Azure DevOps Learning Path
1. Introduction to DevOps Concepts
DevOps Fundamentals: Understand the core principles of DevOps (collaboration,
automation, monitoring, and continuous improvement).
DevOps Lifecycle: Learn the stages of the DevOps lifecycle (plan, develop, build, test,
release, deploy, monitor).
Agile and CI/CD: Learn about Agile practices and the importance of Continuous
Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) in DevOps.
Resources:
- DevOps Institute's DevOps Foundation Course
- Books: 'The Phoenix Project' or 'The DevOps Handbook'
2. Get Comfortable with Azure Basics
Azure Fundamentals: Learn about the Azure platform and its services.
Azure Resource Manager (ARM): Understand how Azure resources are managed and
deployed.
Azure Virtual Machines & Networking: Learn the basics of virtual machines and
networking within Azure.
Resources:
- Microsoft Learn: Azure Fundamentals
- Pluralsight: Azure Fundamentals path
3. Learn Version Control with Git
Git Basics: Learn Git for source code version control.
Git Workflows: Understand branching strategies (e.g., feature branching, GitFlow, trunk-
based development).
Resources:
- Git documentation
- Courses on Git (e.g., on Udemy or Pluralsight)
4. Azure DevOps Services Overview
Azure DevOps Services: Familiarize yourself with the Azure DevOps suite, which
includes:
- Azure Boards: Work tracking (epics, stories, tasks, bugs)
- Azure Repos: Git repositories for version control
- Azure Pipelines: Build and release automation (CI/CD)
- Azure Test Plans: Manual testing tools and feedback systems
- Azure Artifacts: Package management and artifact publishing
Resources:
- Microsoft Learn: Azure DevOps Services
- Azure DevOps Documentation
5. Dive into Continuous Integration (CI) with Azure Pipelines
Building and Automating Pipelines: Learn how to create build pipelines to automate
testing and deployment.
Integrate with GitHub or Git Repositories: Connect your repositories to Azure DevOps
for automated builds.
Pipeline as Code: Understand how to define pipelines using YAML and Azure DevOps’
classic interface.
Resources:
- Azure DevOps Pipelines Documentation
- 'Learn Azure DevOps' on Pluralsight
6. Explore Continuous Delivery (CD) and Release Management
Release Pipelines: Understand how to deploy code to different environments (dev,
staging, production).
Deployment Strategies: Learn about blue-green deployment, canary releases, and rolling
deployments.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Get hands-on with infrastructure automation tools like
Azure Resource Manager templates, Terraform, or ARM templates.
Resources:
- 'Deploying to Azure with DevOps' on Pluralsight
- Microsoft Learn: Deploying Applications using Azure DevOps
7. Monitoring and Feedback in Azure DevOps
Monitoring and Logging: Learn about application monitoring, logging, and Azure
Monitor.
Feedback Loops: Understand how to integrate feedback loops for continuous
improvement.
Resources:
- Microsoft Learn: Monitor Azure Solutions
- Azure Monitor Documentation
8. Security and Compliance in Azure DevOps
DevSecOps: Integrate security practices into your DevOps pipeline.
Azure Security Tools: Understand how to secure your pipeline and manage permissions
with Azure Active Directory.
Resources:
- Microsoft Learn: Security in DevOps
- Azure DevSecOps blog posts
9. Advanced Topics
Automated Testing with Azure DevOps: Learn how to integrate automated tests into
your build pipeline.
Advanced Deployment Strategies: Explore advanced deployment patterns like feature
flags and multi-cloud deployments.
Scaling and Performance: Understand how to scale your DevOps pipelines to handle
large applications and teams.
Resources:
- 'Advanced Azure DevOps' courses on Pluralsight or Udemy
- Azure DevOps Community Articles
10. Practice and Real-world Projects
Build Projects: Implement what you’ve learned in real-world scenarios, such as
automating the deployment of a web app or microservices.
Collaborate with Teams: Work with others on GitHub or within an organization to
practice collaboration using Azure DevOps.
Resources:
- Hands-on labs in Microsoft Learn
- GitHub repositories with open-source DevOps projects
Additional Resources
Certifications: Consider taking the Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert
certification exam.
Community: Join online communities, forums, and attend webinars related to Azure
DevOps to stay updated and learn from others.
