🔁 AZ-400 — DevOps Solutions (Course MOC)
Design and Implement Microsoft DevOps Solutions. Start with processes and communications, then follow the eight learning paths. Each path folder has its own MOC.
The core idea
DevOps connects people, process, and tools to deliver software faster & safer. AZ-400 covers the value stream: planning (Azure Boards/GitHub), source control (git & Azure Repos), CI/CD (Azure Pipelines/GitHub Actions), releases & gates, IaC, security/compliance gates, dependency management, and continuous feedback (monitoring/feedback).
Map / Canvas
The path maps show the value stream in clusters: source and work planning feed CI, CI produces an artifact, release controls promote that artifact, and runtime feedback returns to the next change. Start with the CI relationship map, then use the path-specific canvases linked from each MOC.
Learning path folders
- Design processes and communications
- Work with Git for enterprise DevOps
- Implement CI: Pipelines & GitHub Actions
- Design & implement a release strategy
- Implement secure continuous deployment
- Manage infrastructure as code using Azure
- Implement security & validate code for compliance
- Design & implement dependency management
- Implement continuous feedback
Cross-cutting concepts
devops-culture · delivery-pipeline · release-train · blue-green-deployment · canary-deployment · feature-flags · shift-left
Important relationships and comparisons
A commit and pull request provide the change boundary; a CI trigger validates it and produces an immutable artifact. A release process promotes that artifact through an environment using approvals, gates, and a service connection. The runtime emits telemetry, which feeds back into the next planning decision. A service connection authenticates a pipeline to Azure; it is not a service endpoint or a private endpoint. See the comparison boundaries note for the failure modes.
Study route
Begin at processes and communications, then work through Git, CI, release, secure CD, IaC, security, dependencies, and feedback in order.
Synthesis challenge
After completing the paths, complete the end-to-end delivery challenge.
Conceptual checkpoint
Given a pull request, a failed build, a tested artifact, a protected production environment, and a runtime error, explain which boundary acts next, which identity authorizes it, and which signal proves or blocks promotion. Then distinguish rollback from a forward fix for a stateful schema change.
Next path
Use the cross-course comparison boundaries as a reference while completing the synthesis challenge.
Sources and re-audit
- AZ-400 course overview, checked 2026-08-31.
- AZ-400 study guide, skills measured 2026-07-27; checked 2026-08-31.
Re-audit when the official course paths, study-guide effective date, GitHub/Azure DevOps behavior, pipeline identity, or deployment controls change.