Azure DevOps is a fully integrated set of services that provides development teams with everything they need to plan work, develop, test, and deliver applications and products. It's a complete DevOps toolchain for any platform and any language. Azure DevOps supports teams to plan work, share code, build software, and deploy applications.
It is a product offered by Microsoft that allows developers to collaborate and coordinate their work to ensure efficiency and reduce the time taken to move from an idea to a working product. Azure DevOps provides a range of tools and features that can be used throughout the development process, from planning and tracking work to coding, building, and deploying applications.
Definition of Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps is a suite of five services that together provide a full DevOps lifecycle. These services are Azure Boards, Azure Repos, Azure Pipelines, Azure Test Plans, and Azure Artifacts. Each service provides a distinct function and can be used individually or together, depending on the needs of the project.
The suite is designed to be flexible and to allow teams to choose the services that best fit their needs. Whether a team is working on a small project with a few developers or a large project with hundreds of contributors, Azure DevOps provides the tools and services necessary to manage the project efficiently.
Azure Boards
Azure Boards is a service that provides a set of capabilities for planning, tracking, and discussing work across the entire development effort. It is designed to be flexible and to allow teams to track their work using Scrum, Kanban, or a mix of methodologies. Azure Boards includes work items, backlogs, boards, and custom reporting to help teams track and manage work.
Work items in Azure Boards represent all things—requirements, tasks, bugs, features, and more. Teams can track work by creating and visualizing progress with Kanban boards, and they can manage backlogs to prioritize work. Custom reporting and analytics tools provide insights into how work is progressing.
Azure Repos
Azure Repos provides a place for teams to store, manage, and track code. It provides Git repositories for source control and collaboration on code. With Azure Repos, teams can collaborate through pull requests and advanced file management.
Teams can use Azure Repos to manage and track code changes. They can review and manage pull requests to ensure code quality and to maintain a history of all changes. Azure Repos also provides semantic code search, allowing teams to find and understand code quickly.
Explanation of Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps is a tool that helps teams manage their software development lifecycle. It provides a set of integrated tools that teams can use to effectively plan, develop, test, and deliver software. Azure DevOps supports a range of methodologies, including Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall, and it can be used with virtually any programming language and platform.
One of the key benefits of Azure DevOps is its integration with the Azure cloud platform. This integration allows teams to easily deploy applications to Azure, and it provides a range of tools and services that can help teams develop, test, and manage applications more effectively.
Integration with Azure
Azure DevOps is deeply integrated with the Azure cloud platform. This integration provides a range of benefits for teams developing applications for Azure. For example, teams can use Azure Pipelines to automatically build, test, and deploy applications to Azure. They can also use Azure Repos to store and manage code, and they can use Azure Boards to plan and track work.
Additionally, Azure DevOps provides a range of tools and services that can help teams manage their applications once they are deployed to Azure. For example, teams can use Azure Monitor to track the performance of their applications, and they can use Azure Security Center to manage the security of their applications.
Support for Multiple Platforms and Languages
Azure DevOps supports a wide range of platforms and programming languages. This means that teams can use Azure DevOps to develop applications for virtually any platform and in any language. Whether a team is developing a web application in JavaScript, a mobile application in Swift, or a desktop application in C#, Azure DevOps provides the tools and services necessary to manage the development process.
Furthermore, Azure DevOps supports a range of development methodologies, including Agile, Scrum, and Waterfall. This means that teams can use Azure DevOps to manage their development process, regardless of the methodology they choose to use.
History of Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps was launched by Microsoft in 2018 as a rebranding of Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS). However, the history of Azure DevOps can be traced back much further, to the launch of Team Foundation Server (TFS) in 2005. TFS was a set of development tools and services that teams could use to manage their development process. In 2013, Microsoft launched Visual Studio Online, a cloud-based version of TFS. Visual Studio Online was later rebranded as Visual Studio Team Services, and then finally as Azure DevOps in 2018.
Since its launch, Azure DevOps has evolved and grown to include a range of new features and capabilities. For example, in 2019, Microsoft added a range of new features to Azure Boards, including new ways to track work and new reporting capabilities. In 2020, Microsoft added new features to Azure Pipelines, including improved support for multi-stage pipelines and new ways to manage pipeline resources.
