Start DevOps on Azure

DevOps is a software development culture in which development and operation processes are combined. DevOps methodologies offer practical solutions for quickly developing and deploying applications. Microsoft provides one of the most popular sets of DevOps solutions, Azure DevOps.

Earlier known as Visual Studio Team Services (VSTS), Azure DevOps is a practical set of tools and practices developed on the Azure cloud computing platform. 

Introduction - Start DevOps on Azure

Azure DevOps can be understood as a set of tools, practices, and services that enhance the workings of DevOps teams. The solution set brings together IT operations, security systems, development, and a few other practices to develop applications effectively. DevOps on Azure comprises services that simplify automation, application development, and delivery management.

Suppose you are looking for a set of tools that make every stage of application development more efficient. In that case, Azure DevOps can be your perfect choice. From planning and developing to testing and deploying apps, Azure DevOps provides services and tools that make DevOps processes more organized and trackable.

Since DevOps on Azure is built on the Azure cloud computing platform, it lets you connect with a wide range of other products and tools that enhance your processes. 

For those who want to deploy DevOps in their local center, Microsoft offers a DevOps server by Azure. The server's functionality is similar to Azure DevOps and can be useful for on-premise work.

Azure DevOps - Core Services 

Azure DevOps comes with core services that are instrumental in every app development and deployment stage. The solutions include Git Repositories, tools used for tracking and testing, and other support services. The core services of Azure DevOps are discussed below.

Azure Boards

Azure Boards is a set of interactive tools for tracking, organizing, and managing software development projects. With this tool, progress can be tracked in the same place—teams can discuss, code, work, and plan the next moves on the dashboards.

This service consists of Agile tools that enable the management of teams and their multiple processes. The boards can be customized accordingly to suit workflow and study deeper analytics —this is supported by Scrum and Kanban processes.

Azure Repos

Repos is a toolkit that allows teams with Git repositories to control their code. Coders manage their application code using Azure Repos. The version control set of tools is helpful for all software development projects, especially if implemented from the start of the project. 

Azure Repos also enables other DevOps components like CI/CD and pipelines on the project. This version control toolkit makes collaboration between workforce and code easier—with Repos, teams can seamlessly work together and streamline their work processes.

Azure Pipelines

Another cloud-based solution that simplifies software development, Azure Pipelines automatically builds and tests codes for projects. It supports a wide range of coding languages and project types. Users can develop and deploy apps effectively using the tools available on Pipelines.

One of the standout features of Azure Pipelines is that it can handle complex workflows, especially when combined with Repos. Multi-level builds and customized reporting are also available on Pipelines. The solutions support multiple platforms and collaborate effectively with GitHub and Azure deployments as well.

Azure Test Plans 

As the name indicates, Test Plans by Azure is a set of intuitive tools that help enhance the code's quality and facilitate different types of testing like user acceptance testing, planned manual testing, and exploratory testing. The set of tools helps in developing and implementing test cases within Azure Pipelines.

Azure Test Plans is user-friendly, making it better than similar tools. As a test management platform, it accepts many extensions that help implement feedback and test browsers. The platform's versatile application makes it perfect for creating manual and automated tests in software deployment.

Azure Artifacts

Azure Artifacts can be understood as a shared environment where team members share and manage code while also accessing various repositories and projects. Users can both create and access projects and packages using this artifact library platform. Developers can use this service to publish and share packages across teams, organizations, or even publicly. The platform supports different packages, including NuGet, Maven, and Python packages.

How is DevOps on Azure Better Than Similar Solutions?

DevOps on Azure offers a wide range of benefits, including easy project management and reliability. It should also be noted that Azure DevOps services have a free trial for users, making it easy for beginners. Here are some of the benefits of Azure DevOps.

Efficient Collaboration

Apart from the incredible core services, Azure DevOps also offers a Visual Studio Team System that makes collaboration among various teams especially swift and easy. This feature enables coders, testers, managers, and developers to collaborate on different processes in the SDLC cycle and streamline workflow.

High-Quality Deliverables

As Azure DevOps focuses on Agile methodologies like Kanban and Scrum, the quality of the applications developed is top-notch. Testing is rigorous and continuous. Hence the possibility for errors is reduced very effectively.

Quick Turnover Period

Due to improved CI/CD pipelines and the application of the IaaS model, the development and deployment of applications are made very efficient and quick in Azure DevOps. Add the factor of strong security and testing, and all of these elements make DevOps on Azure not just quick but also very effective.

Steps to start DevOps on Azure

Step 1: Create an Azure Account

Go to the Azure website and sign up for a free account

Step 2: Install Azure CLI

Read the official Documentation for Installation and then login the account

az login

Step 3: Create a Resource Group

az group create --name myResourceGroup --location eastus

Step 4: Create a Virtual Machine

az vm create --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myVM --image UbuntuLTS --admin-username azureuser --generate-ssh-keys

Step 5: Create a Storage Account

az storage account create --name mystorageaccount --resource-group myResourceGroup --location eastus --sku Standard_LRS

Step 6: Create a Web App

az webapp create --resource-group myResourceGroup --plan myAppServicePlan --name myUniqueAppName

Documentation for Learning DevOps on Azure

Pricing for DevOps on Azure

Useful Commands for DevOps on Azure

az login

az group create 
--name <groupName> 
--location <location>

az vm create --resource-group 
<groupName> 
--name <vmName> 
--image <image> 
--admin-username <username> 
--generate-ssh-keys

az storage account create 
--name <storageName> 
--resource-group 
<groupName> 
--location <location> 
--sku <sku>

az sql db create 
--resource-group 
<groupName> 
--server <serverName> 
--name <dbName> 
--service-objective <objective>

az appservice plan 
create --name <planName> 
--resource-group 
<groupName> --sku <sku>

az webapp create 
--resource-group 
<groupName> 
--plan <planName> 
--name <appName>

az aks create 
--resource-group <groupName> 
--name <clusterName> 
--node-count <count> 
--enable-addons monitoring 
--generate-ssh-keys

az cosmosdb create 
--name <accountName> 
--resource-group 
<groupName> --kind <kind>

az functionapp create 
--resource-group <groupName> 
--consumption-plan-location 
<location> --runtime <runtime> 
--functions-version <version> 
--name <appName> 
--storage-account <storageName>

az datafactory create 
--resource-group <groupName> 
--name <factoryName> --location <location>

az network vnet create 
--name <vnetName> 
--resource-group <groupName> 
--address-prefix <prefix>

az network public-ip create 
--name <ipName> 
--resource-group <groupName>

az backup vault create 
--name <vaultName> 
--resource-group <groupName> 
--location <location>

az devops project create 
--name <projectName>

az cdn profile create 
--name <profileName> 
--resource-group <groupName> 
--location <location> --sku <sku>

az network vnet-gateway create 
--name <gatewayName> 
--public-ip-address <ipName> 
--resource-group <groupName> 
--vnet <vnetName> 
--gateway-type <type> --sku <sku>

az monitor metrics list 
--resource <resourceID> 
--metric <metricName>

az ad user create 
--display-name <name> 
--password <password>
--user-principal-name <UPN>

az role assignment create 
--assignee <principal> 
--role <roleName> 
--resource-group <groupName>

Comparison of Azure, AWS, and Google Cloud for DevOps

Conclusion 

DevOps on Azure is an enhanced set of tools and services that improve and simplify DevOps processes to make software development and deployment more efficient. Azure DevOps is a great option for organizations as the cloud-based services have multiple tools and core services that make software development organized and streamlined. Due to its high reliability and simplified server management, a lot of organizations prefer to choose Azure DevOps over other similar solutions.

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