Azure DevOps Explained: A Complete Beginner’s Guide (2025)

Suppose you are one of those individuals that Azure DevOps would never touch on. In that case, probably you are either a student or an employee who is just entering the world of software development and cloud computing. But what is it really about, and why is it such a big deal? This beginner’s guide will now break everything down about Azure DevOps- its services, pricing, and where it fits into the bigger picture of Azure Cloud Services.

Table of Contents

Understanding the basics of Azure DevOps

It is a very powerful set of development tools and services that makes it possible for teams to plan, build, and test their software and finally deploy the developed solution. Azure DevOps has everything necessary for small projects and very large enterprise applications hosted on one integrated platform. So it is also worthwhile noting that it is in the suite of Microsoft Azure Cloud Services, which has proved to be another very good reason for those companies already using Microsoft products.

Essentially, Azure DevOps is marketed as an integrated collaboration and automation solution. It puts everyone from the developer to the project manager and facilitates end-to-end smooth workflows from house coding to deployment. If someone is completely new to DevOps practice, he or she would think about Azure DevOps being just an all-in-one toolbox for modern software development.

Essential Azure DevOps Services You Really Should Know

When we talk about Azure DevOps services, we’re looking at a powerful suite of tools meant to be the backbone of software development—planning, coding, testing, and deployment. Whether you are a student just starting or a professional taking control of large-scale projects, a good understanding of these services will really help you in utilizing Azure DevOps to its full potential.

Azure Boards – Simplified Agile Project Management

Azure Boards accelerate project management and agility. It helps teams to structure, strategies, be on track with the assigned work, and manage assigned tasks using Scrum, Kanban, or custom workflows. Features such as backlogs, sprint planning, and customizable dashboards make sure that the teams work together. Azure dashboards allow you to just drag and drop user stories, burndown charts to the rescue whenever you get struck at any process. This tool is applicable for teams following the Agile approach, needing centralized collaboration.

Azure Repos – Control Access with Security and Scalability

Version control is the backbone of any software project. With Azure Repo, Microsoft provides one of the best Git repositories for version control among the known ones (and Team Framework Version Control for those who hold to antiquated centralized systems). Developers are made to collaborate with pull requests, branch policies, and code reviews. Since it’s an Azure DevOps service, your code is safe, and the integration with other functionalities like Azure Pipelines will also be seamless. Be it working alone with local processes or having a worldwide team, Azure Repos organizes and keeps your codebase alive.

Azure Pipelines – Build and Deploy Automatically

Perhaps the most powerful service for Azure DevOps, Azure Pipelines is responsible for complete automation of the CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment). It contains and works on different programming languages. Python, Java, .NET, Node.js, etc. are the programming languages that Azure uses, and platforms (Windows, Linux, macOS). Moreover, Azure Pipelines permits deployments to Azure Cloud Services, Kubernetes, AWS, or even on servers, all with small and manual effort. The best part? It gives free build minutes for any open-source projects, thus making it cost-effective for students and start-ups.

Azure Test Plans – Elaborate Testing for Quality Assurance

Nothing completes software development without thorough testing. Offering manual and exploratory testing tools, Azure Test Plans guarantees your application is bug-free before release. You can create your test cases and track the defects and also automate the UI tests. The integration with Azure Boards helps in smooth interaction and less bottlenecking between developers and testers. If quality software delivery is serious business for you, then Azure Test Plan is one Azure DevOps service you cannot afford not to use.

Azure Artifacts – Simply Manage Your Dependencies

Have you ever had much trouble managing packages? Well, Azure Artifacts handles your dependencies in a simple way by hosting an NPM, NuGet, Maven, and Python packages in a private feed. Teams can-off sets from public repositories-on set sharing through their internal package store, which ensures consistency and security. This is integrated with Azure Pipelines, so you can automatically restore dependencies during your builds, saving you time and reducing room for error.

Join Our Devops & Cloud Computing Telegram Channel

Join Our Devops & Cloud Computing WhatsApp Channel

Significance of These Services

Each one of the above-discussed Azure DevOps services track and solve an important purpose in modern software development. Together, they provide a seamless workflow that helps teams to plan tasks with better efficiency, code faster than before, test thoroughly, and deploy reliably. Whether a student is practicing DevOps or a professional optimizing enterprise tasks, knowledge of these tools can be very useful.

Want to watch this in action? Create a free Azure DevOps account and try it out to get your development process started!

What is the costing of Azure DevOps?

The frequently asked query from learners – learning Azure DevOps is: “How much does it cost?” Microsoft has kept the pricing for Azure DevOps flexible, with various options, including free* and plan flexibility based on scaling. The following is a comprehensive cost breakdown with descriptions of features and who may contemplate which option.