From TFS to Azure DevOps
Team Foundation Server (TFS) was the precursor to Azure DevOps. Launched in 2005, TFS provided a set of tools and services that teams could use to manage their development process. TFS included features for source control, work tracking, and build automation, among others. However, TFS was a self-hosted solution, meaning that teams had to manage their own servers and infrastructure.
In 2013, Microsoft launched Visual Studio Online, a cloud-based version of TFS. Visual Studio Online provided the same set of tools and services as TFS, but it was hosted on Microsoft's cloud platform, Azure. This meant that teams could use Visual Studio Online without having to manage their own servers and infrastructure. Visual Studio Online was later rebranded as Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS) in 2015.
Rebranding to Azure DevOps
In 2018, Microsoft rebranded Visual Studio Team Services as Azure DevOps. This rebranding was more than just a name change—it represented a shift in focus for the product. While VSTS was primarily focused on providing a set of tools for teams using the .NET framework, Azure DevOps is designed to be a more universal solution, supporting a range of platforms and programming languages.
Along with the rebranding, Microsoft also split the product into five distinct services: Azure Boards, Azure Repos, Azure Pipelines, Azure Test Plans, and Azure Artifacts. This change was designed to make the product more modular and flexible, allowing teams to choose the services that best fit their needs.
Use Cases of Azure DevOps
Azure DevOps is a versatile tool that can be used in a variety of scenarios. From small teams working on a single application to large organizations managing multiple projects, Azure DevOps provides the tools and services necessary to manage the development process efficiently. Here are some common use cases for Azure DevOps.
One common use case for Azure DevOps is managing the development process for a single application. In this scenario, a team would use Azure Boards to plan and track work, Azure Repos to manage code, Azure Pipelines to build and deploy the application, and Azure Test Plans to manage testing. This provides a complete DevOps lifecycle for the application, from planning to deployment.
Managing Multiple Projects
Large organizations often have multiple projects running concurrently, each with its own team and set of requirements. Azure DevOps provides the tools and services necessary to manage multiple projects efficiently. Each project can have its own set of services, allowing each team to work independently. At the same time, Azure DevOps provides centralized management and reporting, allowing managers to track progress across all projects.
For example, an organization might have one project for a web application, another for a mobile application, and a third for a microservices architecture. Each project would have its own Azure Boards for planning and tracking work, its own Azure Repos for managing code, and its own Azure Pipelines for building and deploying the application. This allows each team to work independently, while still providing centralized management and reporting for the organization.
Collaboration and Code Sharing
Azure DevOps also provides a powerful platform for collaboration and code sharing. With Azure Repos, teams can collaborate on code through pull requests, code reviews, and more. Azure Repos also provides semantic code search, allowing teams to find and understand code quickly.
Furthermore, Azure DevOps supports a range of collaboration tools, including team dashboards, wikis, and chat. These tools allow teams to communicate and collaborate more effectively, reducing the time and effort required to coordinate work.
Examples of Azure DevOps
Many organizations have successfully used Azure DevOps to manage their development process and deliver high-quality software. Here are a few examples of how organizations have used Azure DevOps.
One example is Maersk, a global shipping company. Maersk used Azure DevOps to manage the development of a new online platform for its customers. With Azure DevOps, Maersk was able to manage a global team of developers, track work across multiple projects, and deliver a high-quality product on time and on budget.
Maersk
Maersk, the global shipping company, used Azure DevOps to manage the development of a new online platform for its customers. The platform was designed to provide customers with real-time shipping information, allowing them to track their shipments and manage their orders more effectively.
With Azure DevOps, Maersk was able to manage a global team of developers, track work across multiple projects, and deliver a high-quality product on time and on budget. Azure DevOps provided the tools and services necessary to manage the development process efficiently, from planning and tracking work to managing code and deploying the application.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is another example of an organization that has successfully used Azure DevOps. The airline used Azure DevOps to manage the development of a new mobile application for its customers. With Azure DevOps, Alaska Airlines was able to manage a team of developers, track work, manage code, and deploy the application to multiple platforms.
The new mobile application provides customers with real-time flight information, allows them to check in for flights, and provides a range of other features. With Azure DevOps, Alaska Airlines was able to deliver a high-quality application that has been well received by its customers.