tomevault-io Azure DevOps Pipelines
Build, test, and deploy applications using Azure Pipelines with YAML or classic editor.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Creating CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps
- Configuring build and release stages
- Managing Azure DevOps service connections
- Deploying to Azure or other cloud platforms
- Setting up multi-stage YAML pipelines
Prerequisites
- Azure DevOps organization and project
- Service connections for target environments
- Basic YAML understanding
- Azure subscription (for Azure deployments)
YAML Pipeline Structure
Create azure-pipelines.yml in repository root:
trigger:
branches:
include:
- main
- develop
paths:
include:
- src/*
pool:
vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
variables:
buildConfiguration: 'Release'
nodeVersion: '20.x'
stages:
- stage: Build
jobs:
- job: BuildJob
steps:
- task: NodeTool@0
inputs:
versionSpec: $(nodeVersion)
- script: |
npm ci
npm run build
displayName: 'Build application'
- publish: $(Build.ArtifactStagingDirectory)
artifact: drop
- stage: Deploy
dependsOn: Build
condition: and(succeeded(), eq(variables['Build.SourceBranch'], 'refs/heads/main'))
jobs:
- deployment: DeployWeb
environment: 'production'
strategy:
runOnce:
deploy:
steps:
- script: echo Deploying to production
Triggers
Branch Triggers
trigger:
branches:
include:
- main
- release/*
exclude:
- feature/*
tags:
include:
- v*
Pull Request Triggers
pr:
branches:
include:
- main
paths:
include:
- src/*
exclude:
- docs/*
Scheduled Triggers
schedules:
- cron: '0 2 * * *'
displayName: 'Nightly build'
branches:
include:
- main
always: true
Jobs and Stages
Parallel Jobs
stages:
- stage: Test
jobs:
- job: UnitTests
pool:
vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
steps:
- script: npm run test:unit
- job: IntegrationTests
pool:
vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
steps:
- script: npm run test:integration
Matrix Strategy
jobs:
- job: Build
strategy:
matrix:
linux:
vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
windows:
vmImage: 'windows-latest'
mac:
vmImage: 'macos-latest'
pool:
vmImage: $(vmImage)
steps:
- script: npm test
Job Dependencies
stages:
- stage: Build
jobs:
- job: A
steps:
- script: echo Job A
- job: B
dependsOn: A
steps:
- script: echo Job B
Variables and Parameters
Variable Groups
variables:
- group: 'production-secrets'
- name: buildConfiguration
value: 'Release'
Runtime Parameters
parameters:
- name: environment
displayName: 'Environment'
type: string
default: 'dev'
values:
- dev
- staging
- prod
stages:
- stage: Deploy
variables:
env: ${{ parameters.environment }}
jobs:
- job: Deploy
steps:
- script: echo "Deploying to $(env)"
Secret Variables
variables:
- name: mySecret
value: $(SECRET_FROM_PIPELINE) # Set in pipeline settings
steps:
- script: |
echo "Using secret"
./deploy.sh
env:
API_KEY: $(mySecret)
Templates
Job Template
# templates/build-job.yml
parameters:
- name: nodeVersion
default: '20'
jobs:
- job: Build
steps:
- task: NodeTool@0
inputs:
versionSpec: ${{ parameters.nodeVersion }}
- script: npm ci && npm run build
Using Templates
# azure-pipelines.yml
stages:
- stage: Build
jobs:
- template: templates/build-job.yml
parameters:
nodeVersion: '20'
Stage Template
# templates/deploy-stage.yml
parameters:
- name: environment
type: string
- name: serviceConnection
type: string
stages:
- stage: Deploy_${{ parameters.environment }}
jobs:
- deployment: Deploy
environment: ${{ parameters.environment }}
strategy:
runOnce:
deploy:
steps:
- task: AzureWebApp@1
inputs:
azureSubscription: ${{ parameters.serviceConnection }}
appName: 'myapp-${{ parameters.environment }}'
Deployments
Environment Deployments
stages:
- stage: DeployStaging
jobs:
- deployment: DeployWeb
environment: 'staging'
strategy:
runOnce:
deploy:
steps:
- download: current
artifact: drop
- script: ./deploy.sh staging
Approval Gates
Configure in Azure DevOps UI:
- Go to Environments
- Select environment
- Add approval check
- Configure approvers
Rolling Deployment
jobs:
- deployment: Deploy
environment: 'production'
strategy:
rolling:
maxParallel: 2
deploy:
steps:
- script: ./deploy.sh
Azure Service Tasks
Azure Web App Deployment
- task: AzureWebApp@1
inputs:
azureSubscription: 'my-azure-connection'
appType: 'webAppLinux'
appName: 'my-web-app'
package: '$(Pipeline.Workspace)/drop/*.zip'
Azure Container Apps
- task: AzureContainerApps@1
inputs:
azureSubscription: 'my-azure-connection'
containerAppName: 'my-container-app'
resourceGroup: 'my-rg'
imageToDeploy: 'myregistry.azurecr.io/myapp:$(Build.BuildId)'
Azure Kubernetes Service
- task: KubernetesManifest@0
inputs:
action: 'deploy'
kubernetesServiceConnection: 'my-aks-connection'
namespace: 'default'
manifests: |
$(Pipeline.Workspace)/manifests/deployment.yml
$(Pipeline.Workspace)/manifests/service.yml
containers: |
myregistry.azurecr.io/myapp:$(Build.BuildId)
Docker Builds
- task: Docker@2
inputs:
containerRegistry: 'my-acr-connection'
repository: 'myapp'
command: 'buildAndPush'
Dockerfile: '**/Dockerfile'
tags: |
$(Build.BuildId)
latest
Self-Hosted Agents
Install Agent
# Download agent
mkdir myagent && cd myagent
curl -o vsts-agent.tar.gz https://vstsagentpackage.azureedge.net/agent/3.227.2/vsts-agent-linux-x64-3.227.2.tar.gz
tar zxvf vsts-agent.tar.gz
# Configure
./config.sh --url https://dev.azure.com/myorg --auth pat --token PAT_TOKEN --pool default
# Run as service
sudo ./svc.sh install
sudo ./svc.sh start
Use Self-Hosted Pool
pool:
name: 'my-self-hosted-pool'
demands:
- docker
- Agent.OS -equals Linux
Common Issues
Issue: Service Connection Fails
Problem: Cannot authenticate to Azure Solution: Verify service principal permissions, check connection in project settings
Issue: Artifact Not Found
Problem: Download artifact fails Solution: Ensure publish task ran successfully, check artifact name matches
Issue: Environment Not Found
Problem: Deployment to environment fails Solution: Create environment in Pipelines > Environments first
Best Practices
- Use YAML pipelines over classic editor
- Implement templates for reusable components
- Use variable groups for shared configuration
- Configure environment approvals for production
- Use service connections with minimal permissions
- Implement artifact versioning
- Cache dependencies for faster builds
Related Skills
- github-actions - GitHub CI/CD alternative
- terraform-azure - Azure IaC
- azure-aks - AKS deployments
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