Learn how to use multiple repositories in your Azure DevOps Pipeline

Learn how to use multiple repositories in your Azure DevOps Pipeline

Azure DevOps allows you to manage dependencies from multiple repositories within a single pipeline. You can specify multiple repositories in different ways, such as using repository resources, inline definitions, or directly integrating with GitHub repositories.

1. Repository Resource – How to Use It

A Repository resource allows you to reference and manage multiple repositories from a YAML pipeline. This can be useful for managing dependencies from different repositories in a clean and reusable manner.

Using Repository Resource

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resources:
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  repositories:
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   - repository: RepoA
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      type: git
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      name: 'my-org/repo-a'
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   - repository: RepoB
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      type: git
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      name: 'my-org/repo-b'
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stages:
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- stage: Build
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  jobs:
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   - job: BuildJobA
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    steps:
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   - checkout: RepoA
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   - job: BuildJobB
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    steps:
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   - checkout: RepoB

Key Properties:

• repository: The name of the repository.

• type: git for Git repositories.

2. Inline Repositories – How to Use It

You can also define multiple repositories directly in the YAML pipeline inline, without creating a separate resource block.

Using Inline Repository

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stages:
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- stage: Build
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  jobs:
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   - job: BuildJobA
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    steps:
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   - checkout: my-org/repo-a
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   - job: BuildJobB
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    steps:
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   - checkout: my-org/repo-b

Example Breakdown:

checkout: my-org/repo-a or checkout: my-org/repo-b directly references the repositories in the pipeline.

3. GitHub Repository Integration

When working with GitHub repositories, you can integrate them into Azure DevOps pipelines seamlessly using the GitHub repository settings.

Using GitHub Repository with Repository Resource

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resources:
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  repositories:
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   - repository: GitHubRepo
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      type: github
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      name: 'my-org/github-repo'
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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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    steps:
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   - checkout: GitHubRepo

Key Points:

• type: github is used for GitHub repositories.

• name: The full GitHub repository name, such as my-org/github-repo.

Benefits of Using Multiple Repositories

1. Dependency Management: Manage and consume artifacts across multiple repositories.

2. Reusability: Easily incorporate shared code, libraries, or configuration files from different repositories.

3. Flexibility: Supports a wide range of repository types, including Git, GitHub, and custom repositories.