Azure DevOps Pipelines: Complete CI/CD Guide (2026)

What are Azure DevOps Pipelines Azure DevOps Pipelines is Microsoft's CI/CD service for automating the build, test, and deployment of code across any language, platform, and cloud. It is part of the broader Azure DevOps suite alongside Azure Repos, Azure Boards, Azure Test Plans, and Azure Artifacts. Whether you are deploying a Node.js web application to Azure App Service, a Python API to Kubernetes, or a .NET microservices architecture to AWS, Azure Pipelines handles the automation from commit to production. The service has evolved significantly since its origins as Team Foundation Build. Today it supports two pipeline authoring models: YAML pipelines defined as code in your repository, and Classic pipelines built through a visual editor in the Azure DevOps web interface. YAML pipelines are the strategic direction -- Microsoft has been investing all new features exclusively in the YAML model since 2023, and Classic pipelines are in maintenance mode. Azure Pipelines runs on agents -- c