Extending Advanced Azure Pipelines Using YAML

We created a build pipeline in the previous chapter by creating jobs, tasks, and triggers. This chapter will teach you how to customize the Azure pipeline using YAML, such as by creating condition statements with variable groups when setting some complex conditions. It also helps to create a flexible pipeline rather than the classic online version. For instance, YAML can do that when you need to deploy mobile applications to both the Google Play Console and the App Store connect simultaneously.

By the end of this chapter, you will have learned about creating a build and release pipeline using YAML. You will also have learned how to clone, export, and import YAML from the classic editor in the Azure DevOps portal.

We will cover the following topics:

• Creating a build pipeline using YAML
• Creating a release pipeline using YAML
• Cloning, exporting, and importing a YAML pipeline
• Complex YAML configurations
• Advantages...

Creating a build pipeline using YAML

In this section, you will learn how to build a pipeline using YAML. You will also learn how to view YAML on the Azure DevOps portal and save the YAML file in Azure Repos. To create a build pipeline using YAML, follow these steps:

1. After logging in via the Azure DevOps portal, please select your organization and then navigate to the Pipelines page. Click on New pipeline:

Figure 4.1 – New pipeline

2. Click on Azure Repos Git, which is a source code repository for the demo:

Figure 4.2 – Azure Repos Git

3. Click on the PacktAzureDevOps repository:

Figure 4.3 – Select a repository

4. If you have existing YAML, you will have to select Existing Azure Pipelines YAML file. However, as we are creating a new one here, we will click on Starter pipeline:

Figure 4.4 – Selecting a starter...

Creating a release pipeline using YAML

This section will teach you how to create a release pipeline using YAML. You will also learn how to create stages, jobs, and tasks in YAML format. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Edit the existing pipeline by clicking on the ellipses (…) next to it and then click on Edit pipeline:

Figure 4.14 – Editing an existing pipeline

2. Replace all contents of the existing azure-pipelines.yml file, as shown in the following screenshot:

Figure 4.15 – Advanced pipeline with two stages

There are two stages, as shown in the preceding screenshot:

• The first stage will display Build stage job
• The second stage will display Release stage

This scenario displays build and release stages suitable for building the application (the Build stage) and deploying the application (the Release stage). It is easy to find errors or issues because if the build...

Cloning, exporting, and importing a YAML pipeline

This section will teach you how to clone, export, and import a YAML pipeline from the Azure DevOps portal. These actions will help you save time when you need to duplicate the same template and adjust it. If you need to make a new Azure pipeline, you can do so by cloning it from an existing one. Let’s look at the steps that are to be followed to perform these tasks:

• Clone: You can clone a pipeline using copy and paste, which is the easy, fast way to clone a pipeline.
• Export and import: The following steps show you can export an entire YAML file from a pipeline:
  1. You can export a YAML pipeline by clicking on Edit:

Figure 4.21 – Edit pipeline

2. Click on … | Download full YAML to download a file:

Figure 4.22 – Download the complete YAML

3. Open a downloaded file and copy and paste it into the new pipeline you created.
...

Complex YAML configurations

The YAML syntax supports several complex configurations that allow for the modularization and reuse of YAML files. Some examples of these are template reuse and the implementation of template expressions. We’ll explore how these features work in the following sections.

YAML template reuse

When working with large projects and several applications being developed by the same members of a team, it is helpful to define common templates to reuse instead of writing everything from scratch for the CI/CD needs of every application. For this purpose, Azure Pipelines supports making references to templates to reuse steps, jobs, and stages. This is particularly helpful in reducing the duplication of YAML because all applications or deployment processes are the same within the project. It is also possible to include parameters in the templates, to pass values that can be used in the referenced template to customize the behavior.

Let’s look at...

Advantages and limitations of YAML-based pipelines

First, let’s look at the benefits of using YAML-based pipelines:

• YAML pipelines are stored as code in your version control system, such as Azure Repos. This means they can be versioned, branched, and reviewed like any other code, providing better collaboration and traceability.
• YAML pipelines allow you to introduce changes in a controlled way when implementing a branch strategy that isolates work from different team members. This ensures changes are tested without affecting other members of the team until completed.
• YAML pipelines make reproducing the build and release process consistently across different environments easy. This helps reduce configuration drift and ensures consistent results.
• You can control your build and release processes. You can define the steps, dependencies, and conditions, enabling you to customize pipelines to meet your specific needs.

Despite these benefits, using these pipelines...

Summary

This chapter taught you how to build and release pipelines using YAML. Using this method is more powerful for developers than using the classic editor on the Azure DevOps portal. Developers can save YAML files in their Azure Repos, which will help them review each revision’s pipeline. With YAML-based pipelines, you can deliver more efficient, transparent, and developer-centric CI/CD processes. You also learned about complex scenarios and how to reduce YAML, reuse templates, and add dynamic behavior through expressions. Finally, you learned about the pros and cons of YAML-based pipelines.

In the next chapter, you will learn in depth about implementing a build and release pipeline using YAML and how to reuse build tasks using Node.js, NPM, .NET, and Docker to build a pipeline.