Azure DevOps vs GitHub: Choosing the Right DevOps Tool

Software development is a process that helps developers improve the collaboration and workflow within an organization. The two most important cloud-based tools developed by developers are Azure DevOps and GitHub

Microsoft owns these two tools, but the question arises how do these two developer tools differ, and which one is better to use? The tale of Azure DevOps vs GitHub starts from the constant pressure to deliver high-quality products quickly. This led to the development of the two best DevOps tools to streamline the process and optimize the workflow.

Developers needing software collaboration tools and sharing platforms must be aware of specific differences and similarities between Azure DevOps and GitHub before selecting one.

What is Azure DevOps?

Azure DevOps is a developer collaboration tool that offers cloud-based service which is owned by Microsoft. Azure offers many features that support the entire lifecycle of DevOps, source code running, testing codes, deployment of codes, continuous monitoring processes, and project planning.

Azure DevOps includes various meaningful components like:

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Azure Boards

A project management tool that tracks work through tasks, bugs, and user stories. You can easily create a custom workflow and use agile methods like Scrum.

Azure Repos

Azure repos is a new version control system that helps developers host their code filled-in repositories. You can do that in the cloud and manage branches to enforce policies and permissions.

Azure Pipelines

It allows you to build a coding design, test, and deploy that code to the cloud. Pipeline offers a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) feature, which is good for developers.

Azure Test Plans

It is a testing component that makes you plan your coding, execute them, and track their manual as well as automated tests. You can easily create test cases and suites, run them through different browsers, and generate insights and reports.

Azure Artifacts

With this, you can create, host, and share packages with your team and clients. You can use various formats like Python, npm, or NuGet.

Benefits of Using Azure DevOps

To have a better understanding of Azure DevOps vs GitHub, you need to go through the meaningful benefits offered by each of them.

First, let’s check the advantages of using Azure DevOps:

• It offers a comprehensive and integrated solution backed by Microsoft Azure Active Directory. 
• Azure DevOps integrates seamlessly with other Azure products like Office 365, Visual Studio, and Power BI. 
• It allows you to get all the services and leverage the wide Azure ecosystem of extensions. 
• Azure DevOps supports both hybrid and multi-cloud platforms where you can easily deploy and run your code on-premises. 
• It provides scalability and reliability to the developers which makes it good for developers to use.

Furthermore, if you want to learn about Azure DevOps and gain extensive skills, join the CCSLA AZ-900T00-A: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Training Certification today. This way, you will learn about cloud computing and other significant things.

How Do People Use Azure DevOps?

People use Azure DevOps to make their workflow fast and effective.

Here are some ways in which they use Azure DevOps:

• Source code management: Used for collaboration and control of a centralized Git repository. 
• Agile project management: Backlogs and boards are created to track and plan workflow efficiently. 
• CI/CD: Automated build, test, and deployment pipelines for fast and reliable releases. 
• Test management: Planning, deployment, execution, and reporting is done for software testing. 
• Collaboration: Pull requests and code reviews are discussed. 
• DevOps analytics: Insights and analytics are produced from measured performance, and improvements are suggested.

What is GitHub?

GitHub is a web-based interface that offers hosting for software development with the help of Git version control. It also provides various features for collaboration and automation.

Some of the components of GitHub are as follows:

GitHub Repository

This version control system hosts your code repositories online.

GitHub Actions

It is a continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) tool that automates your workflow using YAML files. You can quickly build, test, and deploy your code to any platform.

GitHub Pages

It is a static site that hosts services and lets you publish web pages directly from your GitHub repositories. You can use this static site generator Jekyll, HTML, CSS, or JavaScript files.

GitHub Discussions

A community forum enables you to start and join any conversation with other GitHub users. You can directly connect with your team and clients and ask questions or share ideas.

GitHub Code Scanning

A code analysis tool that helps you find and fix your code’s security vulnerabilities and quality issues. You can use CodeQL, a powerful query language or ESLint-like tool to scan code and generate alerts.

Benefits of Using GitHub

When understanding the difference between Azure DevOps and GitHub, you come across various features that might seem the same in both, but each has multiple exclusive features and benefits.

