I build and maintain the plugins in this guide. This is not a ranking of every DevOps plugin on Marketplace; it documents the workflow each tool is designed to shorten, where its boundary is, and when the free option is enough.

Choose by bottleneck

Your recurring problemStart withWhy
You mostly need readable nginx.conf filesNginx ConfigurationThe free plugin covers highlighting, folding, and basic editing.
You review production Nginx changesNginx Configuration ProAdds security analysis, deeper inspections, navigation, and validation.
You repeat Docker and Compose terminal commands all dayDocker ManagerKeeps the live container tree, logs, inspect data, and actions together.
GitHub Actions YAML hides the pipeline shapeVisual GitHub ActionsShows triggers, jobs, and dependencies as a synchronized graph.
Step 1 · Before deployment

Review the Nginx change where you edit it

The fastest useful loop starts before nginx -t. Open the root config, follow every include, inspect upstream usages, and fix issues while the changed lines are still in context.

conf.d/api.conf
location ~ ^/(a+)+$ {
    proxy_pass http://$host$request_uri;
    add_header Access-Control-Allow-Origin *;
    add_header Access-Control-Allow-Credentials true;
}
What Pro surfaces in this review ReDoS-prone regular expression Open-proxy / SSRF pattern CORS wildcard with credentials

Use the free plugin when

You need Nginx file recognition, syntax highlighting, code folding, structure view, and basic completion. That is a sensible starting point for occasional edits and non-production examples.

Move to Pro when

You are reviewing configs that route real traffic. Pro adds 38 Gixy-parity security checks plus a separate ReDoS inspection, CVE advice, context-aware completion, cross-file navigation and refactoring, and an Nginx Operations window that can run nginx -t through a local binary or a running Docker container.

What it does not replace

Nginx Pro does not deploy configuration or prove runtime behavior. A production change still needs version control, environment-specific validation, rollout safeguards, and monitoring. The nginx -t action also needs an accessible local binary or running container.

Explore Nginx Pro and start the 14-day trial →
Step 2 · Local verification

Run the Compose stack and keep the evidence beside the code

Once the config passes review, bring up the affected service, follow its logs, and inspect the container state. Docker Manager groups containers by Compose project and service and updates the tree as the runtime changes.

  1. Start narrowly. Run Up or Build for the changed service before rebuilding the whole project.
  2. Watch the live logs. Check highlighted warning and error lines while exercising the changed route.
  3. Inspect what actually launched. Confirm the image, command, environment, ports, mounts, networks, and raw inspect JSON.
  4. Clean up intentionally. Stop or remove only the selected container, service, or project after the check.
Docker DesktopColimaRancher DesktopPodman
What it does not replace

Docker Manager is for the daily local container loop. It is not a Kubernetes control plane, a remote fleet manager, or a substitute for repeatable Compose and deployment automation. A supported local runtime socket must be available.

See the Docker Manager workflow and start the 14-day trial →
Step 3 · CI review

Read the GitHub Actions pipeline as a graph, then verify the YAML

A workflow can be valid YAML and still be difficult to reason about. Visual GitHub Actions renders triggers as nodes, jobs as cards, and needs relationships as edges beside the source file. Changes synchronize in both directions.

Visual GitHub Actions graph with pull request and push triggers connected to a lint and format job
The shipped graph view: two triggers feeding a lint-and-format job. The YAML remains available beside the visual editor.
  1. Trace the critical path. Check which jobs block a deployment and whether a changed needs edge introduces an unexpected sequence.
  2. Review both representations. Use the graph for shape and the synchronized YAML for step definitions, expressions, and exact diff review.
  3. Check the run. Use the Runs Tool Window to filter by workflow or branch, refresh status, rerun, cancel, or open the local workflow file.
What it does not replace

The repository YAML remains the source of truth. Keep using GitHub permissions and branch protection for control, and use YAML for detailed steps, advanced expressions, and matrix behavior. Run actions require a GitHub.com or GitHub Enterprise account connected through OAuth Device Flow.

Explore the visual CI workflow and start the 14-day trial →

How the three-plugin loop fits together

  1. 1
    Static review

    Inspect Nginx structure, security findings, and references.

  2. 2
    Local runtime check

    Build the service, exercise the route, and inspect logs and state.

  3. 3
    CI path review

    Confirm the graph, source diff, and actual workflow run.

  4. 4
    Deployment and monitoring

    Use your existing delivery platform, approvals, and observability.

Pricing and trial reality

Nginx Configuration is free. Nginx Configuration Pro, Docker Manager, and Visual GitHub Actions are paid plugins. Each currently has a 14-day trial; the current US individual price for each is $2/month or $20/year. JetBrains Marketplace shows regional, organizational, and discounted terms before purchase.

Install the tool closest to today's bottleneck

Start with one loop, measure whether it removes repeated terminal or browser work, and add the next plugin only when the adjacent handoff is the new bottleneck.

Nginx reviewLocal containersGitHub Actions