25 Most Popular Programming Languages Used by DevOps Engineers in 2026

Discover the top 25 programming languages that DevOps professionals use daily in automation, CI/CD, cloud provisioning, and infrastructure-as-code. Stay updated with the DevOps stack of 2025.

Jul 25, 2025 - 12:58

Updated: 1 month ago

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25 Most Popular Programming Languages Used by DevOps Engineers in 2026

Quick answer: Python, Bash and Go are the most widely used languages for DevOps. Python handles automation and APIs, Bash drives Linux scripting, and Go powers many cloud-native tools, including Kubernetes tooling. HCL is used for Terraform infrastructure code. You do not need all 25: master a few core languages first, then add others as your projects need them.

Key takeaways

Python, Bash and Go cover most DevOps work: automation, Linux scripting and cloud-native tooling.
HCL is the language of Terraform and YAML configures Kubernetes and pipelines.
Learn Bash and Python well before collecting more languages.

Overview
Key Takeaways
Background: Why DevOps Engineers Need Multiple Languages
What Are the 25 Most Popular Programming Languages for DevOps Engineers?
What Are the Real-World Examples?
Conclusion
Next Steps

Overview

DevOps professionals rely heavily on automation, scripting, and infrastructure-as-code. But DevOps success also depends on programming languages. From writing CI/CD pipelines to configuring cloud environments, DevOps pros must master languages that support speed, scalability, and system integration. Here are the 25 most popular programming languages used in DevOps today.

Key Takeaways

DevOps engineers use a mix of scripting, compiled, and domain-specific languages.
Language choice depends on use cases like automation, containerization, cloud provisioning, or monitoring.
Python, Bash, and Go are among the most universally adopted.
Emerging languages like HCL and Cue are growing rapidly with IaC (Infrastructure as Code).
Mastery of a few core languages is better than learning all.

Background: Why DevOps Engineers Need Multiple Languages

DevOps isn’t about just deploying code, it's about orchestrating entire ecosystems. That means writing automation scripts, managing infrastructure, analyzing logs, and even building internal tools. This variety of tasks requires diverse language fluency:

Scripting for quick automations
Compiled languages for performance-critical tooling
Markup languages for declarative infrastructure

Top organizations like Google, Netflix, and Meta use a combination of languages to support their DevOps workflows. The most in-demand ones are below.

What Are the 25 Most Popular Programming Languages for DevOps Engineers?

Language	Purpose / Use Case	Why DevOps Pros Use It
Python	Automation, scripting, APIs, monitoring tools	Easy to learn, rich ecosystem
Bash	Shell scripting, system automation	Native to Linux, great for lightweight tasks
Go (Golang)	Building CLI tools, microservices, Kubernetes tooling	Fast, statically compiled, used in Docker/K8s
JavaScript	Frontend tooling, serverless functions, config UIs	Works well with DevOps dashboards and APIs
Ruby	CI/CD tools like Chef, Puppet	Simple syntax, long-standing in automation
Java	Jenkins, enterprise apps, backend APIs	Reliable and widely supported
TypeScript	Web-based DevOps tools, UIs	Typed JavaScript for safer deployments
PowerShell	Windows automation	Best for Windows-based infrastructure
Perl	Legacy scripts, quick file manipulations	Powerful for text processing
C/C++	Low-level agents, performance-critical tools	Used in monitoring tools, log agents
HCL	Terraform configuration	Declarative, clean syntax for cloud IaC
YAML	Kubernetes configs, CI/CD pipelines	Easy-to-read markup for configuration
JSON	API data exchange, config files	Lightweight and universal
Rust	System-level CLI tools, performance-focused DevOps tools	Safe memory management, rising in popularity
Groovy	Jenkins pipelines	Jenkins' native scripting language
Scala	Spark jobs, big data pipelines in DevOps	Functional + object-oriented for data handling
Kotlin	Gradle scripts, Android CI/CD	Java-compatible and modern syntax
PHP	Webhooks, monitoring dashboards	Still widely used in backend tools
Lua	NGINX configs, embedded scripting	Lightweight and embeddable
R	Statistical analysis, log anomaly detection	Data-focused use in DevOps analytics
Elixir	Real-time monitoring tools	Scalable and fault-tolerant
Swift	iOS build pipelines	Useful for mobile DevOps in Apple ecosystem
C#	Azure DevOps, Windows tooling	Microsoft ecosystem standard
Rego	Policy-as-code (OPA)	Used for Kubernetes admission policies
Cue	Config validation	Emerging tool for validating YAML/JSON schemas

What Are the Real-World Examples?

