Bug and issue tracking tools can help DevOps developers communicate effectively, resolve problems rapidly and continuously improve the quality of their products. This guide will discuss the following top bug and issue tracking tools for developers in terms of their features, pros, cons and pricing:
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Jira claims it is the top software development tool for Agile teams. The project management software is a great choice for developers seeking bug and issue tracking. Plus, it has added perks like DevOps templates, collaboration, automation, Scrum and Kanban boards and thousands of third-party programmer tool integrations.
Some of Jira’s top bug and issue tracking features include:
Jira has time-saving templates for bug tracking and DevOps. The PM tool lets developers quickly capture, assign, prioritize and track bugs. Its workflow engine offers bug status transparency. Automation updates developers with notifications once issues move from the backlog to done and can be used to auto-assign bugs and automate releases.
Once a bug is spotted, you can create a ticket with all the relevant details and give each issue its custom workflow. With the bug captured, you can prioritize it based on importance via drag-and-drop to the to-do column or backlog and assign it. From there, engineers can create a new branch in Bitbucket or other source code management software to start working on the bug directly via the Jira ticket. To keep everyone on the same page, any new pull requests, merges, etc., will be automatically updated in the ticket.
Beyond those issues and bug tracking features, Jira also integrates with GitHub, Jenkins and other third-party DevOps tools.
Jira’s advantages include:
If you are part of an Agile software development team or want to combine Agile and DevOps, Jira is a no-brainer with its Scrum and Kanban support and other Agile-friendly features. It has time-saving templates for bug tracking, DevOps and other purposes. It also has built-in automation rule templates for bug assignments and releases. Lastly, Jira is scalable and works for teams of up to 20,000 members.
Jira’s disadvantages include:
Should you want to move to similar software in the future, Jira makes migration challenging. The interface is not very intuitive for some users and takes time to get used to, and the Free plan is somewhat limited in terms of features.
Jira’s pricing is as follows:
The Free plan comes with unlimited project boards, community support, backlog, timeline, reporting and 2GB of storage. Standard includes business-hour support, 250GB of storage, user roles and permissions, data residency and audit logs. Premium adds unlimited storage, advanced roadmaps, project archiving, guaranteed uptime and around-the-clock support. Lastly, Enterprise provides unlimited sites, dedicated support and enhanced security.
nTask is a comprehensive project management solution for DevOps developers that also serves as online issue and bug tracking software.
nTask’s top features for issue and bug tracking include:
DevOps developers can track bugs and issues in nTask versus relying on clunky spreadsheets, email and separate chat apps. You can set severity, select priority and link issues to tasks or projects.
The programmer tool can help resolve bugs four times faster, unlike other apps that rely on inefficient ticketing systems. Developers can set issue types, include planned/actual dates and times, add custom colors and unique IDs and open/close issues with ease. They can also add custom fields to critical issues or all of them with dropdowns, checklists, text fields, formulas and more.
Software development teams can stay in sync with team chat, document sharing, file management and shared updates. Plus, nTask integrates with thousands of popular apps via Zapier.
nTask’s pros include:
The fact that the Free plan comes with issue tracking is a significant plus for small, budget-minded teams. nTask is easy to use, excels with its end-to-end issue tracking and is also reasonably priced if you need to opt for a paid plan. When you consider how many features you get from the comprehensive project management tool, the cost is just right.
nTask’s cons include:
nTask is easy to use, but navigating the developer tool can take excessive clicks to get to your destination. Self-hosting is only available on its most expensive plan. nTask is also built for smaller teams versus larger ones handling more complex projects.
nTask has four pricing plans to choose from:
The Basic plan comes with unlimited workspaces, tasks and meeting access, real-time collaboration, issue tracking and timesheets. Premium adds unlimited projects, Gantt charts, Kanban boards, project management, subtasks, task dependencies, etc. Business offers custom fields, roles and permissions and priority support. Finally, Enterprise offers enterprise-grade security, customization and advanced features.
Marker.io serves as a website feedback and annotation tool and visual bug reporting software. It is ideal for DevOps teams looking to gather bug reports and feedback internally and from clients/users with screenshots, advanced technical metadata and annotations.
Marker.io’s top features as an issue and bug tracking tool include:
Marker.io has annotation and markup tools that non-technical clients can easily use, which accelerates the QA testing process. The bug tracking tool uses screenshots that make it easier for DevOps developers to debug and fix issues. Each screenshot offers session environment details, including the OS, website link, browser, and more. And for added context, Marker.io offers session replays that show videos of each user’s website journey.
What’s more, Marker.io has several collaboration tools to help DevOps developers communicate with stakeholders (comments, attachments, status updates, etc.), plus integrations with popular third-party project management, DevOps and issue tracking software for added functionality.
Strengths of Marker.io include:
All it takes to start collecting client feedback via Marker.io is embedding some lines of code on your site. It even has a no-code WordPress plugin and browser extension. Marker.io can run in the background without negatively impacting performance, and clients can offer feedback without needing an account. Its integrations with many third-party project management, DevOps and issue tracking tools are another plus.
Weaknesses of Marker.io include:
While it is a huge time-saver, Marker.io’s price may cause sticker shock for those with limited budgets. The use of screenshots to give feedback may not be ideal for some users who prefer simple forms for suggesting corrections. Additionally, reporting bugs may involve too many steps for some developers seeking a speedier process.
Marker.io has three pricing plans:
All of the plans offer unlimited reporters. Starter includes screenshots, annotations, environment data, collaboration and integrations. Team adds console logs, network requests, session replays, custom branding, feedback analytics, custom metadata and CSV exports. Company adds an account manager, priority support and Jira Enterprise.
YouTrack is budget, Agile, and user-friendly project management software for DevOps developers with bug and issue tracking capabilities and superb task management.
Some of YouTrack’s bug and issue tracking highlights include:
Keyboard shortcuts in YouTrack make it easy for DevOps developers to create, edit and move between issues effortlessly. Commands let you tweak assignees, issue states and more rapidly. The advanced editor lets you create highly-detailed issue descriptions with issue linking, inline images/tables, duplicate issue detection, and more.
There are custom fields to add even more detail and filters to help you find issues fast. YouTrack also offers version control system (VCS) integration, bulk editing, and other advanced features.
YouTrack’s pros include:
A Free plan with unlocked features is a massive pro in YouTrack’s favor. And even if you have a larger team, the paid plan is still affordable. The bug and issue tracking tool is easy to use, and its Agile-friendly features (boards, burndown charts, etc.) are a plus for DevOps teams looking to merge with the Agile methodology.
YouTrack’s cons include:
YouTrack may load slowly at times, according to some users. It could use more integrations for added functionality, and users report that the UI is more clunky than it should be.
YouTrack has cloud and server pricing options:
YouTrack offers all its features under its Free plan, including collaboration, task management, workflows, dashboards, time tracking, Agile boards, Gantt charts, etc. The paid plans offer the same, only for 11-plus users and include custom logos.
When shopping for bug and issue tracking software, make sure its price fits within your budget. Read reviews to ensure it has an intuitive interface and is user-friendly for your development team members. Additionally, you want solid support and an active community behind the tool, so you can find support whenever you run into issues using it.
You should also look for scalability to meet your team’s need for growth, plus features like built-in collaboration, advanced reporting and analytics, automation, customizable workflows and integrations with third-party project management, collaborative and DevOps tools.
The bug and issue tracking software listed above can help DevOps developers fix bugs quickly, improve the quality of their products and keep clients and users happy. Before choosing a bug and issue tracking tool, make sure its price, user-friendliness and feature set meet your software development team’s needs.
