Infrastructure Automation Tools for DevOps Environments

What are the Best DevOps Tools for Infrastructure Automation?

There are many tools available for infrastructure automation. The selection of the best tool for automating infrastructure depends on various aspects such as platform architecture, budget, security requirements, abilities of your team, and the requirements of your infrastructure.

Maven is a key DevOps tool utilized for constructing projects. ANT is not the only build system that exists; Apache Maven does more than simply automating the building process. This system is set up to take care of the reporting, documenting, distributing, launching, and relying on procedures. Maven, which is written in the Java language, can construct and oversee projects coded in Java, C#, Ruby, Scala, and other languages using special project object model apparatus.

Maven offers a host of benefits to its users. Making use of automation simplifies the building and tracking procedure, which facilitates the maintenance of an orderly build process, leading to uniformity and productivity. This instrument gives complete details of a project through detailed records, which can be really useful for creating exemplary strategies; which is why it is called Maven, from the Yiddish terms meaning ‘collector of knowledge’. Finally, Maven provides a very simplified feature migration process.Â

There is an abundance of plugins which can make the production process more efficient and it has a wide range of compatibility with different types of Integrated Development Environments such as Eclipse, JBuilder, MyEclipse, NetBeans, IntelliJ IDEA, and others.

Jenkins is an integration DevOps tool. Jenkins is the go-to choice for continuous integration, as it has been created to be easily expandable with both internal and plugins. Jenkins is a free Java-based automation program with a universal application across several different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux-based systems. Jenkins can also be deployed on cloud-based platforms.Â

Integrating and delivering software consistently are two major procedures that make up the DevOps approach, and Jenkins serves as an essential DevOps tool for this. Thanks to the availability of more than 1,500 plugins, Jenkins is able to work with the majority of CI/CD integration tools and services, allowing users to customize their workflows during software development.

Jenkins is a highly beneficial automation CI tool that is relatively simple to both install and set up. This system is set up to assist distributed operations for rapid and open building, testing, and launching on multiple platforms.

Configuration management involves keeping and controlling all elements of complicated systems in an recognized, reliable, and predetermined status through the entire DevOps cycle. Elements of an information technology system can include servers, networks, storage facilities, and programs.

Therefore, it is essential to any system to have configuration management in place as it provides the means to monitor, effectively execute, and regulate any alterations to the system. In addition, if not automated, Configuration Management may be tedious, require a lot of resources, and likely to incur expensive mistakes. This system provides an array of tools for handling of recurring administrative tasks such as version control, fulfilment of regulatory requirements, launch of new features, and automation of workflows, among other things.

Chef, Puppet, and Ansible are handy CM automation frameworks. While Chef and Puppet use the Ruby programming language, Ansible uses the Python language as its basis.

Chef, a type of open source program, employs a master-servant architecture plus the ability to implement IAC, or Infrastructure as Code, to automate the setting up of infrastructures. Chef enjoys significant recognition and remains among the most used DevOps tools, alongside Puppet, due to its capability to be deployed across a range of platforms, including the cloud.

Puppet, which is open-source, utilizes declarative programming to configure systems, deploy applications, and manage servers with DevOps practices. This system is designed so that it can be divided into different parts that can be reused quickly in order to get servers ready quickly, and it is able to work with almost any type of platform. Chef operates similarly to IAC, making use of a master-slave architecture and providing a simple-to-use interface, which allows for the access to real-time reporting and the management of nodes, together with several other tasks.

Infrastructure Provisioning

Let’s begin with the list of tools for providing infrastructure. Setting up infrastructure resources is the activity of supplying or generating infrastructure components. It is part of infrastructure as code.

1. Terraform

An open source tool called Terraform is used by a lot of people to set up cloud-neutral networks. It is created by Hashicorp and written in Go. It provides assistance for setting up any public or private cloud-based infrastructure (such as networks, servers, managed services, firewalls, etc.).

