AZ-400 Practice Question: Design and implement build and release pipelines
Which THREE are valid ways to trigger a pipeline in Azure Pipelines using GitHub integration? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse general pipeline triggers (like scheduled triggers) with GitHub-specific integration triggers, or assume that polling is a fallback method when webhooks fail, but Azure Pipelines does not support polling for GitHub repositories.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
GitHub App webhooks
GitHub App webhooks are the primary integration mechanism for Azure Pipelines with GitHub. When you configure a GitHub App connection in Azure Pipelines, it registers webhooks that listen for specific GitHub events (like push and pull request) and automatically triggers pipeline runs in real-time without polling.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
GitHub App webhooks
Why this is correct
Azure Pipelines uses a GitHub App to receive webhooks from GitHub; when the app is installed on a repository, GitHub sends an HTTP POST to Azure Pipelines for events such as push or pull request, automatically triggering the pipeline without any polling.
- ✗
Polling GitHub on a schedule
Why it's wrong here
Azure Pipelines does not poll GitHub on a schedule; polling is an outdated mechanism that would introduce delays and unnecessary load. Instead, it relies on real-time webhooks, and scheduled triggers are a separate feature that starts pipelines at fixed times, not for GitHub-specific events.
- ✓
GitHub pull request events
Why this is correct
Pull request events such as opened, synchronized, or merged can trigger a pipeline using the `pr` trigger in YAML, allowing validation builds on proposed changes. The GitHub App webhook for pull_request sends the event to Azure Pipelines, which then runs the pipeline to verify the code.
- ✓
GitHub branch push events
Why this is correct
Branch push events trigger CI pipelines when code is pushed to a branch; in YAML you define the `trigger` with branch filters, and the GitHub App webhook for push sends the event to Azure Pipelines, starting the pipeline automatically for each matching push.
- ✗
Azure Pipelines schedule trigger
Why it's wrong here
A schedule trigger in Azure Pipelines starts a pipeline at specified cron times or intervals, independent of any GitHub events. It is a native Azure Pipelines feature, not a GitHub-specific trigger, so it is not one of the valid GitHub-based ways to trigger a pipeline.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to DevOps and Azure DevOps
Key term
Pipeline
A pipeline is an automated series of steps that takes code from development to production, ensuring quality and speed.
Key term
GitHub
GitHub is a cloud-based platform for storing, tracking, and collaborating on code using Git version control.
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