Azure DevOps Basics

Welcome to the essential guide to Azure DevOps. This section covers the fundamental concepts and tools that will empower your development and operations teams to build, test, and deploy applications faster and more reliably.

What is Azure DevOps?

Azure DevOps is a suite of services provided by Microsoft that helps teams plan work, collaborate on code development, and build and deploy applications. It offers an integrated set of tools for the entire application lifecycle, from planning and backlog management to source control, CI/CD pipelines, and testing.

Key Components

Azure DevOps is comprised of several core services, each addressing a crucial aspect of the development workflow:

  • Azure Boards

    Plan and track work with Kanban boards, backlogs, sprint planning, and custom reporting.

  • Azure Repos

    Host private Git repositories or use Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC) for source code management.

  • Azure Pipelines

    Build, test, and deploy code to any cloud or on-premises with powerful CI/CD automation.

  • Azure Test Plans

    Create and execute manual and exploratory tests to ensure application quality.

  • Azure Artifacts

    Create, host, and share packages from public and private sources (npm, NuGet, Maven, Python).

Getting Started with Azure DevOps

To begin your Azure DevOps journey, you'll need an Azure account. You can create a free Azure DevOps organization to explore its capabilities. Here are the initial steps:

  1. Create an Azure DevOps Organization: Visit Azure DevOps and sign up for a free organization.
  2. Set up a Project: Within your organization, create a new project. Choose a project name and visibility (public or private).
  3. Explore Azure Boards: Start by creating work items like User Stories, Tasks, and Bugs to define your project's scope.
  4. Configure Azure Repos: Initialize a Git repository or import an existing one to manage your codebase.
  5. Build your first Pipeline: Set up a basic Continuous Integration (CI) pipeline to automatically build and test your code on every commit.

Pro Tip:

Familiarize yourself with the Agile methodologies like Scrum or Kanban, as Azure Boards is designed to support these workflows effectively.

Core Concepts Explained

Continuous Integration (CI)

CI is the practice of frequently merging code changes from developers into a central repository, after which automated builds and tests are run. Azure Pipelines makes implementing CI straightforward.

# Example Azure Pipelines YAML for a simple CI build trigger: - main pool: vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest' steps: - script: echo Hello, world! displayName: 'Run a one-line script' - script: | echo Add other tasks to build, test, and deploy your code. echo For example, npm install, dotnet build, etc. displayName: 'Multi-line script example'

Continuous Deployment (CD)

CD is an extension of CI, where code changes that pass the automated tests are automatically deployed to a staging or production environment. This significantly reduces lead time and the risk of manual errors.

Work Item Tracking

Azure Boards allows you to define, track, and manage all types of work related to your project. This visibility is crucial for team alignment and progress monitoring.

Community Resources

The MSDN Community is a great place to learn more and get help. Explore these resources:

Have questions? Contact us!