Here are some significant features that GitHub offers:

• It is the most popular and widely used platform that hosts and collaborates on code. With this tool, you can access numerous open-source projects and learn from the best practices. 
• It is simple and easy to use for small teams. You can create a free account and get started with the basic Git workflow. 
• GitHub desktop is its graphical user interface or GitHub CLI, a command-line tool that favors interaction with GitHub. 
• GitHub is flexible and customizable for advanced users and large teams. Various GitHub apps allow you to build integration and API to extend and automate functionality. 
• Its innovative and constantly evolving features make it unique. You can easily participate in beta testing or provide feedback on code testing.

How Do People Use GitHub?

The significant difference between Azure DevOps and GitHub can be seen through how developers use them.

Furthermore, if you wish to know about GitHub and clear its fundamentals, you can enrol to CCSLA’s latest program: Git and GitHub Fundamentals.

Some of the ways in which GitHub is used are as follows:

• Code Hosting: A centralized web-based platform is used to host coding with the help of Git.
• Issue Tracking: GitHub’s built-in monitoring and project management feature allows issue tracking. 
• Open Source Community: Supports global collaboration and is popular among open source projects. 
• Documentation and Wikis: Offers hosting feature for project documentation and wikis for easy sharing. 
• CI/CD: GitHub actions automates the process of building, testing, and deployment of codes. 
• Community Engagement: It enables developers to discover, follow, and contribute to new projects.

Azure DevOps vs GitHub: Comparison Table

Have a look at this comparative table to know the major differences between Azure DevOps and GitHub.

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Which is Better: Azure DevOps vs GitHub?

Whether you choose Azure DevOps or GitHub, both are powerful platforms with high potential. Choosing the right software depends on your needs and requirements. These Microsoft software cater to different aspects of the software development lifecycle and have their own strengths.

So, when you need any of these tools, first determine the needs and requirements of your developer team and then facilitate them with the particular tool based on their requirements.

Choosing the Right DevOps Tool

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Software like Azure DevOps and GitHub has a very fine line of difference. To know which tool is suitable for your task, check the following criteria:

Azure DevOps might be a better choice if:

• You need end-to-end DevOps potentials, including source control, testing, deployment, CI/CD pipeline, and project management. 
• You prefer a better integration solution that offers integration with various other Azure services like Azure boards, Repos, and pipelines. 
• You require enterprise-level solid security, compliance, and access control features. 
• You prioritize comprehensive reporting and analytics for tracking team performance and managing projects. 
• When your development environment heavily relies on Microsoft technologies and tools.

GitHub might be a better choice if:

• You mainly focus on version control, open-source projects, and code collaboration.
• You want to leverage the extensive community features of GitHub, which includes code reviews, issue tracking, and pull requests. 
• Your development environment could be more Microsoft-centric and need better compatibility with different programming languages and ecosystems. 
• You value a customizable and flexible platform that offers many integrations and third-party tools. 
• You want to use GitHub actions for workflow automation and CI/CD pipelines.

Bottom Line

The two popular DevOps tools with different focuses and strengths are Azure DevOps and GitHub. Both these tools have certain similarities yet face some significant differences.

Azure DevOps platform has features for project management, CI/CD and testing options. It allows you to explore online resources and get hands-on practice to learn code deployment. GitHub is a widely used code hosting platform that supports open-source projects and fosters collaboration. To learn GitHub, use online tutorials, guides, and documentation and participate in open-source projects.

Both Azure DevOps and GitHub share features like version control, issue tracking, and collaboration but differ in their major goal and integration capabilities. Thus, choosing between Azure DevOps and GitHub solely depends on specific needs, preferences, and the nature of the development project.

Before choosing any one of them, try using these tools and get practical experience with these tools. The extensive knowledge of Azure DevOps vs GitHub helps you distinguish the need for the right tool at the right moment. You can easily differentiate the two tools when you know about their purpose and features for developers.

To have extensive knowledge of Azure and get hands-on experience with live projects, you can join CCSLA Cloud Computing training courses. Learning Cloud technology allows you to understand IT infrastructure and services. With the best placement assistance, you can land your first job and grow in your career as a developer.

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