Top 10 Most Useful DevOps Tools in 2025 for Software Teams

DevOps is a set of practices and tools that encourage collaboration and shared responsibility in the software development process, thereby accelerating time to market and providing iterative product improvement based on feedback. Given the benefits DevOps provides, its market is constantly growing -- in particular, from $12.54 billion in 2024, its worldwide capitalization promises to evolve to $15.06 billion by the end of 2025 with a CAGR of 20.1%. Below, we, the WEZOM team, will share our best DevOps practices and, in particular, a list of the most up-to-date DevOps tools list for their implementation.

Why DevOps Tools Matter for Software Development

Tools for DevOps are digital solutions designed to automate manual processes during development. Some of them also simplify collaboration between development departments (particularly between developers and operational engineers), allowing software to be launched to market faster.

In particular, modern automation DevOps tools make this possible by using AI for autoscaling and monitoring, supporting multi-cloud and hybrid environments, simplifying infrastructure as code (IaC) management, and providing the ability to use pull requests for proposing changes to a codebase.

Version Control Tools DevOps

So, let's start our overview of the best tools for DevOps that are responsible for version control.

Git

Git is a distributed version control system that is considered a must-have for almost all DevOps processes. It provides full control over changes to the codebase (including offline), creating branches, and merging them. The new Git version has AI add-ons that can independently perform code reviews, identify technical debt, and optimize branching.

GitHub vs GitLab vs Bitbucket

These are three time-tested version control solutions, each of which can be used when implementing CI/CD processes (which are usually part of DevOps).

For example, GitHub is the most popular tool for open-source projects. As for the DevOps ecosystem, it provides many useful solutions, including built-in GitHub Actions for CI/CD, seamless integration with cloud services/automation tools, and an ever-growing ecosystem of plugins. There are also AI features like Copilot and automatic pull request suggestions. However, when it comes to using this tool in projects with enhanced security or complex pipeline customization requirements, more adaptive analogs may be required.

In particular, we are talking about GitLab (available in both cloud and self-hosted versions), which, unlike GitHub, offers customizable CI/CD pipelines, an issue-tracking system, rich monitoring and security settings, and flexible infrastructure management capabilities. Thanks to this, GitLab is considered one of the best DevOps tools for Agile teams looking to centralize DevOps processes without resorting to third-party integrations.

Another alternative with customizable permissions is Bitbucket, which offers seamless integration with Jira, Trello, and other proprietary Atlassian products. It also features customizable pipelines that allow project teams to automate builds and deliveries without the need for separate CI tools. However, it has some downsides, too: it doesn’t have as many open repositories as the two above-mentioned competitors.

Containerization & Container Orchestration Tools

Now, let's briefly talk about the most popular DevOps tools for containerization and orchestration.

Docker vs Kaniko

If we talk about DevOps technologies and practices adopted by the WEZOM team, then building images is one of the basic stages of CI/CD. For a long time, we resorted to Docker integration in DevOps for containerization, all thanks to its user-friendliness, extensive ecosystem, and compatibility with the vast majority of CI systems. Our team also loves it for its CLI, Dockerfile support, and advanced documentation – actually, all these features made Docker the top choice both in local development and pipeline automation. However, when building images in environments without root access (for example, within Kubernetes containers), this tool still needs to be replaced.

This is where Kaniko, a Google project, comes into play. Unlike Docker, it does not require root access to build images and can work in isolated environments. This makes it an ideal DevOps tool for use in Kubernetes environments and cloud-native pipelines. It also has a different approach to assembly – it does not use the Docker daemon and ensures a higher level of security. Hence, choosing Kaniko in automatic builds in CI/CD can be a better option (moreover, it does not require installing a full-fledged Docker Engine and provides great opportunities for its seamless integration with GitLab CI/CD and Jenkins).

By the way, we often used these two DevOps tools for continuous delivery together: Docker helped us at the stage of local development and testing, and Kaniko took on automated assembly on the server or in the cloud. Therefore, comparing them in the context of “which is better and which is worse” is not appropriate – you just need to figure out which DevOps scenario you want to implement, and then make a specific choice.

Kubernetes vs EKS vs AKS vs GKE

Now, a few words about time-tested DevOps best tools for container orchestration. Let's start with Kubernetes, which is considered the "gold standard" of orchestration in development teams around the world. It boasts automatic scaling, advanced access control capabilities, a built-in automatic load balancer, and configurable functionality for self-recovery. It is also worth noting that Kubernetes can work both in local data centers and in cloud environments. However, despite regular updates, it still has a high entry threshold, which can become an insurmountable challenge for small teams.

That's why, if this is your case, it makes sense to transfer the infrastructure complexity to the platform level and pay attention to proprietary Kubernetes deployment tools from cloud providers. In fact, all these solutions are full-fledged infrastructure platforms that take on the installation, scaling, and security of clusters.

