Configuring your Azure DevOps Pipelines in a YAML file

Configuring your Azure DevOps Pipelines in a YAML file

To configure Azure Pipelines in a YAML file that exists alongside your code, follow these steps:

Steps to Configure Pipelines in a YAML File.

1. Create a YAML File

1. Locate the Source Code Repository: Open your source control repository (e.g., GitHub, Azure Repos, Bitbucket).

2. Add a YAML Pipeline File: Create a .yml file in the .github/workflows/ directory for GitHub or directly in the .azure-pipelines/ directory for Azure Repos.

   Example path for Azure Repos: /.azure-pipelines/pipeline.yml

3. Define the Pipeline: Use YAML syntax to define your pipeline as shown below.

2. Structure of YAML Pipeline

A simple YAML pipeline includes:

1. Pipeline: The overall pipeline definition.

2. Stages: Different phases like Build, Test, Deploy.

3. Jobs: Individual tasks within a stage.

4. Steps: Individual actions executed within a job.

3. Example YAML Pipeline

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# Define the pipeline
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pipeline:
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  name: Build and Deploy App
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# Define the stages
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stages:
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- stage: Build
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  jobs:
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  - job: BuildJob
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    pool:
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      vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'  # Specify a VM image
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    steps:
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   - script: |
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        echo "Building application"
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        dotnet build
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- stage: Test
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  dependsOn: Build
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  jobs:
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  - job: TestJob
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    pool:
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      vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
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    steps:
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   - script: |
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        echo "Running tests"
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        dotnet test
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- stage: Deploy
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  dependsOn: Test
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  jobs:
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  - job: DeployJob
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    pool:
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      vmImage: 'windows-latest'
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    steps:
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   - script: |
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        echo "Deploying application"
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        az webapp up --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myAppName --sku B1

4. Place the YAML File

1. For GitHub, place the YAML file in .github/workflows/.

Example: /.github/workflows/pipeline.yml

2. For Azure Repos, place the YAML file in .azure-pipelines/ directory.

Example: /.azure-pipelines/pipeline.yml

5. Link YAML Pipeline to Source Code

1. Push the YAML file to Source Control: Commit and push the YAML file alongside your code.

2. Trigger the Pipeline: Azure Pipelines or GitHub Actions will automatically pick up the YAML file in the specified directory.

Benefits of Using YAML Pipelines Alongside Code

1. Version Control: YAML files are versioned alongside the code, providing traceability and change management.

2. Consistency: Pipelines are defined as code, ensuring consistency across environments.

3. Portability: YAML files can be reused across different projects and repositories.

Summary

By configuring Azure Pipelines in a YAML file that exists alongside your code, you maintain a clean separation of pipeline configurations and application code, ensuring scalability and automation.