Azure DevOps vs Azure Repos: What are the differences?

Introduction

Azure DevOps and Azure Repos are two services provided by Microsoft for managing and organizing software development projects. While both services are part of the Azure DevOps ecosystem, they have distinct features and functionalities.

1. Integration: Azure DevOps is a comprehensive suite of tools that covers the entire software development lifecycle, including planning, development, testing, and deployment. It combines Azure Repos, Azure Pipelines, Azure Boards, and Azure Test Plans into a single integrated platform. On the other hand, Azure Repos is a standalone service that focuses specifically on source code management and version control.

2. Version Control Options: Azure DevOps supports both centralized and distributed version control systems. Azure Repos offers two types of version control systems: Git and Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC). Git offers distributed version control, enabling developers to work offline and perform local branching and merging. TFVC, on the other hand, is a centralized version control system that relies on a central server to manage code and versions.

3. Collaborative Development: Azure DevOps facilitates collaborative development by providing tools for code review, code branching, and merging. It offers features like pull requests, code reviews, and comments, which enable multiple developers to work on the same codebase concurrently. Azure Repos, being a component of Azure DevOps, inherits all of its collaborative development capabilities.

4. Build and Release Pipelines: Azure DevOps includes Azure Pipelines, which is a robust and scalable system for building, testing, and deploying applications. It provides powerful automation capabilities for creating build and release pipelines. While Azure Repos can trigger build and release pipelines, it mainly focuses on code management and does not provide the same level of automation and customization options as Azure Pipelines.

5. Planning and Tracking: Azure DevOps offers Azure Boards, a flexible and customizable work tracking system. It allows teams to plan, track, and discuss work across the entire development process. Azure Repos, being a code-centric service, does not have the same planning and tracking features as Azure Boards. However, it can integrate with Azure Boards to provide a seamless end-to-end development experience.

6. Third-Party Integrations: Azure DevOps supports integration with a wide range of third-party tools and services, such as Slack, Jira, and Jenkins. This enables teams to leverage their existing tools and workflows while using Azure DevOps for source code management, build, and deployment. Azure Repos, being a component of Azure DevOps, inherits this integration capability.

In Summary, Azure DevOps is a comprehensive suite of tools that covers the entire software development lifecycle, including code management, build and release automation, and work tracking. Azure Repos, on the other hand, is focused specifically on source code management and version control, providing features such as Git and TFVC support, collaborative development capabilities, and integration with other Azure DevOps services.