DevOps for .NET Developers: CI/CD Pipelines with Azure DevOps

In today’s fast-paced software development world, automation is key to delivering high-quality applications quickly and consistently. For .NET developers, Azure DevOps provides a suite of tools to implement Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) pipelines, ensuring smooth code integration, testing, and deployment processes. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough for setting up CI/CD pipelines for .NET applications using Azure DevOps.

Table of Contents

• What is CI/CD and Why it’s Important?
• What You Need Before Starting
• CI Pipeline in Azure DevOps
  • Step 1: Create a New Project
  • Step 2: Link Your Repo
  • Step 3: Define Your CI Pipeline
• Multi-Stage CD Pipeline
  • Step 1: Set Up Deployment Environments
  • Step 2: Create a Release Pipeline
  • Step 3: Add Dev, Test, and Prod Stages
  • Step 4: Trigger Releases
  • Step 5. Best Practices
• Conclusion

What is CI/CD and Why it’s Important?

Continuous Integration (CI) involves integrating code changes into a shared repository often. Each change is verified by automated builds and tests. Continuous Deployment (CD) automates releasing builds to environments, reducing manual errors.

Benefits of CI/CD Pipelines with Azure:

• Delivering features quicker.
• Detecting integration issues early.
• Reducing manual work.
• Better collaboration between devs and ops.

For .NET developers, CI/CD pipelines ensure apps are always ready to deploy, whether it’s an ASP.NET, .NET Core, or .NET MAUI app.

If you’re passionate about .NET and love diving into development tips and insights, check out our latest articles at WireFuture’s .NET blog.

What You Need Before Starting

To start, make sure you have:

1. Azure DevOps Account: Sign up at Azure DevOps.
2. Git Repository: Use Azure Repos, GitHub, or Bitbucket.
3. A .NET App: Any .NET Core or ASP.NET project works.
4. Azure Subscription: Needed for deploying to Azure services like App Services.
5. Build Agent: Use Azure-hosted or self-hosted agents for builds.

CI Pipeline in Azure DevOps

Step 1: Create a New Project

1. Log in to Azure DevOps.
2. Click on “Create Project” and name it.
3. Choose private or public visibility.

Step 2: Link Your Repo

1. Go to “Repos”.
2. Push your .NET app’s code to this repo or import from GitHub.

Step 3: Define Your CI Pipeline

1. Navigate to “Pipelines” and click “New Pipeline.”
2. Choose your repo.
3. Use the .NET Core template or write a YAML file.

trigger:
- main

pool:
  vmImage: 'windows-latest'

steps:
- task: UseDotNet@2
  inputs:
    packageType: 'sdk'
    version: '6.x'

- script: dotnet build
  displayName: 'Build the project'

- script: dotnet test
  displayName: 'Run tests'

Save and run. The pipeline triggers on each push.

Multi-Stage CD Pipeline

CD pipelines often include stages like development (Dev), testing (Test), and production (Prod). Each has unique configs and environments.

Step 1: Set Up Deployment Environments

1. For Azure App Service:
   • Create an App Service instance for each stage.
   • Note details like names and resource groups.
2. For Virtual Machines:
   • Ensure each VM has access and the correct runtime.

Step 2: Create a Release Pipeline

1. Go to “Pipelines” > “Releases.”
2. Click “New Release Pipeline.”
3. Choose the Azure App Service Deployment template.

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Step 3: Add Dev, Test, and Prod Stages

Dev Stage: Example:

stages:
- stage: Dev
  jobs:
  - job: DeployDev
    steps:
    - task: AzureWebApp@1
      inputs:
        azureSubscription: '<Azure Dev Subscription>'
        appType: 'webApp'
        appName: '<Dev App Name>'
        package: '<Artifact Path>'

Test Stage: Clone the Dev stage. Change subscription and app name variables.

- stage: Test
  jobs:
  - job: DeployTest
    steps:
    - task: AzureWebApp@1
      inputs:
        azureSubscription: '<Azure Test Subscription>'
        appType: 'webApp'
        appName: '<Test App Name>'
        package: '<Artifact Path>'

Prod Stage: Clone the Test stage and update variables.

- stage: Prod
  jobs:
  - job: DeployProd
    steps:
    - task: AzureWebApp@1
      inputs:
        azureSubscription: '<Azure Prod Subscription>'
        appType: 'webApp'
        appName: '<Prod App Name>'
        package: '<Artifact Path>'

Step 4: Trigger Releases

• Set triggers for releases post-successful builds.
• Configure manual approvals for Test and Prod.

Step 5. Best Practices

1. Environment-Specific Settings:
   • Store secrets in Azure Key Vault.
   • Use pipeline parameters for dynamic replacements.
2. Enforce Quality:
   • Code reviews, test coverage thresholds, and build success checks.
3. Monitor Each Stage:
   • Use Azure Monitor and Application Insights.
4. Plan Rollbacks:
   • Enable rollback options.
5. Optimize:
   • Cache dependencies for faster builds.

Conclusion

Setting up CI/CD pipelines with Azure DevOps for .NET apps simplifies deployment and ensures quality. Following these steps, you can create Dev, Test, and Prod pipelines that fit your project needs.

CI/CD Pipelines with Azure is vital for efficiency in DevOps workflows. Best practices like automated gates, environment configs, and monitoring help ensure success.

With Azure DevOps and .NET’s flexibility, delivering reliable apps faster is achievable.

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