How to use the command 'az devops' (with examples)

The ‘az devops’ command is part of the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) and it allows you to manage Azure DevOps organizations. Azure DevOps is a set of development tools and services provided by Microsoft that helps teams plan, develop, test, and deliver software efficiently. The ‘az devops’ command provides a convenient way to interact with your Azure DevOps organizations from the command line.

Use case 1: Set the Personal Access Token (PAT) to login to a particular organization

Code:

az devops login --organization organization_url

Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to login to a specific Azure DevOps organization using a Personal Access Token (PAT). A PAT is an alternative to using a username and password to authenticate with Azure DevOps, providing a more secure way to access resources.

Explanation:

• az devops login is the command to login to an Azure DevOps organization.
• --organization organization_url is the argument that specifies the URL of the organization you want to login to.

Example output:

Token was successfully saved for https://dev.azure.com/myorganization

Use case 2: Open a project in the browser

Code:

az devops project show --project project_name --open

Motivation: This use case allows you to quickly open a specific project in the browser. This can be convenient when you want to access the project’s repository, build pipelines, or other project-related information from the Azure DevOps web interface.

Explanation:

• az devops project show is the command to show details about the specified project.
• --project project_name is the argument that specifies the name of the project you want to open.
• --open is the argument that opens the project in the default browser.

Example output:

Opening project 'MyProject' in default browser...

Use case 3: List members of a specific team working on a particular project

Code:

az devops team list-member --project project_name --team team_name

Motivation: This use case allows you to easily list the members of a specific team in Azure DevOps working on a particular project. This can be helpful when you need to quickly see who is part of the team, their roles, and their contact information.

Explanation:

• az devops team list-member is the command to list the members of a specific team.
• --project project_name is the argument that specifies the name of the project where the team is located.
• --team team_name is the argument that specifies the name of the team you want to list the members for.

Example output:

Members of team 'MyTeam' in project 'MyProject':
- John Doe (john.doe@example.com)
- Jane Smith (jane.smith@example.com)
- Mark Johnson (mark.johnson@example.com)

Use case 4: Check the Azure DevOps CLI current configuration

Code:

az devops configure --list

Motivation: This use case allows you to check the current configuration of the Azure DevOps CLI. This can be useful when you want to ensure that the CLI is configured correctly, such as checking the default project, organization, or other settings.

Explanation:

• az devops configure is the command to configure Azure DevOps CLI behavior.
• --list is the argument that lists the current configuration settings.

Example output:

Default project: MyProject
Default organization: https://dev.azure.com/myorganization

Use case 5: Configure the Azure DevOps CLI behavior by setting a default project and a default organization

Code:

az devops configure --defaults project=project_name organization=organization_url

Motivation: This use case allows you to configure the default project and organization for the Azure DevOps CLI. By setting default values, you can avoid specifying them in every command, making it more convenient to work with the CLI.

Explanation:

• az devops configure is the command to configure Azure DevOps CLI behavior.
• --defaults project=project_name organization=organization_url is the argument that sets the default project and organization values.

Example output:

Default project set to 'MyProject'.
Default organization set to 'https://dev.azure.com/myorganization'.

Conclusion

The ‘az devops’ command provides a comprehensive set of functionalities for managing Azure DevOps organizations. Whether it’s logging in, opening projects in the browser, listing team members, checking the CLI configuration, or configuring defaults, this command simplifies the interaction with Azure DevOps from the command line. By understanding the different use cases and examples, you can leverage the power of ‘az devops’ to streamline your development workflows.