Azure Pipelines overview - Practice Problems & Coding Challenges

Challenge - 5 Problems

❓ service_behavior

intermediate

What happens when a pipeline triggers on a pull request?

In Azure Pipelines, what is the typical behavior when a pipeline is configured to trigger on a pull request?

A The pipeline only runs after the pull request is merged.

B The pipeline waits for manual approval before starting.

C The pipeline sends an email but does not run any jobs.

D The pipeline runs automatically to validate the changes before merging.

💡 Hint

Think about how pipelines help keep code quality before merging.

Azure Pipelines automatically runs builds and tests on pull requests to ensure changes are safe before merging.

❓ Architecture

intermediate

Which component is responsible for running jobs in Azure Pipelines?

In Azure Pipelines architecture, which component actually executes the build or deployment jobs?

A Azure DevOps Server

B Repository

C Agent

D Pipeline YAML file

💡 Hint

Consider what runs the commands defined in the pipeline.

Agents are machines or containers that run the jobs defined in Azure Pipelines.

❓ security

advanced

How to securely store secrets in Azure Pipelines?

Which method is the best practice to securely store and use secrets like passwords or tokens in Azure Pipelines?

A Use Azure Key Vault and link it to the pipeline.

B Commit secrets in the source code repository with encryption.

C Store secrets directly in the pipeline YAML file as plain text.

D Send secrets via email to the build agent before running.

💡 Hint

Think about centralized secret management services.

Azure Key Vault integration allows secure storage and retrieval of secrets without exposing them in code or pipeline files.

✅ Best Practice

advanced

What is a recommended practice for pipeline YAML files in large projects?

For large projects with multiple teams, what is a recommended practice regarding pipeline YAML files?

A Use templates to reuse common pipeline steps across multiple YAML files.

B Keep all pipeline YAML definitions in a single file at the root of the repo.

C Write pipeline YAML files manually for each job without reuse.

D Store pipeline YAML files outside the source code repository.

💡 Hint

Think about avoiding repetition and managing complexity.

Templates allow sharing common steps and reduce duplication, making pipelines easier to maintain.

🧠 Conceptual

expert

What is the effect of setting 'trigger: none' in a pipeline YAML?

In an Azure Pipeline YAML file, what happens if you set trigger: none?

Azure

trigger: none

A The pipeline will run on every commit automatically.

B The pipeline will not run automatically on any code changes.

C The pipeline will only run on pull request creation.

D The pipeline will fail to start due to invalid syntax.

💡 Hint

Consider what disabling triggers means for automation.

Setting trigger: none disables automatic runs on code changes; the pipeline must be started manually or by other triggers.