Why Azure DevOps for Software Development is a smarter approach?
Here are the key benefits of DevOps that particularly set this Software as a Service (SaaS) platform - Azure DevOps distinguishes as a smarter choice for building and deploying applications:
1. Seamless integration with Azure services and tools
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The platform comes with a comprehensive toolchain, which seamlessly integrates Azure DevOps with numerous tools and services. This expansion of the DevOps toolset provides a cohesive application deployment environment where the development team can optimally utilize Azure's capabilities to cater to unique project needs.
2. Friciontless automation with Azure pipelines
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With automation being the heart of everything in the app development lifecycle, companies often struggle to maximize their productivity and enhance software delivery excellence. Azure DevOps solves this challenge through Azure pipelines. It has an integrated set of features that ensure complete support for build automation, testing, and simultaneous release management.
Using Azure pipelines, the SDLC team can create workflows by quickly defining build agents and automating run test tasks whenever anyone checks in code changes. The result is Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) with seamless support for containers or Kubernetes.
3. Improved source control with Azure Repo
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Managing codebases has become easier with Azure Repos. It is a smart version control system powered by a set of version control tools. The Azure Repos allow collaboration on code along with merging and testing the changes in the codebase implemented, enabling faster release time by pushing the changes into production.
What’s more?
Azure's code repository management tool is compatible with Git and Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC), enabling developers in the software development ecosystem to manage files within folders, branches, and repositories in both systems using features like collaborative pull requests and advanced file management.
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4. Component management and code sharing with Azure Artifacts
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As the name indicates, Azure Artifacts is a smart extension to Azure DevOps functionality, enabling developers to create, store, and share packages (fully integrated development artifacts) within their CI/CD pipelines from one place at an ease of a single click. Be it Maven, npm, NuGet, or Python, this package management feature helps Product Engineering experts efficiently manage all their dependencies related to component management and code sharing from public registries and private sources.
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5. Gain visibility and traceability with Azure Boards
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To speed up with the fast-paced needs in the Application Development landscape, Agile transformation is a key to success. However, the roadmap to going Agile is never easy and requires significant effort.
Azure Boards streamlines the entire journey of Agile transformation through drag-and-drop sprint planning. It enables software development teams to gain maximum visibility by tracking work across Kanban, Agile, and Scrum boards.
Powered by many interactive and customized tools, Azure Boards provides native support for end-to-end traceability across backlogs using customized team dashboards. From planning to product release, it helps the SDLC team run sprints, stand-ups, plan meetings, and gain valuable project insights using powerful analytics functionality and dashboard widgets.