Azure Pipelines supports multiple source control providers, allowing you to integrate and automate workflows directly from your repository. This article details the setup process for connecting your Azure pipeline to GitHub and Azure Repos, along with best practices to manage permissions and repository access.

Step 1: Set Up Your Repository

Before configuring the pipeline, ensure that your repository is ready:

  • GitHub Repository: If using GitHub, ensure that your code is hosted in a repository and accessible.
  • Azure Repos: For Azure Repos, set up your repository within your Azure DevOps project.
  • Access Permissions: Ensure that your Azure DevOps account has permission to access the repository.

Step 2: Create a New Pipeline in Azure DevOps

To start configuring your pipeline:

  1. Navigate to Pipelines: In your Azure DevOps project, go to the “Pipelines” section.
  2. Select ‘Create Pipeline’: This will start the pipeline setup wizard.

Step 3: Choose Your Source Control Provider

Azure DevOps provides built-in support for GitHub and Azure Repos:

  1. GitHub: Select “GitHub” from the list of repositories. You may be prompted to authorize Azure DevOps access to your GitHub account. Log in and authorize if required.
  2. Azure Repos: If using Azure Repos, select “Azure Repos Git” and choose your repository from within your Azure DevOps project.

Step 4: Configure Repository Access

Repository access configuration varies depending on the source control provider:

  • GitHub: If using GitHub, ensure that the repository’s permissions are set to allow access from Azure DevOps. You may also need to generate a GitHub personal access token (PAT) to use in certain cases.
  • Azure Repos: With Azure Repos, Azure DevOps manages access automatically if you’re within the same project.

Step 5: Select a Pipeline Configuration Template

Azure DevOps provides pipeline templates to simplify setup:

  1. Choose a Template: After connecting to the repository, you’ll see various templates based on the project type (e.g., Node.js, .NET, or a starter template).
  2. Edit Pipeline YAML (if needed): Customize the generated YAML file to include build and test steps specific to your project requirements.
  3. Save the Pipeline: When ready, save the YAML configuration, which is then committed to your repository.

Step 6: Configure Branch and Pull Request Triggers

Azure Pipelines can be set up to trigger builds on branch updates or pull requests:

  • Branch Triggers: Set the pipeline to run automatically whenever changes are pushed to specific branches (e.g., `main` or `development`).
  • Pull Request Triggers: Enable pull request triggers to validate changes when a pull request is created, helping maintain code quality before merging.

Step 7: Running and Monitoring the Pipeline

With your pipeline configured, it’s time to run and monitor the pipeline:

  1. Run the Pipeline: The pipeline will start based on the specified triggers, or you can manually start it to test the configuration.
  2. Monitor the Pipeline: View logs for each pipeline task to ensure that the integration with GitHub or Azure Repos is functioning as expected.
  3. Review Build and Test Results: Pipeline results indicate any issues in the build or test process, enabling early troubleshooting.

Best Practices for Source Control Integration

To maximize efficiency and security, follow these best practices:

  • Use Separate Branches for Development and Production: Keep development and production environments separate by configuring pipelines for each.
  • Enable Code Reviews: Implement code review policies on pull requests to improve code quality before merging to main branches.
  • Secure Repository Access: Manage access controls and tokens carefully to prevent unauthorized changes.

Conclusion

Integrating your Azure Pipeline with GitHub or Azure Repos streamlines the CI/CD process, allowing automated builds, tests, and deployments to occur directly from code changes. By connecting source control to your pipeline, you ensure code quality and accelerate your development workflows. As you progress with Azure DevOps, source control integration becomes an invaluable component of an efficient CI/CD pipeline.