I have experience with Chef and some knowledge of Ansible and Puppet, but I’m curious about which configuration management tool is most commonly used in the industry today. Additionally, which one should I focus on mastering to qualify better as a DevOps engineer?
I’d love to hear your insights based on your experiences.
Hi @mehta_tvara. Ansible is often considered the most popular configuration management tool in 2024, mainly due to its simplicity and ease of use. It uses YAML-based configuration files that are easy to read and write, which is a big draw for developers and DevOps engineers alike.
Ansible doesn’t require agents on the managed machines, making it ideal for setting up automation in both small and large-scale environments.
From my perspective, mastering Ansible will give you an edge in the job market, as it’s widely adopted in the industry, especially in cloud and containerized environments. Moreover, Ansible’s modular nature allows you to automate everything from infrastructure provisioning to application deployment, which is highly valuable in modern DevOps pipelines.
If you’re working with cloud-based applications and need to integrate automated testing into your pipeline, tools like LambdaTest can be used in conjunction with Ansible to automate cross-browser testing and further streamline your CI/CD workflow. Combining these tools in your automation scripts will significantly improve the speed and reliability of your deployments.
I hope this helps you get started with Ansible! 
@Ambikayache indeed Ansible is a great option. I believe in the more the merrier, so… here is another config management tool.
Puppet: Power and Flexibility for Large-Scale Environments
Mastering Puppet could give you an upper hand if you’re working in larger, more complex environments. It’s renowned for its scalability and strong focus on system configuration and compliance management.
Puppet employs a declarative language and integrates well with infrastructure as code practices. This makes it an excellent choice for organizations needing to manage a vast number of servers or intricate configurations at scale.
Mastering Puppet could indeed set you apart, especially if you’re seeking roles in enterprise environments or companies that already utilize Puppet’s mature ecosystem.
However, it’s worth noting that it can be more challenging to learn when compared to Ansible. Despite this, its depth and flexibility are highly respected within large-scale DevOps pipelines.
If your deployment process includes the need to run tests on different browsers, LambdaTest can be integrated into your Puppet-based pipeline. This ensures cross-browser compatibility throughout the automation process.
@mehta_tvara enjoy!!
Hello @mehta_tvara 
, building on the insights from @Ambikayache and @alveera.khn regarding Ansible and Puppet, you might be wondering if Chef still holds value. Let me make a case for it.
While Chef might not have the same widespread adoption as Ansible or Puppet, it maintains a strong presence in certain industries. It’s particularly recognized for its robust infrastructure-as-code capabilities, making it well-suited for complex and large-scale systems.
Chef offers flexible configuration, and its Ruby-based DSL provides significant customization. For teams with strong Ruby expertise, Chef can be a very effective and flexible tool for automating infrastructure and application deployments.
If you’re already familiar with Chef, deepening your knowledge could still be worthwhile. Mastering Chef can open doors to roles requiring custom configurations and extensive automation frameworks, especially in organizations where Chef is already integrated into the workflow.
For incorporating cross-browser testing into your automated processes, LambdaTest can integrate with Chef-based automation scripts. This helps ensure that applications function seamlessly across all browsers during deployment.
These three configuration management tools—Ansible, Puppet, and Chef—are all highly respected in the industry. While mastering Ansible might be the most advantageous for career prospects due to its simplicity, popularity, and ease of integration, Puppet and Chef remain valuable, particularly for larger or more complex environments.
It’s always helpful to have diverse skills in your toolkit. Hope you find this perspective useful!