I work as a full-stack developer, and besides regular development, I often handle DevOps tasks: deploying services, updating Kubernetes clusters, and troubleshooting infrastructure issues. For all this, I use IntelliJ IDEA as my main IDE.
Over time, I’ve built a set of plugins that simplify routine tasks, speed up my workflow, and reduce context switching between the terminal and IDE. In this post, I’ll share the tools that really help me in my work.
🔧 Ansible
Key use cases: quick role lookup, module autocompletion, less switching to documentation.
Main features:
- Autocompletion for playbook fields
- Autocompletion for roles
- Autocompletion for Ansible modules
- Local access to full Ansible documentation
- Suggestions for role names
This plugin helps to write and edit playbooks faster, reduces errors, and saves time.
☸ Kubernetes Control Center
Key use cases: quick access to nginx.conf, real-time pod logs, managing multiple clusters without leaving the IDE.
Main features:
- Resource Explorer: navigate clusters, pods, services, configs, and other objects
- Live logs: search and filter container logs directly in the IDE
- Interactive terminal: open shell sessions inside containers
- Port forwarding: forward ports from pods and services to your local machine
- YAML editor: view, validate, and edit resources
- Cluster management: switch between contexts, namespaces, and clusters
- Support for CRD, Helm, and ArgoCD
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Easy access to
nginx.conf: one of my favorite features — I solved a tricky Nginx issue, and quick access to the configuration file in one click was very helpful
This plugin speeds up debugging, reduces terminal/browser switching, and simplifies basic Kubernetes management directly from the IDE.
🌐 Nginx Configuration Pro
Key use cases: config formatting, custom directive autocompletion, quick error checking.
Main features:
- Code formatting: clean and readable configs, automatic value alignment, logical grouping
- Custom directive support: autocompletion and documentation for your own directives
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Inspections and validations: catch configuration errors before deployment, validate complex blocks (
geo,map) and directive parameters - Language support: syntax highlighting, structure navigation, commenting, code folding
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Docker envsubst: recognizes
*.conf.templatefiles with${VARNAME}variables
This plugin helps edit configs faster, reduces errors, and improves team collaboration.
📜 Terraform and HCL
Key use cases: resource and provider autocompletion, type checking, variable refactoring, Terraform code navigation.
Main features:
- Autocompletion: resources, variables, providers (including third-party from Terraform Registry), and built-in Terraform methods
- Syntax highlighting and validation: support for HCL, HIL, TFTPL with type and required property checks
- Inspections and checks: unresolved references, deprecated properties, dependent modules
- Refactoring: rename, introduce variable for string values
- Navigation and documentation: go-to definition, find usages, integrated docs (including third-party providers)
This plugin speeds up working with infrastructure as code and reduces errors in Terraform configs.
⚡ Conclusion
These plugins turn IntelliJ IDEA into a convenient workspace for DevOps and SRE tasks:
- Quickly manage clusters and resources
- Check and edit configs
- Write Terraform and run Ansible playbooks directly in the IDE
If you combine development with infrastructure tasks, try this set. It really saves time and simplifies routine work.
💬 Discussion
Which plugins do you use for DevOps and SRE tasks in your IDE? Any interesting tips for Kubernetes, Terraform, or Nginx? I’d love to discuss in the comments!
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