Implementing CI/CD Using Azure Pipelines: Manage and automate the secure flexible deployment of applications using real-world use cases

The course was designed so well. It covers all the major topics and is good for beginners and experienced individuals who want a better understanding of Azure Pipelines.Thanks to Mr. Piti Champeethong and Mr. Roberto Mardeni for presenting it in an excellent way.

Pipelines should be easy, the concept is well-known, the details should be available and the scheme should make sense. However, getting pipelines up and running effectively can be challenging for many new teams. “Implementing CI/CD using Azure Pipelines” (Packt, 2024) by Piti Champeethong and Roberto Mardeni provides basic and advanced skills for developers, software engineers, and security engineers who are looking to expand their Azure skill set. After reading, I’m a big fan of the easy-to-use GUI associated with pipeline build suites associated with Azure. Twelve chapters are divided into three sections: the basics to get started, operating pipelines, and some advanced tips, such as integrating Azure DevOps with AWS or Flutter for maximum usage. The first section begins with administrative access to Azure, and setting up the basic Azure DevOps. This has a number of sub-programs that are useful later in the process. The document takes you through the initial GUI process, builds a “Hello World” application pipeline, and identifies some additional steps. The section also includes a brief introduction to YAML if you desire to work directly in the CLI modules instead of using the interface. The overall DevOps tool can also start with bringing code from other sources such as GitLab, GitHub, or other functions. The next section really dives into the meat of the book. First is getting pipelines to work through service agreements supporting .net, SQL, Node.js, docker, and others. These extensibility options are critical for anyone who has ever felt the pain of being locked to a single vendor. These integrations continue into security with using Sonarqube, Terraform, Jenkins, and other tools. Azure DevOps supports a marketplace where one can purchase or install plugins. Also useful, the section walks through setting up IAC when using the functions and demonstrates the observability with Azure DevOps. Another neat trick was bringing the observability tools that may be from plugins into a common dashboard. The last area starts with a product example. It builds a multi-aspect product with an Angular frontend, Python product catalog, Node.js for a shopping cart and asp.net checkout. The example uses REST.API to start the pipelines, and then incorporate Helm charts for the environment. After creating and deploying the sample app, the authors provide some common errors with solutions. As a great example, the book provides a path to build with Azure DevOps and then deploy those products to either AWS as an alternate cloud or Flutter for mobile applications. Unfortunately, the last touch offers some advanced looks: going out to the Azure page and looking at the publicly available roadmap. The book does a great job of working through step-by-step samples, and the end project is clearly a win. In some sense, the gap between the early and later steps is more significant. I would have liked to see some moderate-level skill tasks during the middle of the book but they don’t significantly impact the overall value. One other note: integrating security and testing was a little light. These are some of the most important parts of the pipeline. Defaulting to just integration leaves out some of the essential aspects of identifying those artifacts and prioritizing improvement. Overall, “Implementing CI/CD using Azure Pipelines” (Packt, 2024) is a great initial reference for moving in the Azure platform. As with any commercial platform, some of the more advanced implementations cost more. One interesting fact was that establishing concurrency in pipelines, running more than one pipeline at a time is a significant cost add to the system. However, if you are looking for a way to launch quickly in Azure, this offers an informative path to using Azure DevOps, and building products for any environment, or from any previous environment into an Azure outcome. Recommended for anyone working with Azure pipelines.

"Implementing CI/CD Using Azure Pipelines" by Roberto and Piti is an empowering read that beckons DevOps engineers to explore the transformative power of CI/CD through Azure Pipelines. It invites readers to journey from fundamentals to advanced strategies, promising to revolutionize software deployment. This book is a testament to Roberto and Piti's mastery, aiming to inspire innovation and elevate DevOps practices to new heights. It's a call to action to embrace the challenges and opportunities that Azure Pipelines presents, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in software deployment.

This is a great guide for working with Azure Pipelines. Piti and Roberto go well beyond "Hello world" examples to provide real world examples of deploying solutions to Azure, AWS and mobile applications using Flutter. They include ways to integrate Azure Pipelines with key technologies such as Docker for containers, SonarQube to analyze code quality, Azure Key Vault to securely handle secrets and SQL Server.By reading this book you will benefit from Piti's & Roberto's many years of CI/CD knowledge and experience.