: Configuration management
Category: Automation tools
Ansible is a simple yet powerful tool used to automate provisioning, configuration, and application deployment across servers. Using Ansible playbooks, teams can define and automate the configuration, deployment, and management of infrastructure in a human-readable YAML format. This makes Ansible ideal for maintaining consistency across environments, speeding up deployments, and reducing human error.
Why it’s popular:
- Agentless architecture
- YAML-based playbooks
- Works well with hybrid cloud environments
7. Prometheus
Primary use: Monitoring and alerting
Category: Observability
Prometheus is an open-source monitoring system and time-series database. It integrates well with Kubernetes and Grafana for visualization. As a key component of the observability stack, Prometheus excels at collecting and querying metrics, enabling teams to gain real-time insights into system performance and reliability.
Why it’s popular:
- Real-time metrics collection
- Alert manager integration
- Scalable and open-source
8. Grafana
Primary use: Data visualization
Category: Monitoring and analytics
Grafana complements Prometheus by providing intuitive dashboards for monitoring metrics from various data sources. Often used alongside other tools in the observability stack, Grafana transforms raw metrics into interactive dashboards, helping teams track system performance and identify issues at a glance. Its versatility and seamless integration with various data sources make it a go-to solution for DevOps professionals aiming to improve visibility and decision-making.
Why it’s popular:
- Rich visualization tools
- Plug-and-play data sources
- Extensible plugins
9. GitLab CI/CD
Primary use: Integrated CI/CD
Category: DevOps platform
GitLab offers a complete DevOps lifecycle solution, from source control to continuous integration and deployment. With powerful automation capabilities, it enables continuous integration and continuous delivery, helping teams build, test, and deploy applications efficiently. Utilizing GitLab Runners to execute pipeline jobs across various environments, GitLab CI/CD offers a scalable and cohesive solution for accelerating DevOps workflows while maintaining high code quality and collaboration.
Why it’s popular:
- Single interface for CI/CD
- Auto DevOps feature
- Git-based pipeline configurations
10. Azure DevOps / GitHub Actions
Primary use: CI/CD and project management
Category: Enterprise DevOps tools
Azure DevOps and GitHub Actions are Microsoft-backed platforms offering scalable DevOps services across cloud and hybrid environments.These tools are designed to support teams of all sizes, these platforms provide seamless CI/CD pipelines, code collaboration, and infrastructure automation in the cloud. Whether leveraging Azure DevOps for its end-to-end project management or GitHub Actions for flexible, workflow-based automation, both tools empower organizations to streamline development and accelerate delivery in modern cloud-native environments.
Why they’re popular:
- Integrated with Microsoft ecosystem
- Easy to set up pipelines
- Enterprise support and security
Conclusion
Choosing the right DevOps tools is crucial for achieving seamless automation, faster delivery, and improved collaboration. From continuous integration tools like Jenkins to infrastructure automation with Terraform, each tool plays a specific role in optimizing the DevOps lifecycle.
FAQs – DevOps Tools 2025
1. What are DevOps tools and why are they important?
DevOps tools help automate and streamline various phases of the software development lifecycle—from code development and integration to testing, deployment, and monitoring. These tools improve collaboration between development and operations teams, increase deployment speed, and reduce errors in production.
2. How do I choose the right DevOps tool for my team?
Choosing the right DevOps tool depends on your project size, tech stack, team expertise, and business requirements. Consider whether you need tools for CI/CD, containerization, infrastructure as code, or monitoring. Integration capabilities and community support are also key factors.
3. Can I use multiple DevOps tools together?
Yes, most DevOps tools are designed to work together. For example, Docker and Kubernetes handle containerization and orchestration, while Jenkins or GitLab CI/CD manage automation. Prometheus and Grafana integrate well for monitoring and visualization.
4. What is the difference between CI and CD in DevOps?
CI (Continuous Integration) is the practice of automatically building and testing code whenever changes are committed. CD (Continuous Delivery/Deployment) automates the release of validated code to staging or production, ensuring faster and safer releases.
5. Are open-source DevOps tools reliable for enterprise use?
Absolutely. Tools like Jenkins, Prometheus, Grafana, and Terraform are open-source and widely adopted by enterprises due to their flexibility, scalability, and strong community support. Many also offer enterprise versions for additional features and support.
6. What is the observability stack in DevOps?
The observability stack refers to tools used for monitoring, logging, and tracing system performance. Prometheus (metrics), Grafana (visualization), and other logging tools like ELK stack or Loki are commonly used to build a full observability stack.
7. How does GitLab CI/CD compare to Jenkins?
GitLab CI/CD offers a built-in, integrated experience within the GitLab platform, whereas Jenkins is a standalone CI/CD server that requires plugin-based customization. GitLab is ideal for teams already using GitLab, while Jenkins is more flexible for complex, customized pipelines.
8. Do I need to know coding to use DevOps tools?
Basic scripting or coding knowledge is often required, especially for writing CI/CD pipelines, configuration scripts, and infrastructure definitions. However, many tools offer GUI-based interfaces and templates to help beginners get started.
9. Are cloud-based DevOps tools better than self-hosted ones?
Cloud-based tools like GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps offer scalability, easier setup, and reduced infrastructure overhead. However, self-hosted tools like Jenkins or GitLab can provide greater control, customization, and data ownership.
10. What DevOps tools are best for startups vs. enterprises?
Startups may benefit from lightweight, cloud-native tools like GitHub Actions, Docker, and Ansible due to ease of setup and low cost. Enterprises often prefer robust, integrated platforms like Azure DevOps, GitLab CI/CD, and Kubernetes for managing large-scale operations.