Python + Terraform: Automate AWS provisioning with Python scripts that trigger Terraform modules.
Go + Kubernetes: Build custom Kubernetes controllers using Go for advanced automation.
Bash + Jenkins: Automate backups and environment setups directly in Jenkins pipelines.
Groovy + Docker: Use Groovy in Jenkinsfiles to run Docker-based builds.
YAML + GitHub Actions: Define entire CI/CD workflows declaratively in YAML files.

Conclusion

DevOps is a language-diverse discipline. There's no single language to rule them all. Successful engineers focus on:

Scripting languages like Bash and Python for quick automation
Infrastructure languages like HCL and YAML for cloud provisioning
High-performance languages like Go and Rust for tooling

Understanding when and where to apply each language is what sets top DevOps engineers apart.

Next Steps

Learn Python and Bash if you’re just starting, they're foundational.
Explore Go if you're working with Kubernetes or building internal tools.
Get familiar with YAML, HCL, and JSON for infrastructure and configuration.
Use hands-on labs or platforms like WebAsha, Katacoda, or DevOps playgrounds to practice.

To take this further with guided labs and an instructor, see our DevOps training.

Reference

For the authoritative details, see Python documentation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Python, Bash, Go, YAML, and HCL are among the top languages used by DevOps engineers.

Python is easy to write, supports powerful libraries, and is excellent for scripting, automation, and tool integration.

Yes, Bash is critical for shell scripting, system automation, and Linux-based tasks in DevOps.

HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language) is used in Terraform for writing infrastructure-as-code in a clean, readable format.

Go is faster and better for building CLI tools and Kubernetes-related tasks, while Python excels in scripting and flexibility.

Basic DevOps can use no-code tools, but scripting and coding are essential for scalability and automation.

YAML is used to define configurations in CI/CD pipelines and Kubernetes deployments due to its simplicity and readability.

JSON is stricter and widely supported by APIs, while YAML is more readable and favored in configuration files.

Yes, Rust is emerging in DevOps for creating high-performance and safe tooling, especially in infrastructure.

Docker, Kubernetes, Prometheus, and Terraform are all built using Go.

Groovy is the default scripting language for Jenkins pipelines (Jenkinsfile), enabling customized build automation.

Yes, especially if you're working on web-based dashboards or serverless workflows in DevOps.

Absolutely. PowerShell is the go-to scripting language for managing Windows environments.

Rego is used in Open Policy Agent (OPA) for enforcing policy-as-code in Kubernetes and cloud-native environments.

Kubernetes is written in Go, and its custom controllers and operators are best built using Go for compatibility and performance.

While not as popular as before, Perl is still found in legacy systems and quick text processing tasks.

Cue is a configuration language that helps validate and simplify complex YAML/JSON configurations, reducing human error.

Groovy (Jenkins), YAML (GitHub Actions), and Python (custom scripts) are all commonly used for writing pipelines.

PHP is rarely used in core DevOps but may be involved in legacy systems or backend-related deployments.

Scala is used in DevOps when working with big data tools like Apache Spark within the data infrastructure.

Kotlin is often used in Gradle scripts for Android CI/CD automation in mobile DevOps pipelines.

Elixir’s concurrency and fault tolerance make it ideal for building real-time monitoring tools in DevOps.

These languages power agents and performance-critical infrastructure tools used in telemetry and monitoring.

R is occasionally used in DevOps for statistical monitoring, log analytics, and anomaly detection.

Lua is embedded into systems like NGINX for dynamic configuration scripting and high-speed customization.

Yes, especially in environments using Microsoft Azure and Windows Server-based infrastructure.

Yes, but focus first on Python, Bash, and YAML. Add others like Go or HCL based on your specific needs.

HCL (for Terraform), YAML (for Ansible/Kubernetes), and JSON are the most common in IaC.

YAML (configs), Go (custom controllers), Bash (scripts), and Python (scripts/integration) are key.

Yes, TypeScript is useful for building internal tools, frontends, and some cloud functions in DevOps.

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Vaishnavi

Vaishnavi is a skilled tech professional at the Ethical Hacking Training Institute in Pune, responsible for managing and optimizing the technical infrastructure that supports advanced cybersecurity education. With deep expertise in network security, backend operations, and system performance, she ensures that practical labs, online modules, and assessments run smoothly and securely. Her behind-the-scenes contributions play a vital role in delivering a seamless and secure learning experience for aspiring ethical hackers.