Azure DevOps Pricing

Plan Type	Who It’s For	Cost	What’s Included	Limitations
Free Plan	Individuals, students	$0	– Up to 5 users – Basic CI/CD pipelines – Unlimited private repos	– Limited build minutes – No advanced testing
Basic Plan	Small teams	$6 per user/month	– Everything in Free – More pipeline time – Full agile tools	– Testing tools cost extra – Storage limits apply
Enterprise Plan	Large organizations	Contact sales	– Self-hosted option – All features included – Unlimited scaling	– Higher upfront cost – Requires IT maintenance

Start with Azure DevOps: Step-By-Step

Starting up may feel difficult and exhausting for freshers in Azure DevOps, but not to worry, this straightforward step-by-step guide will walk you through the steps of creating your first project from creating an account to executing your very first application.

Step 1: Create Azure DevOps Account

Go to the Azure DevOps portal.

Click “Start free with GitHub” or “Sign in with Microsoft”(for existing members).

Note: New users can create Microsoft’s free membership without a credit card for up to 5 users and with basic features.

Step 2: Create Your First Project

After logging in:

Click on “New Project”.
Add a name (e.g., “MyFirstDevOpsProject”).
Select visibility (Public or Private).
Pick “Git” for version control (recommended for beginners).
Click on “Create”.

Done! Now you’ve created a project,having:

Azure Boards (for task tracking),
Azure Repos (for code storage),
Azure Pipelines (for CI/CD).

Step 3: Setting Up a Repository (Azure Repositories)

Now, let us add some code to execute project:

Go to “Repos” in your project.
Choose “Initialize with a README” to create your Ist file.
Copy and Paste the repo to your local machine using Git:

bash

git clone https://dev.azure.com/your-org/your-project/_git/your-repo

Add your code files and see the changes:

bash

git add .

git commit -m “First commit”

git push

Step 4: Your first CI/CD pipeline is configured (Azure Pipelines)

Automate builds and deployments

Create the pipeline with the help of the Pipelines tab .
Cross-check the location of your code execution (e.g. Azure Repos, GitHub, etc.).
Select a template to code of your choice (for example, Node.js for JavaScript apps).
Review the auto-generated YAML script and click Save and run.

Watch your first build get triggered on its own!

Azure developed your code. If everything goes right, it can be executed in Azure, AWS, or any cloud.

Step 5: Track Work With Azure Boards (Agile Planning)

Organize tasks like a pro:

Go to “Boards” and then “Work Items”.
Click “New Work Item” (like, for instance, “User Story” or “Bug”).
Assign it either to yourself or to some of your teammates.
Use Kanban boards to track progress

Step 6: Test Code (Azure Test Plans – Optional)

For teams empowered in QA testing:

Go to Test Plans.
Create test cases (manual or automated).
Test execution and logging of bugs directly into Azure Boards.

Step 7: Deploy to Azure Cloud Services (Last Step!)

Ready to go live?

Edit the YAML file in Pipelines.
Attach the deployment job (example for Azure App Service):

yam!

– stage: Deploy

jobs:

– deployment: DeployWeb

environment: ‘production’

strategy:

runOnce:

deploy:

steps:

– task: AzureWebApp@1

inputs:

azureSubscription: ‘your-subscription’

appName: ‘your-app-name’

Run and execute the pipeline, the application is live now

Is Azure DevOps the One for You?

Azure DevOps is the all-in-one solution for the software development lifecycle if your team is already using Microsoft tools or Azure Cloud Services. Azure helps in performing tasks easily for developers, QA engineers, and project managers. So that they can work together through planning, coding, and automated deployment. Moreover, on the other side, exclusive use of open-source tools or getting away with the most minimal solution for CI/CD might lead one to prefer other solutions, such as, say, GitHub Actions or Jenkins.

Also Read:

Want to learn Azure DevOps for career progression?

Start your Azure DevOps training through the PW Skills DevOps and Cloud Computing Course. The course allows students or professionals to obtain hands-on experience with Azure DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, cloud deployments, and real-life projects. So equip yourself with in-demand DevOps skills today- take the course and ensure that you are one step ahead in the industry.

FAQs

What is Azure DevOps used for?

Azure DevOps helps teams plan, code, test, and deploy software faster using tools like CI/CD pipelines, Git repositories, and Agile boards. It’s ideal for developers, IT pros, and project managers.

Is Azure DevOps free?

Yes! The free tier supports up to 5 users with basic features. Paid plans start at $6/user/month for advanced needs like extra pipelines and testing.

How is Azure DevOps different from GitHub?

Azure DevOps offers end-to-end project management (Boards, Test Plans), while GitHub focuses on code hosting. Both integrate well—use Azure DevOps for enterprises, GitHub for open-source.