Terraform stands out from other configuration management tools as it is able to monitor the status of your infrastructure through its use of state files.

It won’t take long to begin working with Terraform as it is straightforward to comprehend. Terraform utilizes a specific programming language designed just for it named HCL (Hashicorp configuration language).

You can develop your own terraform plugin with Golang in order to attain additional functionalities.

Terraform has an extensive fan base and most of the modules necessary for setting up infrastructure on any cloud service may be discovered in the terraform repository.

Useful Terraform Resources

These are the resources you can use to begin your journey with Terraform.

2. Pulumi

Pulumi is an Infrastructure as Code tool that works with a number of programming languages, such as Python, Go, Javascript and C#.

Pulumi offers a different kind of infrastructure as code templating compared to other tools, allowing for more versatility when composing infrastructure code in your favorite programming language. This facilitates infra-code assessment with already existing analysis approaches that are integral to a programming language.

Pulumi is compatible with the leading cloud providers, including AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. The greatest advantage is that it makes use of ideas akin to Terraform for handling the state.

If you have a preference for manually crafting Infrastructure code, Pulumi is definitely worth a try.

Configuration Management

Next on our list is configuration management tools. Setting up of assigned infrastructure assets is the activity of configuring those assets.

3. Ansible

Ansible does not require agents and is able to do configuration management and orchestration. In Ansible, the configuration modules are called “Playbooks.”

YAML format is straightforward to compose as compared to other tools for configuration handling. Playbooks are crafted in this format. Ansible can be employed in the same way as other tools for cloud set up.

Ansible has the capability to use dynamic inventory, which involves accessing server information through API requests.

It is advisable to employ tools such as terraform for infrastructure provisioning and Ansible for configuration management.

You can find all community playbooks from Ansible Galaxy

4. Chef

Chef is a ruby-based configuration management tool. The Chef system involves the use of cookbooks, which allow the user to write their infrastructure using a specific language that is designed for the purpose and requires a moderate amount of programming.

A chef sets up virtual machines based on the instructions in the cookbooks.

A chef executor would be in operation on all the servers that need to be set up. The agent is going to take the cookbooks from the head chef’s machine, and use them to configure the server in order to obtain the desired end result.

You can get all the local recipe books from Chef Supermarket.

5. Puppet

Puppet, like Chef, is a configuration management tool based in Ruby. The setup directive is crafted with the aid of puppet Domain-Specific Languages and is packaged in constituent components.

Chef cookbooks usually focus on the needs of developers, while Puppet has been designed to suit system administrators.

Puppet Agent runs on all servers to be set up, obtaining the consolidated module from the Puppet Server and then installing the requisite software programs stated in the module.

You can find all community Puppet Modules from Puppetforge

6. Saltstack

Saltstack is a python based opens configuration management tool. Saltstack has the capability to remotely run commands in contrast to Chef and Puppet.

In the case of Chef and Puppet, the configuration code is typically obtained from the server, whereas Saltstack allows for the code to be sent out to myriad nodes all at once. Saltstack enables quick assembly of code and settings.

Take into consideration the project requirements and the ability of the team to learn and use the tool in deciding which tool to choose. As an example, Ansible can be employed to both create infrastructure elements and set up virtual machine instances. If you have a small team and setting, it’s unnecessary to use terraform to control the infrastructure separately. It is dependent on the capability of the current team in regards to how they can acquire and control the tools.

7. Helm

Helm is a tool which helps to manage configuration and packages for Kubernetes. It is possible to put any intricate program into service on a Kubernetes system with Helm Charts.

This platform possesses excellent templates which provide support for templates across all Kubernetes objects such as Deployments, Pods, Services, ConfigMaps, Secrets, RBAC, PSP, and more.

It is possible to employ one template to install various applications.

Also, look at Kustomize . It is a native configuration management utility for Kubernetes.

Continuous Integration/Deployment Tools

Let us examine the top CI/CD tools that could form a component of infrastructure automation.

