Azure Devops Interview Questions Set 02

21. How can you enforce code quality in Azure DevOps?

Enforcing code quality in Azure DevOps involves using the code analysis check-in policy. Configure code analysis runs for each project in the project file and set up a check-in policy to ensure consistent code analysis across the team. This practice promotes adherence to established code quality standards and identifies potential issues early in the development process.

22. What is the difference between Azure DevOps Services and Azure DevOps Server?

Aspect	Azure DevOps Services	Azure DevOps Server
Data Scope and Scalability	Hosted in the cloud, using organizations and projects for data organization and scaling.	Offers deployments, project collections, and projects for data scope and scalability.
Authentication	Connects over the public internet with Microsoft or Azure AD credentials.	Connects via intranet servers using Windows Authentication and AD credentials.
Users and Groups	Utilizes Azure AD groups for streamlined user access management.	Relies on AD groups for user access administration.
Process Customization	Employs the Inheritance process model with easy customization through the web UI or REST endpoints.	Offers the Inheritance and On-premises XML process models, allowing more extensive customization but may present challenges in updating projects.
Reporting and Analytics	Provides dashboards, charts, Analytics service, Microsoft Power BI integration, and OData support for project insights.	Offers dashboards, charts, Analytics service, Microsoft Power BI integration, and OData support for project analytics.
Support and Updates	Regular updates with continuous support for projects.	Requires manual updating and may face challenges with customizations.
Deployment and Hosting Options	Hosted in the cloud.	Requires on-premises deployment and hosting.
Data Protection	Ensures data safety and security in the cloud environment.	Dependent on the organization’s on-premises security measures.

23. Elaborate on self-hosted agents in the Azure pipeline.

A self-hosted agent allows you to run builds and deployments on a machine in your own environment. It can be used for tasks requiring specific software or access to a private network. Self-hosted agents can be installed on Windows and Linux machines and configured to use specific software versions, set up authentication, and make other customizations. They offer more control over the environment used for builds and deployments, whether on physical machines, virtual machines, or in a cloud environment. To set up a self-hosted agent pool, you create the pool in the Azure DevOps portal, configure the settings, and add agents either manually or through automated provisioning tools like Chef or Ansible.

24. Elaborate on Microsoft-hosted agents in the Azure pipeline.

Microsoft-hosted agents are cloud-based virtual machines managed by Microsoft, pre-installed with all the necessary software and dependencies. They are available in various configurations, including Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS, and can be used to build, test, and deploy projects in languages such as Java.

25. What is the Azure CLI command used to run the pipeline?

The command to run an Azure Pipeline is:

shell

az pipelines run –name <pipeline name>

26. What is the difference between Azure DevOps Services and Azure DevOps Server?

Azure DevOps Services and Azure DevOps Server are both offerings from Microsoft designed to provide a comprehensive set of tools for software development, including planning, development, testing, and deployment. However, there are key differences between the two:

• Cloud-based vs On-Premises: Azure DevOps Services is a cloud-based solution hosted on Microsoft’s Azure platform, while Azure DevOps Server is an on-premises solution that can be installed and managed on your own infrastructure.
• Accessibility: Azure DevOps Services can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, whereas Azure DevOps Server is typically accessible only within your organization’s network.
• Maintenance and Upkeep: Azure DevOps Services is maintained and updated by Microsoft, eliminating the need for your organization to handle maintenance tasks. In contrast, Azure DevOps Server requires your organization to perform regular maintenance and apply updates.
• Scalability: Azure DevOps Services automatically scales to meet the demands of your pipeline. Scaling Azure DevOps Server, however, requires additional resources and can be more complex.
• Cost: Azure DevOps Services operates on a subscription-based model with a pay-as-you-go pricing structure, while Azure DevOps Server involves an upfront cost along with ongoing licensing and maintenance expenses.
• Extensibility: Both platforms offer extensive integration with third-party tools and services, but Azure DevOps Services generally provides more pre-built integrations.

