AZ-400 Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions Exam

Enforce Branch Policy Requirements

Configure Branch Policies

When working on a project in Azure DevOps, it's important to set up branch policies to maintain the quality and integrity of your codebase. These policies help you control the development process by setting rules that developers must follow before their code can be merged into critical branches like the main or master branch. This ensures that only tested and reviewed code makes it into the main product, reducing the risk of bugs and issues.

Minimum Number of Reviewers

One key policy is requiring a minimum number of reviewers for pull requests. This means that no code can be merged into a protected branch until it has been reviewed and approved by a specified number of team members. This helps catch issues early, as multiple sets of eyes can spot potential problems that the original developer might miss. It also encourages collaboration and learning within the team.

Required Successful Builds

Another important policy is enforcing required successful builds. This policy ensures that all new code must pass certain automated build checks before it can be merged. These checks can include unit tests, integration tests, and other automated quality assurance processes. If the code fails any of these checks, it cannot be merged, preventing broken or untested code from entering the main branch.

Merge Strategies

Selecting appropriate merge strategies is also a vital aspect of branch policies. Azure DevOps offers several merge strategies, such as merge commits, squash merging, and rebase merging. Each strategy has its pros and cons:

• Merge commits keep all individual commits but can clutter the commit history.
• Squash merging combines all changes from a feature branch into a single commit, providing a cleaner history.
• Rebase merging integrates changes by rewriting commit history, which may help in keeping a linear commit history but can be complex to manage.

Enforce Compliance with Development Standards

Branch policies also help in enforcing compliance with development standards. By setting up policies for code reviews and automated builds, you ensure that all code changes adhere to the team's coding standards and best practices. This helps maintain a consistent and high-quality codebase across different developers and teams.

Protect Critical Branches from Unauthorized Changes

Lastly, branch policies are crucial in protecting critical branches from unauthorized changes. By restricting who can directly push to certain branches and enforcing the use of pull requests, you can safeguard these branches from accidental or malicious changes. This helps ensure the stability and reliability of your production code.

Conclusion

In summary, configuring branch policies in Azure DevOps is essential for maintaining code quality and protecting critical branches. By requiring minimum reviewers, enforcing successful builds, choosing appropriate merge strategies, enforcing compliance with development standards, and protecting key branches, you create a robust workflow that ensures high standards and reduces the risk of errors in your codebase.