8. Jenkins

Jenkins is a program that is written in Java and is used to quickly produce applications. It is a tool for continuous integration. Jenkins must be linked with a version control program such as GitHub or SVN.

Every time a new code is added to the source code library, the Jenkins server will execute it, check it, and notify the group of the end product and modifications.

Jenkins is not just a CI tool anymore. Jenkins is employed as a form of automation for making pipelines that have to do with supplying and implementing an application. The recent update permits you to maintain the CI/CD pipelines as an entity written in code.

Investigate the Jenkins training for novices to gain added comprehension of Jenkins.

9. GitHub Actions

GitHub Actions are an excellent choice for setting up CI (Continuous Integration) pipelines if you are using GitHub.

GitHub actions offer numerous options for linking and customizing a continuous integration pipeline. Furthermore, it can be utilized on both public and corporate Github accounts.

Github runners allow you to create a Continuous Integration (CI) environment on a machine that you manage.

10. Kubernetes Operators

Kubernetes is one of the top-of-the-line container orchestration applications.

If you have opted for Kubernetes, you really need to consider using Operators. Kubernetes applications can be automated and managed more efficiently with customized user-defined processes.

GitOps allows for fully automated Kubernetes deployments as changes in Git are tracked and double checked.

You can look at the following operator-based CD tools.

11. AWS Cloud Computing and Storage in DevOps

AWS provides the largest assortment of services in Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS), and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) which include computing, authentication and authorization (ACM), networking, and storage. AWS leans more heavily toward providing public cloud services rather than private or hybrid clouds.

12. Azure Cloud Computing and Storage in DevOps

Microsoft Azure is especially advantageous for businesses that are familiar with Microsoft applications like Office, Outlook, and Windows due to its simpler integration.

Azure provides Azure DevOps, which includes an array of resources to oversee the complete cycle of software creation tasks. This service includes both the Azure DevOps Server and the Azure DevOps cloud service.

The server offers a cloud-based environment that has tools to help with on-site installations.

Cloud service involves the use of tools such as Azure boards, Azure Pipeline, Azure reports, Azure test plans, and Azure artifacts for the purpose of creating, testing and deploying software on the cloud.

13. Google Cloud Platform Cloud Computing and Storage in DevOps

GCP helps increase efficiency in DevOps by providing the tools needed to develop, save, and roll out better-quality software in less time. Google Cloud Platform offers instances with a maximum of 96 vCPUs and 624 GB of RAM, as well as services like Google Cloud Console, Google Compute Engine, and the GCP Deployment Manager that helps put DevOps into action on the Google Cloud Platform.

Google Cloud offers remarkable technical proficiency combined with the skill and knowledge of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics.

Today, business settings have become quite intricate as they rely on manifold infrastructures and services and apply a extensive selection of tools to keep their operations at an optimum level while making sure the end-user is content. In order to ensure a reliably high level of service, effective Application Performance Monitoring (APM) must be applied to identify and address intricate performance issues, using tools for monitoring, notifications, and responses to incidents.

One of the most important elements to take into account when choosing application performance monitoring tools, apart from their functions, is their compatibility and how effortless they are to connection with each other as well as with current systems.

SignalFx is a performance monitoring tool with a flexible structure that is tailored to supply insights on the operation of microservices and containerized applications. This platform includes SignalFlow, a time-sensitive warning tool, live data display, and combining it with up to 62 distinct services such as Python, AWS offerings, Java, Slack, Docker and Kubernetes, Node.js, MySQL, Cassandra, Kafka, and many more.

AppDynamics is praised for its strong, up-to-the-minute display of running speed and insight into how code is operating. This system provides detailed analysis, tracks the progress of transactions, and keeps an eye on how end-users are using the complicated distributed apps. AppDynamics works harmoniously with dialects such as Python, .NET, Java, PHP, C++, and Node.js, as well as with AWS EC2, Microsoft Azure, Rackspace Cloud Servers, and other platforms.