The process of deployment automation contains provisioning applications and configurations. Contemporary deployment tools are designed to make delivering software smooth and painless. Such tools empower developers to focus on writing code, saving them from unnecessary actions.

Deployment automation benefits organizations in various ways. It includes fewer errors, the ability to deploy software for any team member, more frequent releases, etc. Contemporary software deployment tools strive to give developers a chance to collaborate on their projects, manage changes, and track progress in detail. It is crucial to monitor deployment to understand when it happened and how it would influence the app’s performance. Ultimately, you’ll get comprehensive data about what is happening in your application.

 

 

Is it easy to find an appropriate deployment tool? Surely, if it were simple, then we would not write this post. What works great for one development team may not suit another team’s requirements.

What are the examples of deployment tools? Here we have rounded up 7 best software deployment tools capable to improve the efficiency of delivering great software solutions in 2021. However, let’s start with some basic theory.

What is Deployment?

In the vast software development and high-tech environment, deployment means a methodical procedure that makes a software solution readily available for widespread use. 

Software deployment contains all consistent processes that prepare a system to run and operate in the environment. Deployment can be performed manually or with the help of automated systems, including such processes as installation, testing, configuration, and performance optimization. 

 

What is the deployment process stage in the system development lifecycle?

The process of deployment is an essential stage in the SDLC system (development lifecycle), although it is often not as valued as the stages of design and development. However, deployment is crucial to produce effective and reliable software. Multiple deployment tools are designed to simplify the process, from writing and testing code to deploying and reporting possible errors. 

Deployment actually means that the software is ready to be used in the real world by real users. It typically includes the following stages:

  • Preparation – when the team installs software and run tests to prepare for the final installation. After the installation, all procedures including instructions for how the software should operate are set in place. 
  • Product deployment – when the implementation of programming is executed in every system location. The software is being rushed into each regional site and computer system.
  • Ownership transfer – when the client receives all permissions and access to maintain the system’s functionality.
  • Closure is the final stage when the client is in full possession of the software. The development team closes all activities related to the current software project.

An appropriate tool for deployment plays a significant role in this procedure. So, what are the best software deployment tools?

Best software deployment tools

 

Top-7 Deployment Tools

Bamboo

One of the most friendly and reliable deployment tools is Bamboo. This continuous integration server automates release management for applications and general software. The tool allows establishing a streamlined pipeline of build delivery. It makes a fully integrated workflow from the automated building, testing, and releasing. 

Bamboo contains powerful features needed for generating multi-stage build plans and setting up triggers for starting builds on comments. The tool provides language-agnostic integration with many platforms and dedicated agents focused on specific projects. You get a detailed reporting of upcoming code changes and issues.

Octopus Deploy

Another user-friendly release management, deployment automation, and DevOps solution is Octopus Deploy.

It enables developers to deploy .NET, Java, and other apps to test, staging, and production environments in the cloud or on-premises. The solution supports storing the configurations in a way that is trackable over time. Schedule all deployment stages, limit those who will deploy to production, and make deployment reliable – all with the handy Octopus that is easy to maintain and it hides sensitive data.

Jenkins 

Jenkins is one of the leading continuous delivery and continuous integration solutions on the market. It is written in Java. Jenkins is applied for building and testing software projects continuously making it easier for dev teams to integrate changes to the project. It also makes it easier for users to obtain a fresh build. Additionally, you may deliver software by integrating with a large number of testing and deployment technologies.

Jenkins allows companies to boost the software development process through automation. It offers hundreds of plugins, provides continuous integration and continuous delivery, as well as simple installation and configuration. The tool integrates development life-cycle processes of all kinds, including building, documenting, testing, deploying, static analysis more. You can apply installation packages for Windows, Mac OS X, and other Unix-like operating systems.

TeamCity

TeamCity is a CI server from Jet Brains. The tool comes with robust configuration features and has official Docker images for servers and agents. It proposes both hosted and on-premise solutions at quite a reasonable price. Its powerful features are able to quickly take team performance to the next level.

TeamCity requires minutes from installation, it easily supports various third-party tools without plugins or modifications, provides a comprehensive version control system and customization of the server. The intuitive settings will let you create templates and inherit build configuration in any number.

AWS CodeDeploy

This Amazon’s deployment tool boasts an outstanding list of featured customers and language agnosticism. CodeDeploy automates the deployment process in different computing services such as Amazon EC2, AWS Fargate, or on-premise instances. 

Thanks to this impressive solution, developers are able to painlessly release new features as it takes care of the complexity of updating software and minimizes downtime during the process. It scales down human errors related to manual operations. Is also provides special devices to track software health.

ElectricFlow

ElectricFlow provides a powerful platform for automatic deployment, letting teams reduce overhead and eliminate silos. The tool has an extensive set of features including convenient dashboards, release management, and extensive plugins. It helps to develop, deliver, and maintain software solutions with regular updates in a professional way. With the help of ElectricFlow, developers can model, automate, and monitor cloud-native, container, and legacy apps deployments without extra pains.

Deploybot

Deploybot is another trustful application that assists to deploy code from GIT repositories to almost anywhere. You can deploy manually or automatically, and code can be executed on servers with the pre-defined or completely custom Docker containers.

Developers can run various shell scripts on the server before and after deployment or during it. Deploybot will also help you to analyze the impact of deployment stages on the performance and app stability.

CircleCI 

This platform is a CI solution that puts an emphasis on its reliability, speed, and advanced flexibility. CircleCI proposes solutions from source to build to deploy and support a variety of languages and apps. It supports Java, Python, Ruby on Rails, Node, PHP, Sinatra, and Clojure. 

CircleCI allows the cloud and on-premises deployment, providing developers with a chance to work in a branch independently. You get the fully customizable build environment and custom dashboard. CircleCI can be integrated with GitHub, Bitbucket, AWS, Google Cloud, Heroku, and other solutions.

 

 

Conclusion

Installing and maintaining apps on numerous workstations manually can be difficult. Handy software deployment tools are designed to release, install, and manage software solutions.

Choosing the right deployment tool can help companies save time, increase effectiveness, and make a significant impact on the team’s productivity. We’ve listed just some of the best tools and hopefully, this will let you perform continuous deployment is a proper way and make your team happy.