5 Azure DevOps Interview Questions You Need to Know

1. 5 Azure DevOps Interview Questions You Need to Know One of the most popular DevOps tools around, Azure DevOps automates software development processes with easy-to-use tools that developers love, like source control and continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD). While these tools may seem simple to use, many organizations still struggle with implementing them effectively in their workflow. To make sure you’re prepared for any Azure DevOps interview questions that may arise, here are 5 common questions hiring managers to ask job candidates and how to answer them so you can ace your next DevOps interview. 1) What is Continuous Integration? This is a common software development practice. Continuous integration means integrating the code to a shared repository several times a day. It allows teams to identify problems early and often. Continuous integration builds upon another software development practice called continuous delivery, which is a method of deploying updated versions of a piece of software into production at any time. In other words, after every check-in, an automated process can deploy your application. That’s where continuous integration comes in. Instead of pushing code directly into production, teams practicing CI push code into a central repository that triggers an automated build and test run before handing off a new build to deployment. The end result is rapid feedback on each check-in. Continuous integration is one of those practices that you should use if you value high-quality software. By taking code from all over your organization and building it in a shared environment,

2. you’re able to prevent bugs from passing between teams, slowing down development and making issues harder to track down. 2) Why should teams use Continuous Integration? No matter what size team you have, Continuous Integration is an essential tool for creating a more efficient and productive workflow. CI allows teams to make smaller code-based changes, which means fewer bugs and a faster time-to-market. Another great benefit of CI is that it provides historical data on commits, allowing your team and upper management to monitor progress. In short, CI is a powerful tool for software teams because it allows developers to make changes, test their work, and deploy faster. CI also provides historical data on commits so managers can see how efficiently a team is working and spot bottlenecks that need resolving. There are several methods of implementing Continuous Integration but two of the most popular include GitLab CI and Azure DevOps Pipelines. Another powerful feature of CI is that it helps streamline communication between teams and departments. When changes are made, they’re visible to everyone, which means team members know what’s going on with projects. In addition, managers can monitor progress and look for potential problems in one place. Another great benefit of CI is that it provides historical data on commits, allowing your team and upper management to monitor progress. Many teams also use CI for code reviews, testing, and building. The CI process is built around a circle: Each commit should trigger an automated test that confirms that no bugs were introduced or existing ones have been fixed, then it passes through a pipeline so changes can be packaged and deployed into a staging environment where they’re reviewed by a developer before going live. 3) What are some common anti-patterns with CI tools? At times, developers end up configuring CI tools in a way that slows down their team’s ability to produce code. These anti-patterns might be simple mistakes or issues you’re not even aware of it’s good for an interviewer to ask about these problems and ways you’ve addressed them before. When it comes time for you to answer, consider questions like these: How do you know when your CI/CD solution is getting out of hand? Have you worked with teams that ended up suffering because of CI/CD? What was their problem, and how did you help them fix it? What are some situations where CI/CD is overkill? That is one situation, but how do you know it's happening, and how do you help your team not do it? Are there times when manual testing makes more sense than using a CI system?

3. What are some ways a CI system can cause unnecessary headaches for your team? For example, if you have a team of just three developers, do you really need continuous integration? Or is continuous delivery enough? If you use feature branching, how do you handle merge conflicts in code reviews? What are some of your favorite DevOps tools, and how do you integrate them into your work? Are there any tools you don’t use because they aren’t helpful or productive enough? Do you follow an industry standard when it comes to CI/CD, like Docker and Kubernetes? 4) What is a PRD and how can it help me with my CI/CD process? A PRD, or product requirements document, is a doc that lays out what needs to be built, why it’s being built, and how it will operate. PRDs are usually utilized in conjunction with other agile development methods. In CI/CD processes specifically, they can help determine if your project will fit into your release schedule. If you’re looking for a job as an Azure developer or architect, you should make sure you understand how PRDs fit into your future team’s pipeline. A good PRD should contain all of your project’s information, including what your product will do, why it’s important, what problem it solves, and who it’s going to impact. If you get a job as an Azure developer or architect, you should make sure that every PRD you create in conjunction with your CI/CD process follows these guidelines. Having prepared your PRD, it's time to create a feature branch. In short, a feature branch is where you’ll spend most of your development time when you don’t have anything else on hand. A feature branch can be created once you have your PRD in place. All work should happen in your branch until it can be merged into the master or another branch. 5) How do I integrate GitLab CI with Azure Pipelines? With GitLab, you have your choice of several CI services. For example, you can use GitLab Runner to run builds on a CI service such as Travis CI or Jenkins. But if you’re in Microsoft land and want to use Azure Pipelines with GitHub repositories, there are a few extra steps required to get things working seamlessly. You cannot set up AppleScript defaults without coding for it, but there are two possible ways to do it. The first method requires you to create an Azure Key Vault and then create an OAuth application using that Key Vault as a back-end service. However, there’s a better way that lets you avoid storing secrets in Key Vault. With GitLab 10.1, you can create an SSH server with your private key added as an authorized key. GitLab will accept pushes from that private key with no configuration necessary.

4. With that said, let’s get started. First, you’ll need to create a Key Vault and an SSH Key within it. Then, add your SSH key as an authorized key. Finally, clone a repository with GitLab CI jobs already configured and push a change or two so that you can see how it all works in action. That’s all there is to it. Once you’ve added your SSH key as an authorized key in Key Vault, push some changes and watch GitLab CI build your app. Remember that in order for GitLab CI jobs configured on a project to be executed with GitLab Runner, you must also have a .gitlab-ci file within that repository. Conclusion It’s clear that DevOps is an important skill for anyone in IT, and if you want to get a job with one of today’s top tech companies, then you should have a firm grasp of its principles. So brush up your knowledge with these five essential questions, but remember DevOps is about so much more than just knowing answers. Along with those capabilities, it's also about solving problems in innovative ways. Don’t worry. Thinkclodly trains you in every perspective with DevOps certification training. DevOps isn’t just about telling someone else what to do. As a team member, it requires you to be self-sufficient and confident in your work. In order to truly shine during an interview, you need more than just knowing you need confidence and experience, too. We created these resources so you can take your first steps towards DevOps. Unfortunately, coding isn’t a requirement for every job. On the other hand, you may be able to get a job in the tech industry. Getting a job in tech doesn’t require you to learn how to code. Keep learning and feel free to reach us with queries. You can also refer to our blogs on DevOps for more knowledge. Happily Thinkcloudly.