27. What are the different DevOps solution architectures?

Several DevOps solution architectures exist, each with unique advantages and suited to different needs:

• Monolithic Architecture: A single, unified codebase that includes all functionalities. It is simpler to develop and deploy but can become unwieldy as it grows.
• Microservices Architecture: Decomposes the application into smaller, independently deployable services. This promotes scalability and flexibility.
• Serverless Architecture: Uses cloud services to manage server infrastructure, allowing developers to focus on writing code. It scales automatically and reduces overhead costs.
• Hybrid Architecture: Combines elements of monolithic, microservices, and serverless architectures, leveraging the benefits of each according to specific application requirements.

28. What are the reasons to use CI and CD and Azure pipelines?

CI (Continuous Integration) and CD (Continuous Deployment) streamline and automate the software development and delivery process. Using Azure Pipelines to implement CI/CD provides several benefits:

• Automation: Reduces human error and increases efficiency by automating the build, test, and deployment processes.
• Faster Delivery: Enables quicker delivery of high-quality software, reducing time to market.
• Improved Collaboration: Enhances collaboration between development and operations teams.
• Increased Reliability: Improves software quality and minimizes the risk of downtime or production issues.
• Better Scalability: Supports deployment to multiple platforms and environments, easily scaling as the organization grows.
• Integration with Azure DevOps: Allows for streamlined workflows and simplified management through seamless integration with Azure DevOps.

29. What should you do to make a NuGet package available to anonymous users outside your organization while minimizing the number of publication points?

To make a NuGet package available to anonymous users outside your organization while minimizing publication points, you can:

• Publish the NuGet package to a public NuGet repository such as nuget.org.
• Use a single, central repository within your organization and configure it to proxy the public repository.
• Utilize a repository manager like Antifactory to manage and proxy both internal and external NuGet repositories.

This approach allows you to maintain control over the packages used within your organization while providing access to public packages through a single, well-known endpoint.

30. How can you enable communication between members of the development team working in different locations around the world using Azure DevOps?

Azure DevOps offers several tools to facilitate communication between geographically dispersed development teams:

• Azure Boards: Allows team members to track work items, bugs, issues, and project tasks.
• Azure Repos: Provides version control and collaboration features for code development.
• Azure Pipelines: Automates build, test, and deployment processes.
• Azure Test Plans: Helps plan, track, and manage the testing process.
• Azure Artifacts: Manages packages and dependencies used by the application.
• Microsoft Teams Integration: Enables real-time chat and collaboration.
• Email Notifications: Keeps team members informed about work item changes, build and release statuses, etc.

These tools ensure effective collaboration and communication, regardless of team members’ locations.

31. Which feature can be used for the development of a multi-tier application using Azure App Service web apps as the front end and Azure SQL database as the back end?

Azure App Service web apps offer an “Easy Setup” feature, which facilitates the quick setup of a multi-tier application with an Azure SQL database as the back end. Easy Setup automates the deployment process, enabling developers to rapidly connect to an existing Azure SQL database or create a new one, configure backend connections, and set up authentication and authorization rules.

32. What can you do to improve the quality of code if there are many unused variables and empty catch blocks?

To improve code quality in the presence of unused variables and empty catch blocks, you can:

• Remove Unused Variables: Eliminate unused variables to enhance code clarity and efficiency.
• Remove Empty Catch Blocks: Ensure catch blocks contain code to handle exceptions, improving error handling and debugging.
• Refactor Code: Enhance readability and maintainability by organizing and optimizing the code.
• Add Comments: Provide explanations and context to help other developers understand the code.
• Automate Tests: Implement automated tests to ensure code functionality and detect errors early.

33. What are the necessary components for the integration of Azure DevOps and Bitbucket?

To integrate Azure DevOps and Bitbucket, you need:

1. An Azure DevOps organization.
2. A Bitbucket account with access to the desired repositories.
3. A service connection between Azure DevOps and your Bitbucket account.
4. A build pipeline configured to use the Bitbucket repository as its source.
5. A release pipeline configured to use the Bitbucket repository as its source.

