DEV Community

Goodluck Ekeoma Adiole
Goodluck Ekeoma Adiole

Posted on

Azure DevOps Tutorial for Beginners

1. Introduction to Azure DevOps

Azure DevOps is a cloud-based DevOps platform by Microsoft that provides an end-to-end set of tools to plan, develop, test, deliver, and monitor applications. It supports collaboration between development and operations teams, enabling organizations to deliver software faster, more reliably, and with higher quality.

✅ By the end of this tutorial, beginners should understand the purpose and functionality of each Azure DevOps component, and how they work together to support modern software development and operations.

  • Why Azure DevOps?

    • Supports Agile planning, CI/CD, source control, and testing in one place.
    • Integrates with multiple programming languages and platforms (Java, Python, .NET, Node.js, etc.).
    • Works well with cloud (Azure, AWS, GCP) and on-premises environments.
    • Scalable for individuals, small teams, and enterprise organizations.

  • Main Components of Azure DevOps:

  1. Azure Boards – Project planning and tracking.
  2. Azure Repos – Source code management.
  3. Azure Pipelines – CI/CD automation.
  4. Azure Test Plans – Manual and exploratory testing.
  5. Azure Artifacts – Package management and sharing.

2. Azure Boards

Azure Boards helps teams plan, track, and discuss work across the entire development cycle.

  • Key Features:

    • Work Items – Units of work (tasks, bugs, features) that can be tracked.
    • Boards (Kanban) – Visual boards to manage tasks in “To Do”, “Doing”, and “Done”.
    • Backlogs – Organize work in product and sprint backlogs.
    • Sprints – Agile iteration planning.
    • Dashboards & Reports – Real-time progress tracking.

  • Why Use Azure Boards?

    • Provides transparency and visibility into project progress.
    • Supports Agile, Scrum, and Kanban methodologies.
    • Integrates directly with Git commits and pipelines.
    • Keeps development and project management in sync.

Example Workflow:

  1. Product Owner creates a User Story in the backlog.
  2. Developers break it into Tasks.
  3. Work is tracked on the Kanban board.
  4. Progress is visible in sprint reports and burndown charts.

3. Azure Repos

Azure Repos provides source code management for teams. It allows developers to store, version, and collaborate on code.

  • Two Types of Repos:
  1. Git Repos – Distributed version control system (most popular).
  2. TFVC (Team Foundation Version Control) – Centralized version control.

  • Key Features:

    • Branching & Merging – Work on features in isolation and merge to main branch.
    • Pull Requests (PRs) – Collaborate on code changes before merging.
    • Code Reviews – Discuss and improve code quality.
    • Policies – Require reviews, checks, or tests before merging.
    • Integration – Linked directly with Boards (e.g., commit messages linked to work items).

  • Best Practices:

    • Use feature branches for new work.
    • Enforce PR reviews for quality control.
    • Follow a branching strategy like GitFlow or Trunk-based development.

4. Azure Pipelines

Azure Pipelines provides Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) automation.

  • Continuous Integration (CI):

    • Automatically builds and tests code when changes are pushed.
    • Ensures code always stays in a working state.

  • Continuous Delivery (CD):

    • Deploys applications to different environments (Dev, QA, Production).
    • Supports automated approvals and release gates.

  • Key Features:

    • Pipeline as Code – Defined using YAML files.
    • Multi-platform – Supports Windows, Linux, and macOS builds.
    • Language Support – Works with .NET, Java, Python, Node.js, Go, etc.
    • Integrations – Deploy to Azure, AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, or on-prem servers.
    • Build Agents – Microsoft-hosted or self-hosted agents for executing pipelines.

Example CI/CD Flow:

  1. Developer pushes code → triggers pipeline.
  2. Pipeline builds code, runs unit tests, and creates artifacts.
  3. Pipeline deploys application to Azure Web App (staging).
  4. After approval, it promotes to production.

5. Azure Test Plans

Azure Test Plans is a testing solution integrated into Azure DevOps for manual, exploratory, and automated testing.

  • Key Features:

    • Manual Testing – Step-by-step test execution with pass/fail tracking.
    • Exploratory Testing – Ad-hoc testing without predefined scripts.
    • Automated Testing Integration – Link with CI/CD pipelines.
    • Bug Tracking – Report bugs directly linked to builds and code commits.

  • Benefits:

    • Ensures quality before releases.
    • Provides traceability between requirements, tests, and defects.
    • Improves collaboration between testers and developers.

6. Azure Artifacts

Azure Artifacts provides a package management solution for teams. It allows developers to create, host, and share packages.

  • Supported Package Types:

    • NuGet (for .NET)
    • npm (for JavaScript/Node.js)
    • Maven (for Java)
    • Python packages
    • Universal Packages

  • Key Features:

    • Feeds – Store and distribute packages within the organization.
    • Integration with Pipelines – Automate publishing and consuming packages.
    • Versioning & Retention – Manage multiple versions and clean old ones.

  • Use Case Example:

    • A team creates a shared library in .NET.
    • Publishes it as a NuGet package in Azure Artifacts.
    • Other projects consume it from the feed instead of duplicating code.

7. How the Components Work Together

Here’s how the pieces fit into a DevOps lifecycle:

  1. Plan Work → Azure Boards (backlog, sprints, work items).
  2. Develop Code → Azure Repos (Git source control).
  3. Build & Test → Azure Pipelines (CI builds, automated tests).
  4. Release → Azure Pipelines (CD deployment to environments).
  5. Test Quality → Azure Test Plans (manual/automated tests).
  6. Share Packages → Azure Artifacts (distribute dependencies).

This integration ensures traceability: from a feature request in Boards → commit in Repos → build in Pipelines → test in Test Plans → deployment in Pipelines → package distribution in Artifacts.

8. Benefits of Azure DevOps

  • Single integrated platform for the entire DevOps lifecycle.
  • Supports both Agile and DevOps methodologies.
  • Scalable for startups, mid-size companies, and enterprises.
  • Strong integration with Azure cloud and other external tools (Slack, Jira, GitHub, etc.).
  • Enhances collaboration, automation, and traceability.

9. Getting Started

  • Sign up at dev.azure.com.
  • Create an organization and a project.
  • Explore each service (Boards, Repos, Pipelines, etc.) step by step.
  • Start with a small project to learn before applying to enterprise-level projects.

Top comments (0)