For example, you might consider the Amazon EKS DevOps tool, a perfect choice for those already using IAM, CloudWatch, and other Amazon services; Azure AKS, a great solution for enterprise development; or Google GKE, the most mature and technologically rich solution. Ultimately, your choice will be determined by the provider (Amazon, Microsoft, or Google, respectively) whose services you already use.

Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) DevOps Tooling

If you need to maintain your infrastructure using code without the hassle of manual configuration, be sure to check out the top DevOps tools below.

Terraform vs OpenTofu

Terraform, a HashiCorp product, has become an unofficial synonym for Infrastructure-as-Code. In a nutshell, it is the best DevOps tool that automates the tasks of versioning, testing, and deploying software to any cloud. It is compatible with an extensive list of cloud providers and hundreds of modules and has an active community. 

However, a few years ago, Terraform licensing underwent negative changes, and many teams began to look towards OpenTofu, an open-source fork of Terraform that maintains full compatibility but has a more transparent and free development model. Now, OpenTofu is often used as a replacement for Terraform, especially by teams that want to avoid being tied to HashiCorp and build infrastructure on open-source software. 

AWS CloudFormation vs CDK vs Pulumi

CloudFormation is a native AWS solution for managing cloud resources via JSON or YAML templates. It is deeply integrated into the AWS ecosystem, but quite heavy. So, if you need a more lightweight alternative, pay attention to the CDK (Cloud Development Kit) – it makes it possible to describe the infrastructure in all popular programming languages, including TypeScript, Python, and Java. 

If you are looking for a multi-cloud solution, then you should analyze the capabilities of Pulumi. With its help, you can build IaC based on TypeScript, Go, or Python and implement integration into AWS and other clouds. By the way, unlike the declarative approach of Terraform, Pulumi, and CDK support an imperative style of programming, which adds flexibility.

Configuration Management & Continuous Automation Tools

In this section, we will move on to analyzing must-have DevOps tools for configuration management and continuous automation.

Ansible vs Chef vs Puppet vs SaltStack

Ansible is a user-friendly DevOps tool that does not require agents, uses YAML and SSH, and is generally ideal for a quick start. Chef and Puppet may look somewhat outdated and more complex to configure against their background; however, they are more often chosen for implementing large-scale infrastructures. In particular, Chef is based on the pull model, and Puppet is based on the push model. Therefore, if you need an optimal balance, you should also consider SaltStack: it is fast, supports both push and pull models, as well as provides scalability.

Atlantis vs Terraform Cloud vs Env0

Atlantis has been considered the most popular open-source tool for running Terraform from pull requests for many years. It integrates with GitHub/GitLab and allows project teams to run Terraform plan/apply within a code review. As for its counterpart, HashiCorp's Terraform Cloud, in addition to the above capabilities, it also supports storing state, as well as provides workspace management and RBAC. Env0 has similar features, but with the ability to connect to any IaC solution, set up flexible permissions, and visualize computing resources.

CI/CD Tools for DevOps Testing and Deployment

At this stage, we propose to proceed with an overview of the most popular DevOps tools for testing and software deployment.

Jenkins vs CircleCI vs GitHub Actions

In our team, we call Jenkins a “veteran” of DevOps since it is a time-tested, flexible DevOps testing tool with thousands of plugins. However, as it requires constant support and configuration, it makes sense to consider CircleCI, too, as it is a cloud solution with high speed of builds, built-in Docker support, and a simple YAML config. Another great option of DevOps tools for deployment and testing (especially for small- and mid-size teams that work with GitHub) is GitHub Actions, which has become popular due to its native integration into GitHub. In particular, it allows you to describe processes as code directly in the repository and launch them via push or pull requests. 

GitLab CI/CD

If we talk about DevOps deployment tools, you should pay attention to GitLab CI/CD, a comprehensive DevOps platform that gives you full control over your development lifecycle, which is critical in self-hosted environments. All automation is performed via gitlab-ci.yml. As for pipelines, you can run them directly from a repository. Also, GitLab CI is compatible with Docker and Kubernetes, as well as supports artifact repositories, automated tests, and basically everything you need for end-to-end CI/CD.

Observability & Log Management Tools DevOps

Now, let’s consider the best DevOps automation tools to ensure observability and log management.

Prometheus vs Grafana vs Datadog

Prometheus has long been considered the leader in metrics-oriented monitoring. The fact is that it is fully compatible with Kubernetes, has its own (and easy to work with) query language (PromQL), and, in general, scales well. If you need a visual layer, be sure to check Grafana as well – this tool offers real-time DevOps dashboards, graphs, and customizable alerts. Together, these two tools form a strong open-source stack. As for Datadog, this is one of the best cloud-based DevOps platforms that combines metrics, logs, and traces. It has proven itself in multi-cloud and hybrid environments where fast setup is critical.

ELK Stack vs Fluentd vs Loki

ELK (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) stack is included in the most powerful DevOps monitoring tools list. It is good for log analysis, especially when there are a lot of them. Logstash is more flexible, but it is heavier. Fluentd is lighter and faster; it routes logs and integrates well with Kubernetes. Loki (a Grafana spinoff) stores logs in a format compatible with metrics, is used for log analysis without the need for complex indexing, and is easier to deploy (especially when it comes to clusters).

