Azure DevOps Q/A

1. What is Azure DevOps?

• Answer: Azure DevOps is a set of development tools and services provided by Microsoft that facilitates the entire DevOps lifecycle. It includes services for version control, build automation, release management, and more.

2. Explain the key components of Azure DevOps.

• Answer: Azure DevOps consists of several key components, including Azure Repos (for version control), Azure Pipelines (for build and release automation), Azure Boards (for work tracking), Azure Test Plans (for testing), and Azure Artifacts (for package management).

3. What is Continuous Integration (CI) and how does Azure Pipelines support it?

• Answer: Continuous Integration is the practice of frequently integrating code changes into a shared repository. Azure Pipelines supports CI by automatically building and testing code changes whenever they are committed to the repository, ensuring early detection of integration issues.

4. Explain the concept of Continuous Deployment (CD).

• Answer: Continuous Deployment is the practice of automatically deploying code changes to production or staging environments after passing automated tests in a Continuous Integration pipeline. Azure Pipelines supports CD by automating the deployment process.

5. How does Azure DevOps support Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?

• Answer: Azure DevOps supports IaC through tools like Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates. These templates define the infrastructure configuration and can be version-controlled in Azure Repos, ensuring consistency and repeatability in infrastructure deployments.

6. What is YAML in the context of Azure Pipelines?

• Answer: YAML (Yet Another Markup Language) is a human-readable data serialization format used in Azure Pipelines to define build and release pipelines as code. It allows version control and simplifies the management of pipelines.

7. Explain the difference between Git and Azure Repos for version control.

• Answer: Git is a distributed version control system, while Azure Repos is a service built on Git for version control. Azure Repos provides additional features like pull request workflows, branch policies, and integration with other Azure DevOps services.

8. How does Azure DevOps handle security and compliance?

• Answer: Azure DevOps incorporates security features such as role-based access control (RBAC), audit logs, and compliance standards. It also integrates with Azure Policy and Azure Security Center to enforce organizational policies and ensure compliance.

9. What are deployment gates in Azure DevOps Release Pipelines?

• Answer: Deployment gates are conditions set during a release deployment to automatically check and validate certain criteria before progressing to the next stage. This can include approvals, manual interventions, or automated checks like performance testing.

10. Explain the use of service connections in Azure DevOps.

• Answer: Service connections in Azure DevOps are used to connect and authenticate with external services, such as Azure subscriptions, Docker registries, or GitHub repositories. They allow for secure integration and communication between Azure DevOps and these external services.