Open-source tools are empowering businesses worldwide by offering robust, cost-effective solutions for software development, process automation, and collaboration. In this article, I am speed running you through key open-source tools that small to medium-sized businesses can leverage for operational efficiency and growth.
Collaboration during development
The journey from identifying business needs to software development and automation begins with clear software requirements. Take a look at Mattermost for stable project communication using a highly adaptable collaboration platform designed specifically for top-performing technical and operational teams. The company behind Mattermost dedicated themselves to remain open source since 2011 and offer an amazing alternative to Slack, Teams or the Atlassian suite whilst your company benefits from a secure, data privacy oriented, self-hosted solution with no loss in interoperability.
Stay clear of a vendor lock-in, but maintain connectivity and have the flexibility to continuously expand through plugins, including options like GitLab, PagerDuty, Jenkins, Prometheus, and Grafana.
After you have setup your self-hosted Mattermost edition, consider hosting your own Gitlab, which promotes collaboration and meticulous change tracking of your code.
Development studio & operating system
Although I’m a certified Microsoft technician, I choose the Ubuntu operating system for software development. Ubuntu’s seamless integration between the GUI and terminal provides speed and versatility. Plus, with native Docker support – unlike in Windows/WSL (Virtual/Layered) – it simplifies development, packaging, and release cycles.
For the integrated development environment, I endorse Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code. It’s lightweight, offers a plethora of add-ons, and boasts an array of configurable settings. Companies prioritizing security can easily disable telemetry and manage configurations across the organization.
Web, visual and optical process automation
Software-driven automation can revolutionize numerous company operations, from product creation to customer care. One compelling reason for automation is to minimize human errors in repetitive tasks.
For such endeavors, consider the Robotic Process Automation system, TagUI. Its user-friendly language allows for efficient automation across browsers, desktops, and command lines. Impressively, TagUI supports 22 languages and boasts 13 supplementary projects on GitHub. To utilize the power of TagUI as a Python developer, I would recommend RPA-Python for web, visual, and OCR automation.
Additionally, TagUI’s commitment to enterprise-grade security is commendable. It operates independently of cloud services and doesn’t retain user data, rendering PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and SOX certifications irrelevant.
Continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD)
CI/CD practices ensure that software code is continuously validated for safety, adherence to standards, and fulfillment of specifications. Tools like the open-source Jenkins play a pivotal role in this by facilitating automated testing and deployment.
Web development and quality assurance
For browser-centric software developed to run publicly in any browser, deployed cross-platform via Cordova, or even developed with Flutter, I recommend Cypress. With Cypress, you can effortlessly create tests for your modern web applications, visually debug them, and seamlessly integrate them into your continuous integration builds. These builds can be executed on Gitlab and reported back to your Mattermost project management tool via Jenkins.
Performance and scalability
Load testing tools, such as K6.io, provide valuable insights for building and designing robust, high-performing systems that can be scaled according to business needs. These tools are essential for both backend and front-end engineers, as well as site reliability experts, as they help prevent regressions and ensure compliance with SLAs.
Software deployment & distribution
I typically code within a container and launch services like PostgreSQL through Docker Compose. I manage orchestration with gnu/make or Just, and for added security or commercial versions, compile my code into a binary. Docker Compose’s compatibility with Docker Swarm simplifies scaling, and when needed, I can transition to Kubernetes.
Containers for consistency and portability
After validation on a CI/CD server, I recommend software to be containerized for consistency and portability. Docker will enable your business to package applications and dependencies into deployable containers, minimizing compatibility issues and facilitating scalability. These containers, stored on a Docker registry, can also be analyzed for security at the operational server level.
Binary distributions for security & dependency reduction
For enhanced binary distribution, reduced dependency requirements, and added protection of your source code, consider using tools like Nuitka for Python and PKG for Node.js. These tools compile scripts into standalone binaries, which can improve performance and make it harder for unauthorized users to access your source code. Remember that security should also involve other best practices, such as secure coding and vulnerability assessments.
Risk mitigation
Automation allows concentration on pivotal aspects of your companies development, while open source diminishes expenses, mitigates risks, and wards off vendor dependency.