For people who are relatively new to DevOps concept i.e. Development and Work, the DevOps practice is used to accelerate the process of development and operation of the software.
Developers need to work diligently with IT managers and vice versa for the fast release of an application with no to minimum issues. To achieve this, they need to share ideas and issue through communication and sometimes work in the same team.
Previously, companies provided several code-writing tools to get the process they wanted. Microsoft introduced a valuable tool that made it possible to write code at a higher level with minimal manual procedures. The tool is called Azure DevOps.
Big IT organizations have leveled up their software development game by encouraging employers to get Microsoft Azure DevOps certification and even organizing Microsoft Azure DevOps infrastructure as code workshop.
Before we get started with DevOps with Azure, let’s take a quick look at what Azure DevOps is and how it helps you keep track of every process involved in software development.
What is Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps is a suite of services designed to help developers send quality software at speed.
This tool provides development services to help teams organize work, code development, and no-issue application development and speedy implementation. You can say that Azure DevOps is the expansion of VSTS (Visual Studio Team Service). With this tool, user can perform four main tasks:
·With DevOps, developers can create and implement applications using the Azure DevOps service or locally with an Azure DevOps server.
· Analysis of documentation created using available templates and saving it in the HTML format
· Testing of code scripts and keep a track of all test carried out during the process
· The tool can be used to keep track of a team’s performance and overall progress as well as it’s beneficial for the user to update and record their performance
DevOps has become important for the success of the team. Cloud integration is the best way to reap all the bests of the tool for smooth and efficient work-flow.
So, if you haven’t already installed Azure DevOps, you can get this invaluable Azure tool for free and if you want to have in-dept knowledge about the tool, you can join AzureDevOps training courses.
Getting Started with Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps includes several features that let teams organize their tasks efficiently. All the activities and tasks involved in the process are automated to double productivity in a very short time.
You can start with setting up an account for Microsoft or sign in by using the existing account and get started with Azure DevOps for free.
Some of the benefits Microsoft offers with Azure DevOps are instant access to the features, better connectivity to the remote sites with easier management of the server.
Azure DevOps Projects
It provides a smooth experience to configure Continuous Integration (CD) and Continuous Distribution by using your current code and Git repos or you can select one from the sample applications.
To start using the Azure DevOps system, you need to create the project and then you are allowed to start your work. To make it further clear, projects within Azure DevOps is not a service but rather an easy-to-use UI that let you create work within Azure DevOps.
With the help of DevOps projects, you can get started with your application on any Azure service by choosing your application language, runtime, and Azure service.
Azure DevOps Components
Here are major components and services which Azure DevOps offers which cater to the team as well as to the needs of the individual user.
· Boards within Azure DevOps
A set of agile tools including native scrum, Kanban support and, built-in reports are available in Azure boards. These set of tools are used for managing software projects, to monitor work progress, and code errors. With the help of Boards, your team can be in sync with all the code changes and update.
Within azure boards, there is a feature known as work items. With work items, you can manage and track user stories, features, documents, and project related-errors.
You can add work to your project by right-clicking the “Work” from the side menu and select Boards. From there you can one to many boards for different tasks.
· Repos
During agile software
development, having a version control tool is a crucial
need. Azure DevOps offers a set of
version control tools known as Azure Repos. Azure Repos offers Git repositories and
Team Foundation Version Control to properly manage the code.
Since Git is a
widely used and preferred option, all the features you expect from Git are available in the
Azure Repos.
Also, access to built-in IDE is available to
swiftly edit the code in project files. You can review code and submit comments
as well.
· Pipelines
The service that addresses the need to generate pipelines on the Azure Cloud platform is covered by the service Azure Pipelines. With Azure pipelines, you can do continuous deployment (CD) and Continuous Integration (CI) on any platform, whether it is AWS, GCP and any language. Languages you can use are Java, Python, C#, PHP and more.
The most prominent feature of Azure pipelines is that you have access to the free builds, tests, and releases if your work involves an open-source or public GitHub.
· Test Plans
To improve the quality of the product and collaboration of a team, Azure DevOps and TSF offers Azure test plans and tools for everyone. It’s a browser-based test management solution that offers handy features to schedule different types of testing. The tools allow you to execute and schedule manual and exploratory tests to detect and fix the defects at an early stage of development or during the development cycle.
For a fast release of the software and to boost better user experience you can also carry out user acceptance testing.
With this convenient tool, you can create test plans, test cases, run a manual test, and execute the test in a manual as well in a stand-alone mode to ensure quality
· Azure Artifacts
Azure Artifacts is a multi-feeds concept that you can use to organize and manage access to your packages. Azure DevOps’s Azure Artifacts feature allows you to share Maven, NuGet, and Python from public and private sources with the team.
Azure artifacts within Azure DevOps are deeply integrated with Build to ensure seamless package management with the current workflow.
To sum up, getting started with Azure DevOps is considerably easy that you can effortlessly manage your projects from beginning till deployment of an application.
I would suggest getting Azure DevOps Training If you wish to accumulate hands-on expertise on the functioning of Azure DevOps so that you have a higher chance to enhance your career in the field then.