Implementing a Build Strategy for Continuous Integration With Azure DevOps

Azure DevOps is a tool for planning, auditing, code versioning, code integrating, testing, artifact storing, and deploying. It is the primary tool for continuous integration and deployment. This lesson will focus on the most important parts of Azure Pipelines in implementing an end-to-end continuous integration strategy.

Build triggers are essential for automated code processing and will reduce the workload of any team governing the process. You will learn which build triggers exist, why you may want to use them, and a strategy for implementing them.

Hybrid builds allow for flexibility in workflow, security, and processes by integrating builds from more than one pipeline or tool.

Parallel builds will speed up processing of the workflow where it makes sense to do so. You will learn how to use parallel or multi-agent builds, when to use them, and what their benefits are.

Azure DevOps is but one tool in the CI ecosystem. This lesson will also touch upon other build tools as well as recommendations for their use and integration into your workflow.

To round out the lesson, we will set up a completely automated continuous integration (CI) workflow that will provide a foundation for a secure, repeatable, auditable, and complete CI solution for your projects.

Learning Objectives

• Maximize automation strategy with build triggers
• Understand hybrid build concepts
• Speed up pipelines with parallel builds
• Learn about build tools and Azure integration

Intended Audience

• Anyone wanting to learn the continuous integration material for Microsoft's AZ-400 exam

Prerequisites

• A basic understanding of workflow and the CI build pipeline process
• A good understanding of the development lifecycle
• It would be advantageous to have a basic understanding of YAML, although it's not required

Resources

The GitHub repository for this lesson is at https://github.com/cloudacademy/azure-continuous-integration-build.