How to Setup Azure Devops
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Ready to DevOps? Your Ultimate Guide to Setting Up Azure DevOps (Free!)
Hello and welcome to Darren’s Tech Tutorials! I’m Darren O’Neill, and I’m incredibly excited to kick off our new series dedicated to mastering Azure DevOps.
If you’re looking for a robust platform that provides centralized control over the entire application lifecycle—from version control and requirements management to automated builds and seamless releases—you need Azure DevOps. It’s Microsoft’s powerful solution for enabling true DevOps capabilities in your team.
This guide will walk you through the very first, critical step: setting up your own Azure DevOps Organization. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have your organization structure in place and be ready to dive into features like Boards, Repos, and Pipelines!
Let’s get started!
Step 1: Navigating to Azure DevOps Services
To begin the setup process, we need to locate the official Azure DevOps portal.
- Search: Go to your preferred search engine (like Google) and search for “Azure DevOps.”
- Click the Official Link: Look for the official link usually titled “Azure DevOps Services.”
- Start Free: Once on the landing page, look for the prominent button that says Start free. Click this to initiate the registration process.
Step 2: Creating Your Microsoft Account
Azure DevOps requires an active Microsoft Account (MSA) for sign-in. If you already have one (like an Outlook or Hotmail account), you can sign in directly.
However, if you’re setting up a dedicated account for your DevOps work, here is how to create a new one:
- Select Account Creation: If you do not have an existing MSA, click the prompt that says “I don’t have an account” and then select Create one.
- Choose an Email Address: You will be prompted to choose a new email address (e.g.,
[email protected]). Enter your desired email name and click Next. - Set a Password: Create a strong password for your new account and click Next.
- Solve the Puzzle: Microsoft often requires you to solve a simple visual puzzle (a CAPTCHA) to verify you are a human. Complete the puzzle to proceed.
- Enter Personal Details: Provide your location (country/region) and date of birth. This information helps complete your profile. Click Next.
Once these steps are complete, your foundational Microsoft Account will be ready, and the system will automatically move you to the final organization setup phase.
Step 3: Configuring Your Azure DevOps Organization
This final step involves defining the basic parameters of your new DevOps environment.
You will be prompted to enter the following details:
| Field | Description | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Project Name | The name for your initial project within the organization. | Keep it relevant to your first application or team. |
| Visibility | Choose whether your project will be Public or Private. |
For most internal or sensitive development projects, select Private. |
| Country/Region | Confirm the location associated with your account. | Ensure this matches your primary work region. |
- Input Details: Enter your desired Project Name, select the appropriate Visibility, and confirm your region.
- Finalize: You may be asked to input one final security CAPTCHA challenge before clicking Continue.
Success! Welcome to Azure DevOps
After clicking continue, wait just a moment while Azure sets up your organization environment.
You will land directly on your new Azure DevOps dashboard! You should see the main navigation menu showing core features already set up and waiting for you:
- Boards: For agile planning and tracking work items.
- Repos: For centralized Git version control.
- Pipelines: For automating CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery).
- Test Plans: For manual and exploratory testing.
Congratulations! You have successfully established your own dedicated Azure DevOps organization.
What’s Next?
Setting up the organization is the first big step on your DevOps journey. This environment is now ready for us to start creating code, defining user stories, and building automated pipelines.
This tutorial is the starting point of a comprehensive series where we will dive deep into each feature of Azure DevOps. We’ll show you exactly how to leverage these powerful tools to improve your development workflow and release software faster and more reliably.
If you found this guide helpful, please like this post and subscribe to Darren’s Tech Tutorials for more clear, accessible technology breakdowns. Drop any questions you have about the setup process in the comments below—I love hearing from you!
See you in the next video, where we’ll start exploring the Azure Boards! Happy coding!