Azure DevOps supports a collaborative culture and set of processes that bring together developers, project managers, and contributors to develop software. It allows organizations to create and improve products at a faster pace than they can with traditional software development approaches.
Azure DevOps is a comprehensive suite of services that enables you to implement end-to-end DevOps in your organization. The suite includes services such as Azure Repos, Boards, Wiki, Build and Release pipelines, Test plans, and Artifacts.
It provides integrated features that you can access through your web browser or IDE client. You can use all the services included with Azure DevOps or choose just what you need to complement your existing workflows.
| Standalone service | Description |
| Azure Boards | Delivers a suite of Agile tools to support planning and tracking work, code defects, and issues using Kanban and Scrum methods. |
| Azure Repos | Provides Git repositories or Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC) for source control of your code. |
| Azure Pipelines | Provides build and release services to support continuous integration and delivery of your applications. |
| Azure Test Plans | Provides several tools to test your applications, including manual/exploratory testing and continuous testing. |
| Azure Artifacts | Allows teams to share packages such as Maven, npm, NuGet, and more from public and private sources and integrate package sharing into your pipelines. |
Azure DevOps supports adding extensions and integrating with other popular services, such as: Campfire, Slack, Trello, UserVoice, and more, and developing your own custom extensions.
Azure DevOps offers two types of hosting plans:
Azure DevOps Services - Cloud offering
Azure DevOps Server - On-Premises implementation (or) Own data center
You can work in the cloud with Azure DevOps Services or on-premises with Azure DevOps Server. For more information, see Differences between Azure DevOps Services and Azure DevOps Server.
Choose Azure DevOps Services
Azure DevOps Services supports integration with GitHub.com and GitHub Enterprise Server repositories. Choose Azure DevOps Services when you want the following outcomes:
Quick set-up
Maintenance-free operations
Easy collaboration across domains
Elastic scale
Rock-solid security
Azure DevOps Services also gives you access to cloud build and deployment servers, and application insights. Start for free and create an organization. Then, either upload your code to share or source control. Begin tracking your work using Scrum, Kanban, or a combination of methods.
For more information, see the Azure DevOps and GitHub integration overview.
Choose Azure DevOps Server
Azure DevOps Server supports integration with GitHub Enterprise Server repositories. Choose on-premises Azure DevOps Server when you need your data to stay within your network. or your work tracking customization requirements are better met with the on-premises XML process model over the inheritance process model. The on-premises model supports modification of XML definition files.
When you deploy Azure DevOps Server, you can also configure the following servers or integration points:
Build server supports on-premises and cloud-hosted builds.
SQL Server and SQL Analysis Server support SQL Server Reports and the ability to create Excel pivot charts based on the cube.
Start for free by downloading Azure DevOps Server Express. Then, either upload your code to share or source control. Or, begin tracking your work using Scrum, Kanban, or a combination of methods.
For more information about managing Azure DevOps Server, see the Administrative tasks quick reference.
Understanding Pricing and Service Limitations:
The pricing for Azure DevOps varies based on the features you use and the number of users you need to support.
Here are a few examples of Azure DevOps pricing components:
- Azure DevOps Services: This is the cloud-hosted version of Azure DevOps, which includes services such as Agile project planning and tracking, continuous integration and delivery, and testing tools. It is free for up to 5 users and $6 per user/month for larger teams.
Azure DevOps Server: This is the on-premises version of Azure DevOps, which provides the same features as the cloud-hosted version. It requires an initial purchase of a license and a yearly renewal fee.
Visual Studio Subscriptions: If you have a Visual Studio subscription, you may be eligible for certain Azure DevOps benefits, such as free access to the cloud-hosted version of Azure DevOps Services. Visual Studio subscriptions start at $45 per month for individual developers.
Conclusion
Azure DevOps is a powerful and flexible platform that provides a comprehensive set of tools and services for teams to plan, build, test, and deploy software. It is constantly updated with new features and integrations to help teams improve their software development processes and deliver better quality software faster. Azure DevOps may be tailored to match the unique requirements of any organization due to its capacity to integrate with a wide range of different tools and services. Additionally, being a cloud-based platform, it enables teams to collaborate and work together more efficiently.