34. Explain Pair Programming with reference to DevOps.

Pair programming is a technique where two developers work together on the same code. One developer (the driver) writes the code while the other (the navigator) reviews it and suggests improvements. This collaborative approach helps quickly identify and fix errors, encourages adherence to best practices, and promotes the creation of well-structured, maintainable code. In the context of DevOps, pair programming enhances collaboration, communication, and team-based learning, which are essential for successful DevOps practices.

35. Tell us something about fault domains.

Fault domains are a way of grouping physical hardware components to provide resiliency in case of a failure. Each fault domain contains multiple independent components, ensuring that if one component fails, others continue to function, thereby providing redundancy and uninterrupted service.

36. Tell us something about the Update domains feature.

Update domains are a feature used to ensure high availability during maintenance or updates. By grouping virtual machines (VMs) into update domains, updates are applied to one domain at a time. This means that during maintenance, not all VMs are affected simultaneously, ensuring that some VMs remain operational and maintain service availability.

37. How can Azure AD applications be used?

Azure AD applications can be used to:

• Enable single sign-on (SSO) access to cloud applications.
• Secure access to on-premises applications.
• Automate user provisioning and de-provisioning to cloud applications.
• Secure access to web applications.
• Provide secure access to mobile applications.
• Manage user identities and enforce multi-factor authentication.
• Provide advanced security analytics and reporting.

38. What is meant by system capabilities and user capabilities in the Azure pipeline?

• System Capabilities: These are features and services offered by the Azure pipeline to automate the software development process, including tasks like continuous integration, continuous delivery, and automated testing.
• User Capabilities: These are features and services used by developers to manage the development process, including tasks such as setting up code repositories, checking in new code, and tracking project progress.

39. Mention some alternatives to Azure DevOps.

Here are some alternatives to Azure DevOps:

• Jenkins
• Travis CI
• AWS CodePipeline
• CircleCI
• GitLab CI/CD
• BitRise
• TeamCity
• Semaphore
• Harness
• Codeship

40. Mention the advantages of using Azure DevOps.

Azure DevOps offers several advantages:

• Automated Deployments: Enables users to configure automated deployments from source code repositories like GitHub or BitBucket, eliminating manual steps and ensuring the latest code version is deployed.
• Continuous Integration & Delivery: Supports setting up a CI/CD pipeline that automatically builds, tests, and deploys applications based on changes to the source code, keeping the codebase up-to-date and deployment-ready.
• Agile Planning: Provides tools for agile project management, including sprint planning, task tracking, backlog management, and more, to help teams plan, track, and manage their software projects effectively.
• Collaboration & Visibility: Enhances team collaboration and visibility by offering tools that facilitate communication and information sharing, keeping teams aligned throughout the development process.
• Cloud Hosting: Hosted on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform, which offers a secure, reliable, and cost-effective environment, helping teams save on hosting costs.

41. Which service is used for managing Azure resources?

Azure Resource Manager (ARM) is used for managing Azure resources. ARM provides a consistent management layer for deploying, managing, and monitoring Azure resources, allowing infrastructure management through declarative JSON templates.

42. Differentiate between Azure DevOps Server and Azure DevOps Services.

Azure DevOps Server and Azure DevOps Services both provide tools for managing software development projects, but they differ in deployment and management:

• Azure DevOps Server:
  • Deployment: Self-hosted, installed on-premises.
  • Control: Offers full control over data and customizations.
  • Management: Requires the organization to manage and maintain the infrastructure.
• Azure DevOps Services:
  • Deployment: Cloud-based, hosted by Microsoft.
  • Control: Managed service, providing flexibility and scalability without requiring the organization to handle infrastructure maintenance.
  • Management: Managed and updated by Microsoft.

In summary, Azure DevOps Server is an on-premises solution providing full control and customization, while Azure DevOps Services is a cloud-based, managed service offering scalability and ease of management.

43. What are the main components of Azure DevOps?

1. Version Control: Azure DevOps uses a distributed version control system (Git) to store and manage source code.
2. Build and Release Pipelines: These pipelines automate the process of building, testing, and deploying code.
3. Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD): Enables developers to quickly build and deploy code to their production environment.
4. Agile Planning Tools: Provides a suite of tools for project planning, monitoring, and reporting.
5. Test Management: Offers a comprehensive system to help teams efficiently plan, manage, and track the performance of their tests.
6. Analytics: Provides insights into the performance of projects, pipelines, and tests.

