Azure Repos
What it is
Azure Repos is the Azure DevOps source-control service. It hosts standard Git repositories and also supports Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC), an older centralized version-control system.
Why it exists
Version control preserves a history of code changes and lets people coordinate safely. Azure Repos adds pull requests, branch policies, and Azure DevOps integration around Git or TFVC so a team can review changes before they become part of a protected branch.
Key ideas
- Git: distributed version control. A developer’s local clone contains history and can make commits before synchronizing with the server.
- TFVC: centralized version control, kept mainly for older workflows. New collaboration work generally uses Git.
- Pull request: a proposed branch change reviewed before merging. It can contain comments, approvals, and automated status checks.
- Branch policy: rules on a protected branch, such as required reviewers or successful build validation. A policy is a quality gate, not a guarantee that the merged software has no defect.
- Traceability: pull requests can link to Azure Boards work items and invoke Pipelines.
Northwind example
Luis creates an orders-discount-rule branch rather than editing main directly. His pull request links to the Northwind work item and triggers a validation pipeline. The branch policy requires review and a successful build before merge. The repository preserves the decision and change history; Azure Boards records why the change was requested, while Pipelines records whether automation passed.
Exam notes
- Git is the modern default; TFVC is centralized and mainly relevant to older systems.
- Azure Repos and GitHub can both host Git repositories. Choose based on the team’s platform and integration needs.
Related
git · github · pull-request · branching-strategy · azure-pipelines
Diagram
Diagrams courtesy of Microsoft Learn / Azure docs: azure/devops/repos/get-started/what-is-repos
📘 Source: Microsoft Learn — What is Azure Repos?