Azure Learning

pipeline-components-and-stage

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tagsaz-400, module, ci, pipelines

2 min read

Pipeline components and stage

MS Learn module: Pipeline components & stage · Learning objectives: decompose a CI pipeline into stages/jobs/steps/tasks, define ordering and dependencies between them, and feed each with the correct variables and secrets.

Overview

A pipeline is not one script — it is an orchestration graph of small, reusable components. Azure Pipelines and GitHub Actions both model work as stages → jobs → steps → tasks, where each layer has an ordering rule, a scope, and its own inputs. Master the components ladder plus how ordering and dependencies are declared, and you can express almost any CI workflow faithfully in YAML.

Units / lessons covered

  • The ladder: pipeline → stages → jobs → steps/tasks (one atomic command/unit)
  • Ordering: sibling jobs run in parallel; use dependencies to join them explicitly
  • Dependencies: GitHub needs:/run; Azure Pipelines job-level dependsOn, always, on-failure
  • Variables & secrets: scoping, $(var) / ${{ }} expansion, secret masking, env: mapping
  • How a completed run is staged into later CD stages (see pipeline-run)

Key terms / commands

  • Azure Pipelines: variables: · secrets: · “ steps:/task: · job-level dependsOn/always
  • GitHub Actions: env: · secrets: · steps: · needs: · runs-on: · index on.pull_request/push gate

Hands-on / what to try

Author a 3-stage pipeline where build and lint run in parallel, test depends on both, and deploy runs last. Inject a build version number as a variable and a token as a secret; print both from a step to confirm scope and masking.

Exam focus

  • A task is the atomic leaf that runs one command; a step may bundle several tasks; a job is the independent, relocatable unit.
  • Stages represent major checkpoints (build → test → deploy); parallel jobs must join before a dependent stage.
  • Ordering defaults to parallel across siblings; deps must be explicit — a frequent exam trap.
  • Never embed secrets in YAML — use secrets./${{ secrets }} and the secret-backed store (Key Vault).

Path MOC · advanced-yaml-pipelines · pipeline-run-diagnostics-and-maintenance · set-up-ci-with-azure-pipelines

📘 Source: What is Azure Pipelines · Azure Pipelines variables

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