Microsoft DevOps Engineer AZ-400
Design and implement DevOps practices on Azure using source control, CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, security integration, and observability. The expert-level path for engineers building high-velocity delivery systems.
Certification Roadmap
1Module 1 (10–15%): Design and Implement DevOps Processes
Define collaboration models, Agile planning workflows, and project visibility across engineering teams.
Collaboration Strategy
Team structures, DevOps operating model, value stream mapping, KPIs
Design team structures and DevOps operating model, implement communication and handoff workflows, define value stream mapping practices, and set measurable DevOps KPIs and goals.
Work Item and Backlog Management
Azure Boards, Agile/Scrum, sprint planning, traceability, dashboards
Configure Azure Boards for Agile and Scrum, plan sprint boards, epics, and user stories, design traceability across requirements and releases, and implement dashboards for delivery insights.
Process Improvement
Lean principles, feedback loops, lead time, change control
Apply Lean principles for delivery optimization, use feedback loops for continuous improvement, reduce bottlenecks and lead time, and design governance with change control policies.
2Module 2 (10–15%): Source Control and Build Strategies
Implement Git strategy, repository standards, automated builds, and package management.
Git and Repository Management
Branching strategy, PR policies, repo permissions, Azure Repos/GitHub
Design branching strategy (GitFlow, trunk-based), configure pull request policies and code reviews, implement repository permissions and protections, and integrate Azure Repos and GitHub workflows.
Build Pipeline Design
YAML pipelines, build agents, multi-stage validation, caching
Create YAML-based Azure Pipelines, configure build agents and hosted runners, implement multi-stage build validation, and optimize build performance and caching.
Artifacts and Package Management
Azure Artifacts, NuGet/npm/Maven feeds, versioning, secure publishing
Manage artifacts in Azure Artifacts, use NuGet, npm, and Maven feed strategies, configure versioning and package retention policies, and implement secure package publishing workflows.
3Module 3 (15–20%): Release and Deployment Strategies
Build resilient release pipelines and deploy applications safely across environments.
Release Pipeline Architecture
Multi-stage pipelines, approvals, gates, environment promotion
Design multi-stage release pipelines, configure approvals, gates, and checks, implement environment promotion strategy, and automate releases with templates and variables.
Deployment Patterns
Blue/green, canary, deployment slots, feature flags, rollback
Implement blue/green and canary deployments, configure deployment slots for App Service, use feature flags and progressive rollout, and design rollback and recovery strategy.
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
ARM, Bicep, Terraform, CI/CD integration, state and drift management
Provision infrastructure using ARM and Bicep, manage resources with Terraform, integrate IaC into CI/CD workflows, and implement state and drift management.
4Module 4 (10–15%): Security and Compliance
Embed security controls into the pipeline and enforce governance in delivery workflows.
Secure Pipeline Design
Key Vault secrets, service connections, signed artifacts, integrity
Implement secret management with Key Vault, harden service connections and access scopes, configure pipeline permissions and checks, and use signed artifacts and integrity controls.
DevSecOps Practices
SAST, DAST, dependency scanning, policy-as-code, SBOM
Integrate SAST, DAST, and dependency scanning into pipelines, enforce policy-as-code and compliance gates, automate vulnerability reporting workflows, and implement SBOM and supply-chain protections.
Governance and Auditing
Audit trails, compliance dashboards, risk alignment, evidence collection
Configure audit trails for release activities, design compliance reporting dashboards, align with enterprise risk requirements, and manage evidence collection for audits.
5Module 5 (10–15%): Monitoring and Continuous Improvement
Establish observability, operational feedback, and reliability engineering practices.
Application Monitoring
Application Insights, dashboards, alerts, metrics/logs/traces correlation
Configure Application Insights and telemetry, build dashboards for health and performance, set alerts and action groups, and correlate metrics, logs, and traces.
Reliability and Incident Response
SLO/SLI, error budgets, incident runbooks, post-incident review, chaos testing
Define SLO/SLI objectives and error budgets, implement incident workflows and runbooks, automate post-incident review process, and design chaos testing and resilience drills.
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