44. Elaborate on the job role of an Azure DevOps Engineer.

Azure DevOps Engineers are responsible for designing, deploying, managing, and maintaining cloud-based applications and services on the Microsoft Azure platform. Their responsibilities include:

• Overseeing all aspects of the development process, including architecture design, application development, deployment, testing, and monitoring.
• Creating and maintaining automation scripts to automate tasks associated with the delivery of applications, services, and infrastructure.
• Ensuring applications and services meet performance and scalability requirements and comply with security and regulatory policies.
• Providing technical support to users and stakeholders, troubleshooting problems, and implementing best practices.
• Developing DevOps processes and procedures to streamline the development life cycle.

45. Which web applications can be deployed with Azure?

The following web applications can be deployed with Azure:

• ASP.NET
• Node.js
• PHP
• Java
• Python
• Ruby on Rails
• HTML/CSS/JavaScript
• Azure App Service
• Azure Functions
• Azure Kubernetes Service

46. Mention different ways for connecting with a project in Azure DevOps.

1. Using Azure DevOps Services: Sign up for an Azure DevOps Services account and use the web interface to connect with the project.
2. Using Azure DevOps CLI: Use the Azure DevOps CLI for command-line access to automate tasks and manage the project.
3. Using Visual Studio: Connect with the project directly from within Visual Studio IDE to access source code and perform operations such as committing changes and reviewing builds.
4. Using Azure DevOps API: Access and manage the project from any platform and language, integrating with other systems and building custom solutions.
5. Using REST API: Programmatically access the project’s data and operations, integrating them with other applications.

47. Elaborate on the projects of Azure DevOps.

Azure DevOps is a suite of cloud-based services that assist organizations in planning, building, testing, and deploying applications. It includes:

1. Azure Pipelines: Provides CI/CD pipelines that automatically build, test, and deploy applications to Azure. It helps track the progress and performance of builds.
2. Azure Boards: Offers project management capabilities for tracking work, managing projects, and collaborating on code. It aids in planning, tracking, and discussing work across the development cycle.
3. Azure Repos: Stores, manages, and tracks code changes in private or public Git repositories, facilitating collaboration, version control, and code reviews.
4. Azure Test Plans: Manages and tracks testing activities, including manual and automated testing, helping teams plan, track, and run tests while monitoring their results.
5. Azure Artifacts: Stores, manages, and shares packages and artifacts such as libraries, components, and applications, helping teams package and deploy applications and artifacts efficiently.

48. Briefly explain continuous monitoring.

Continuous monitoring is the process of collecting and analyzing data from an IT system or environment in real time. It is used to identify and alert on potential security issues, changes in user behavior, system configurations, and other indicators of malicious or unauthorized activities. Continuous monitoring allows organizations to quickly detect and respond to threats, helping to reduce the risk of data breaches or other security incidents.

49. What is the difference between driver.close() and driver.quit()?

• driver.quit(): This command closes the entire browser session, including all associated windows. It’s akin to making a grand exit from a party, shutting everything down.

           Example: Imagine you are testing a web application with multiple open tabs and pop-ups. When the testing is                           complete, invoking driver.quit() will close all those open windows, effectively concluding the browsing session.

• driver.close(): This command only closes the currently focused window. It’s like saying goodbye to a person at the end of an event. However, if it’s the only window open, it may throw an error.
  

           Example: During your automated testing, if multiple tabs are open and you wish to close one particular tab without                 ending the entire browsing session, driver.close() will serve this purpose efficiently.

50. Describe the advantages of Forking Workflow over other Git workflows.

The Forking Workflow offers several advantages over other Git workflows by enabling contributors to push changes to their own repositories.

