There are hundreds of DevOps tools out there. Here’s the curated shortlist that actually matters when you’re starting out, grouped by what they do. Install these as you progress through the Roadmap.
🐧 Operating System & Shell#
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|
| Linux (Ubuntu) | The OS most servers run on. Learn it. |
| Bash / Zsh | The command-line shell where you’ll live |
| WSL2 | Run Linux on Windows without a VM |
🔧 Version Control#
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|
| Git | Track changes to your code |
| GitHub / GitLab | Host repos and collaborate |
📦 Containers#
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|
| Docker | Package apps into portable containers |
| Docker Compose | Run multi-container apps locally |
☸️ Orchestration#
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|
| Kubernetes | Run and scale containers in production |
| kubectl | The Kubernetes command-line tool |
| Minikube / kind | Run Kubernetes locally for learning |
| Helm | Package manager for Kubernetes |
☁️ Cloud Providers#
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|
| AWS | The largest cloud platform (great free tier) |
| Azure | Microsoft’s cloud, big in enterprises |
| GCP | Google’s cloud, strong in data & containers |
🏗️ Infrastructure as Code#
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|
| Terraform | Define cloud infrastructure as code |
| Ansible | Configure servers and automate tasks |
🔁 CI/CD#
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|
| GitHub Actions | Automate builds, tests, and deploys |
| Jenkins | Classic, powerful CI/CD server |
| GitLab CI | Built-in pipelines in GitLab |
📊 Monitoring & Observability#
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|
| Prometheus | Collect metrics from your systems |
| Grafana | Visualise metrics in dashboards |
| Loki | Aggregate and search logs |
🧰 Handy Extras#
| Tool | What it’s for |
|---|
| VS Code | A great, extensible code editor |
| curl / jq | Make HTTP requests and parse JSON |
| tmux | Manage multiple terminal sessions |
Don’t try to install everything today. Add tools to your toolbox as you reach each stage of the Roadmap. One at a time. 🛠️