How to Setup Azure Devops

Launch Your DevOps Journey: How to Set Up Your Azure DevOps Organization (Quick Start Guide)

Hello and welcome back to Darren’s Tech Tutorials! We are diving into one of the most powerful toolsets available for modern software development: Azure DevOps.

If you’re ready to streamline your workflow, manage requirements, control versioning, and implement world-class CI/CD pipelines, you need an Azure DevOps organization. This Microsoft product covers the entire application lifecycle, truly enabling enterprise-level DevOps capabilities for teams of any size.

In this quick guide, we will walk through the simple, step-by-step process of setting up your very own Azure DevOps organization. By the end of this post, you’ll be ready to launch your first project!

Why Azure DevOps is Your Development Powerhouse

Before we jump into the setup, let’s briefly recap why Azure DevOps is essential. It’s not just one tool; it’s an integrated suite that gives you five core services:

• Azure Boards: Excellent project and requirements management (Scrum, Kanban).
• Azure Repos: Unlimited, free private Git repositories for version control.
• Azure Pipelines: Robust, automated CI/CD (Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery).
• Azure Test Plans: Integrated testing solution.
• Azure Artifacts: Package management (NuGet, Maven, npm, etc.).

By creating an organization, you are establishing the central container for all your projects, users, and billing details.

Prerequisites: What You Need to Get Started

The setup process is incredibly straightforward, but you will need one crucial item:

• A Microsoft Account: This could be a personal account (like Outlook or Hotmail) or a work/school account linked to Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD). This account will be the initial administrator for your new Azure DevOps Organization.

If you don’t have one, it’s fast and free to set up!

Step-by-Step: Creating Your Azure DevOps Organization

Follow these clear steps to get your organization up and running in minutes.

Step 1: Access the Azure DevOps Portal

Open your browser and navigate to the official Azure DevOps portal:

https://dev.azure.com

Step 2: Sign In or Get Started

When you land on the page, you will see an option to Start free or Sign in to Azure DevOps.

1. Click the appropriate sign-in button.
2. Enter the credentials for your Microsoft Account. If you are already signed into other Microsoft services, you might be logged in automatically.
3. First-time users will be prompted to confirm some basic details before moving on to the organization creation page.

Step 3: Name Your Organization

After signing in, you will be taken to the “Create your organization” screen. This is a critical step, as the name you choose will be the prefix for your unique URL.

For example, if you name your organization darenstutorials, your main access URL will be: https://dev.azure.com/darenstutorials

1. Enter Your Desired Organization Name: Choose a name that is professional and reflects your company or team (e.g., InnovateDevTeam, MyProductSolutions).
2. Verify Availability: Azure DevOps will automatically check if the name is available. If it is taken, you will need to try another variation.
3. Choose Your Region: Select the geography where you want your projects hosted. Choosing a region geographically close to your team will help ensure optimal latency and performance.

Step 4: Complete the CAPTCHA and Confirm

After selecting the name and region:

1. Complete the visual or audio CAPTCHA to prove you aren’t a robot.
2. Click Continue.

That’s it! Azure DevOps will now provision your new organization. This usually takes just a few seconds. Once complete, you will be taken directly into your new organization dashboard. Congratulations, you have successfully set up the foundation for all your future development projects!

What’s Next? Creating Your First Project

An Organization is just the container; now you need a Project to start working. Azure DevOps immediately prompts you to create your first project.

To launch your first project, you’ll need to define three key parameters:

1. Project Name

Choose a simple, descriptive name for the specific application or service you are building (e.g., ECommerceWebsite, MobileAppBackend).

2. Visibility Settings

• Public: Anyone on the internet can view your project. This is rarely used unless you are hosting open-source code.
• Private (Recommended): Only you and the team members you invite can access the project details.

3. Advanced Configuration

Clicking the Advanced tab allows you to define your core processes:

• Work Item Process: This determines how you manage project requirements and tasks. Common choices are Agile (flexible, iterative), Scrum (structured sprints), or Basic (simple tasks and issues).
• Version Control: Choose between Git (the industry standard for distributed version control) or Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC). Git is highly recommended.

Once these details are set, hit Create Project. You are now officially ready to start planning, coding, and building!

Ready to Launch!

You now have a fully functional Azure DevOps organization ready to tackle anything from a small side project to a massive enterprise application.

Azure DevOps provides an incredible free tier for small teams (up to five users get basic access free!), meaning you can start harnessing its power right away without any upfront costs.

Thank you for following along! If this guide helped you launch your DevOps journey, please let us know in the comments below. Don’t forget to Like this post and Subscribe to Darren’s Tech Tutorials for more clear, actionable guides on mastering the best tech tools out there! Happy developing!