 This approach:

• Promotes Collaboration: Contributors can work on features independently without affecting the main project repository.
• Enhances Security: Changes are made in individual forks, reducing the risk of direct modifications to the main repository.
• Scalability: Particularly beneficial for open-source projects with multiple contributors, as it allows for decentralized development.
• Controlled Integration: The project maintainer retains control over the official repository, making integration more streamlined and organized.

51. What testing is necessary to ensure that a new service is ready for production?

To ensure a new service is ready for production, the following types of testing are necessary:

• Unit Testing: Verifies that individual components or units of the service function correctly.
• Integration Testing: Ensures that different components or systems work together as expected.
• System Testing: Validates the complete and integrated software to check compliance with requirements.
• Performance Testing: Assesses the service’s responsiveness and stability under a particular workload.
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT): Involves end-users to verify that the service meets their needs and requirements.

52. What is the difference between continuous deployment and continuous delivery?

Continuous delivery and continuous deployment are both software engineering practices focused on frequent and efficient software releases. However, there is a key difference between the two:

• Continuous Delivery: This involves developing, building, testing, and releasing software in short cycles. The software is always in a deployable state, ready for release at any moment, but the actual deployment to production is manually approved.
• Continuous Deployment: This extends continuous delivery by automatically deploying every change that passes the automated tests to production without any human intervention.

53. What are the benefits of using version control?

Version control offers numerous benefits for software development teams, including:

• Tracking Changes: Enables tracking of each contributor’s changes, preventing conflicts from concurrent work.
• Collaboration: Facilitates collaboration among multiple developers, even when working on different parts of the software simultaneously.
• Conflict Management: Helps in managing and merging changes efficiently, reducing the risk of incompatible modifications.
• History and Backup: Maintains a history of all changes, allowing developers to revert to previous versions if needed.
• Branching and Merging: Supports branching and merging, enabling developers to work on features or fixes in isolation before integrating them into the main codebase.
• Enhanced Productivity: Streamlines the development process and enhances team productivity by making code management more efficient.

54. How do you handle merge conflicts in Git?

To handle merge conflicts in Git, follow these steps:

1. Identify the Conflicted File: Open the file that has conflicts.
2. Resolve Conflicts: Manually edit the file to resolve the conflicts, keeping the desired changes.
3. Stage the Changes: Use the command git add <file> to stage the resolved file.
4. Commit the Changes: Finalize the resolution by creating a new commit with git commit.

This process ensures that the merge conflicts are addressed and the repository remains in a consistent state.

55. What is Git? Explain the difference between Git and SVN.

Git is a distributed version control system used for tracking changes in source code during software development. It enables multiple developers to work on a project simultaneously without overwriting each other’s changes.

Difference between Git and SVN:

• Decentralized vs. Centralized: Git is decentralized, meaning each developer has a complete copy of the repository on their local machine. SVN (Apache Subversion) is centralized, with a single central repository that developers commit to.
• Speed and Performance: Git operations are generally faster because most actions are performed locally. SVN relies on server communication, which can slow down operations.
• Offline Capabilities: Git allows developers to commit changes and create branches offline. SVN requires a connection to the central repository for most operations.
• Branching and Merging: Git branching and merging are more flexible and efficient, encouraging workflow practices like feature branching. SVN branching can be more cumbersome and less efficient.

The choice between Git and SVN depends on the specific needs of a development team. Git’s decentralized approach offers greater flexibility, speed, and offline capabilities, making it a preferred choice for many modern software projects. Conversely, SVN’s centralized model may still have its merits in certain legacy environments, but its usage has become less prevalent in recent years.

56. What is SubGit?

SubGit is a stress-free migration tool that transfers repositories from SVN to Git. Compatible with various Git servers like GitHub, GitLab, Gerrit, and Bitbucket, SubGit ensures a smooth transition without compromising data integrity. Developed by Tmate Software, it streamlines the process of migrating from SVN to Git seamlessly.

57. What language is used in Git?

Git is not a programming language but a distributed version control system for tracking changes in code repositories. However, regarding the programming languages used in repositories hosted on platforms like GitHub, JavaScript is the most popular, followed by Python, Java, and a growing TypeScript community.