DevOps Tools for Security & Secret Management

This paragraph is dedicated to a short analysis of top open-source DevOps frameworks for security and secret management.

Snyk vs Trivy vs Tenable

Snyk was originally created as a developer-oriented solution – it scans dependencies, Docker images, and suggests fixes. Trivy is an open-source container and IaC scanner. It is supported by Aqua Security and is often used in CI/CD. As for Tenable, it is an enterprise product in the field of vulnerability scanning and management, with an emphasis on ensuring compliance through continuous infrastructure monitoring.

Vault vs AWS Secrets Manager vs Doppler

Vault by HashiCorp is a flexible tool that supports dynamic secrets and policy-oriented management and works in any environment. AWS Secrets Manager is tightly integrated with IAM and other services, so it makes sense to use it if you work in the AWS cloud. As for Doppler, it is a SaaS solution that supports multi-cloud, provides variable synchronization, and simplifies collaboration. Overall, all three tools are excellent at solving the issue of key security but differ in entry threshold, pricing policy, and flexibility.

Advanced DevOps Technologies & Frameworks

If you want to dive deeper into advanced DevOps practices, be sure to check out the following DevOps frameworks.

Istio vs Linkerd vs Consul

Istio provides control over network policies, tracing, authorization, and telemetry, making it ideal for larger organizations. Linkerd is simpler and more lightweight and is generally a great fit for SMBs. Consul is a relatively new addition to the mesh, but it already boasts support for multiple data centers and deep integration into the HashiCorp ecosystem.

ArgoCD vs Flux

ArgoCD is a visually oriented GitOps tool that is ideal for working with Kubernetes. It also supports Helm, Kustomize, automatic sync, and alerts. Its competitor, Flux, is more laconic in its functionality but integrates better with other GitOps components. Ultimately, both tools enable describing the state of clusters in Git and automated deployment.

Emerging DevOps Tools in 2025

Finally, it’s time to talk about the latest in the DevOps industry.

Chaos Monkey vs AWS FIS

When it comes to the stability of a digital product, it’s important to fully understand how the system will behave under failure conditions. For this, there are special tools that simulate failures – specifically, we are talking about Chaos Monkey, a subsidiary (and quite aggressive in its behavior) solution from Netflix. It intentionally and unexpectedly disables parts of the infrastructure (for example, servers or microservices) in the production environment. This way, it helps to identify weak points and ensure that the system can cope with technical failures with minimal or no downtime. As for AWS FIS, this is a Chaos Monkey analog developed by the Amazon team. Unlike its predecessor, AWS FIS is an accurate simulator, where you can simulate failures and their triggering time on your own.

GitHub Copilot vs CodeWhisperer

If you're looking for a highly intelligent solution for coding automation, you should definitely take a closer look at the AI-powered GitHub Copilot, an assistant that independently analyzes what programmers do in real time. It is compatible with dozens of programming languages and automatically suggests code continuation options, ready-made functions, and templates. Amazon CodeWhisperer is a similar tool from AWS, tailored for cloud development tasks. It also suggests code but does so taking into account security standards and the specifics of the AWS ecosystem.

DevOps Toolchain Integration & Software Development Emphasis

In 2025, effective development is impossible without a well-established DevOps toolchain, from CI/CD to monitoring and secrets management. This is the only way to build a single pipeline where each stage is tracked, automated, controlled, and transparent. In general, if you need basic DevOps pipeline examples, here is the toolchain for it:

• Jira/ClickUp – tools responsible for planning;
• GitHub/GitLab – solutions responsible for code versioning;
• Actions/CircleCI – tools for build automation;
• Terraform – a solution for building an infrastructure as code;
• Grafana/Datadog – for end-to-end monitoring;
• Vault/Snyk – for security.

Of course, you can expand and modify this list of DevOps tools in any other way, but at the initial stages of integration of DevOps practices, it may be quite enough.

Best DevOps Tool Summary for 2025

To summarize the above, we would like to say that your choice of DevOps top tools should not depend on hyped prefixes like “AI-powered” – you must have a conscious approach to building a software development cycle and automating its stages. However, if you need a template that could be adjusted to meet your individual needs, feel free to check our DevOps tools chart – actually, here it is:

1. GitHub Actions for simplifying CI/CD;

2. Terraform/OpenTofu for implementing IaC;

3. Kubernetes for orchestration;

4. Prometheus + Grafana for ensuring observability;

5. Vault for secrets management;

6. GitLab CI/CD as a self-hosted platform;

7. ArgoCD for GitOps;

8. Snyk for security;

9. Docker for containerization;

10. Jenkins for supporting global infrastructures.

 If you don’t want to bother with implementing the DevOps culture into your development processes and choosing DevOps tooling, you can always contact WEZOM, and we will take all these tasks on ourselves.