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Developing a great software or an immersive web app and running them smoothly for users requires the right set of tools. The process of software application development and IT operations has modernized and truncated into what we know as DevOps. Today, organizations are using DevOps tools to develop apps faster, deploy them on multiple platforms, and even facilitate ongoing innovation. 

Microsoft has also stepped up its prowess in the DevOps business. It offers several developer tools with the devops solution providers, a comprehensive suite used for building Microsoft-native applications. If you’re building apps on Java or Linux, you may not consider using Azure DevOps. But, that shouldn’t mean that you turn a blind eye to Azure DevOps. What is Azure DevOps?Azure DevOps is a set of cloud-hosted DevOps services that work with all programming languages and can target any platform. The tools and services provided by Azure DevOps can turn any idea into a working application. With agile tools such as Azure Boards, project management becomes smarter. Managing the test plans from the web and improve code quality with Azure Test Plans.

Azure DevOps also delivers version control using Git and helps deploy your software application with its cross-platform CI/CD system. While providing all this, Azure DevOps also enables you with full visibility and traceability across the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)

But, most developers aren’t completely aware of what Azure DevOps has to offer. Here are the five lesser-known things about Azure DevOps that every developer must know. 

Azure Repos

Code repositories are the stepping stones for software developers. In the past year, Azure DevOps developed a unique code repository called Azure Repos. It is essentially unlimited Git repositories that you can choose to use for open-source projects. Similar to GitHub, the Azure Repos lets you communicate and collaborate across the development and operations teams. With tools such as Slack, DevOps communications are simplified. Azure Repos is one of the key additions to Azure DevOps Services because it lets you and your team access the code with simplicity. It also allows you to create and host private Git repositories in the cloud, and use them to deliver solutions. 

Azure DevTest Labs

What most developers ignore about Azure DevOps is the availability of great testing tools. Recently, the Azure DevOps umbrella was extended with the inclusion of Azure DevTest Labs. The DevTest tools provided by Azure can now scale your software delivery without compromising on the quality.The tools help you automate multiple tasks, including complex ones such as infrastructure provisioning. By automating a majority of your development tasks, Azure DevTest Labs create the required testing environments for your software. 

Non-Microsoft Technologies

There is a major misconception that Azure DevOps only works well while building Microsoft apps and software solutions. The product is developed by Microsoft but is not limited to the 

Platform.  While Azure DevOps services are designed to seamlessly facilitate software application development on Windows and .NET platforms, the tools are also fit for non-Microsoft technologies such as Linux, Java, Python and Go.

Azure DevOps is basically designed for any programming language. The tools work on any platform and on any cloud, for that matter of fact. Some of the key non-Microsoft technologies that Azure DevOps is compatible with include:

These technologies and many more are working smoothly with Azure DevOps, making it a preferred developers’ tool kit for all types of projects. 

AWS and GCP

Since the compatibility of Azure DevOps is being discussed, you might be wondering whether it gels with other cloud environments, namely AWS and Google Cloud Platform (GCP). Simply put, Azure DevOps can be integrated on both cloud consoles. You’d be surprised to know that AWS has used Azure DevOps to publish a set of tasks for its cloud services. For GCP, however, the use of Azure DevOps may entail some wiring up of tasks. Essentially, Azure DevOps can help you develop a great piece of software application on any cloud hosting environment. 

Azure Pipelines

Lastly, you must try out the most underrated service of Azure DevOps, which is Azure Pipelines. With interesting features, Azure Pipelines enables a constant delivery ecosystem in software development. It offers effective tools to automate a majority of tasks in the deployment pipelines. From production managers, Azure Pipelines is like a gift from the above. The tools provided in this service help you navigate and monitor the production phase of software applications accurately. You can also foster clearer communications between the Ops and the Dev teams.  

Looking at these five lesser-known things of Azure DevOps, one can simply understand that there is no limited or specified way of using DevOps tools on Microsoft Azure. The usability of Azure DevOps is unlimited and compatible with almost every service or solution to be built. 

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