These days, it is all about making software get from development through test to delivery sooner than ever before. CI/CD fills this gap. The CI/CD tools mechanize most of the same old thing, leaving the life of a DevOps Engineer much better (and easier to manage!).
If you’re a student who wishes to become a DevOps engineer or want to work with cutting-edge development teams, learning these tools puts you in a powerful spot.
Next, let’s review the top 5 CI/CD tools that every DevOps Engineer MUST know!
1. Jenkins – The King of Automation
Why It’s Popular:
- Jenkins is open-source, highly customizable, and has an enormous plugin environment. It’s basically the “swiss army knife” for CI/CD tools.
What’s So Special About It:
- Cost-free to utilize
- Supports numerous programming languages
- Works exceedingly well with GitHub, Docker, AWS, etc.
- Excellent to create intricate CI/CD pipelines
Pro Tip for Students:
- Learning Jenkins fundamentals and creating basic pipelines is an excellent starting point in the world of DevOps.
2. GitLab CI/CD – One-Stop DevOps Toolchain
Why It’s Trending:
- GitLab is more than just a Git repository and provides you with an awesome CI/CD solution out of the box!
What Makes It Unique:
- Version control and CI/CD in one solution
- Easy YAML-based pipeline configuration
- Extreme integration with Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure
Pro Tip for Students:
- If you already have your code hosted with GitLab, go ahead and try their native CI/CD feature—it’s easy and it works.
3. CircleCI – Fast & Dev-Friendly
Why It’s Popular:
- CircleCI is cloud-based and lightning-fast. Multiple startups and tech giants leverage it for speed and scalability.
What Makes It Special:
- Easy integration with GitHub and Bitbucket
- Supports Docker out-of-the-box
- Free tier available (perfect for students!)
Pro Tip for Students:
- Try building and deploying a small project to Heroku or AWS using CircleCI’s free tier.
4. Travis CI – Simple and Reliable
Why It’s Popular:
- Travis CI is also well-known to be easy and typically used in open-source projects.
What Makes It Special:
- Easy and clean YAML config
- It can easily work with GitHub
- Public repositories are for free
Pro Tip for Students:
- Having open-source projects? Travis CI is probably a part of your routine!
5. AWS CodePipeline – Cloud-Native Power
Why It’s Popular:
- If you are on AWS, then CodePipeline is a no-brainer. It gets along with other AWS services such as S3, EC2, Lambda, etc.
What Makes It Special:
- Automates the entire release process
- Scales well with your AWS infrastructure
- Pay-as-you-go model
Pro Tip for Students:
- If you are looking to enter a cloud career, particularly in AWS, having knowledge of CodePipeline will make your CV shine.
Why Should Students Learn CI/CD Tools Early?
- Real-world preparedness: Organizations expect engineers to be well-versed in CI/CD fundamentals.
- Boost productivity: Automate repetitive tasks such as testing and deployment.
- Professional advantage: DevOps and Cloud experts are some of the highest-paying career choices these days!
Final Thoughts
The demand for DevOps engineers is growing exponentially, and having these top CI/CD tools in your toolkit can make you stand out from the crowd. Begin with basics, begin experimenting with automating trivial builds and deploys, and before you know it, you’ll be handling full-blown pipelines like a pro.
Your turn: Choose one of these tools today and get dirty!