AZ-400 Practice Question: Design and implement build and release pipelines
You are designing a YAML pipeline in Azure Pipelines that must deploy an application to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). You need to ensure that the pipeline uses a Kubernetes service connection to authenticate to the AKS cluster and that the deployment is performed using a Helm chart. Which two actions should you include in the pipeline? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that the KubernetesManifest task can deploy Helm charts directly, when it is intended for raw Kubernetes manifests.
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
✓
Use the `HelmDeploy@0` task to deploy the Helm chart.
To deploy a Helm chart to AKS using Azure Pipelines, you should use the HelmDeploy task, which is designed for Helm deployments. You also need a Kubernetes service connection to authenticate to the AKS cluster. The other tasks are either for different deployment methods or not suitable for Helm charts.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use the `HelmDeploy@0` task to deploy the Helm chart.
Why this is correct
The HelmDeploy task is specifically designed to deploy Helm charts to a Kubernetes cluster. It supports various commands like install, upgrade, and uninstall, and can authenticate using a Kubernetes service connection. This task is the correct choice for deploying a Helm chart in Azure Pipelines.
- ✓
Create a Kubernetes service connection in Azure DevOps that points to the AKS cluster.
Why this is correct
A Kubernetes service connection stores the credentials needed to authenticate to the AKS cluster. The HelmDeploy task can use this service connection to connect to the cluster and perform the deployment. Without this connection, the pipeline cannot authenticate to AKS, so creating it is a necessary step.
- ✗
Use the `KubernetesManifest@0` task to deploy the application.
Why it's wrong here
The KubernetesManifest task is used to deploy Kubernetes manifests directly, not Helm charts. While it can be used with Helm if you generate manifests, it is not the native task for Helm. For Helm deployments, the HelmDeploy task is the appropriate choice. Using KubernetesManifest would require additional steps to render the Helm chart, which is not the intended approach.
- ✗
Use the `AzureResourceManagerTemplateDeployment@3` task to deploy the Helm chart.
Why it's wrong here
The AzureResourceManagerTemplateDeployment task is used to deploy ARM templates, not Helm charts. It is designed for Azure Resource Manager deployments and does not support Helm. Using this task would not achieve the goal of deploying a Helm chart to AKS.
- ✗
Use the `Kubectl@0` task to apply the Helm chart.
Why it's wrong here
The Kubectl task is used to execute kubectl commands against a Kubernetes cluster. While you can use kubectl with Helm if Helm is installed on the agent, it is not the native way to deploy Helm charts. The HelmDeploy task is purpose-built for Helm and provides better integration and error handling. Using Kubectl would require additional scripting and is less efficient.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Implementing Deployment Patterns and Strategies
Key term
Azure Pipelines
Azure Pipelines is a cloud-based CI/CD service from Microsoft that automatically builds, tests, and deploys code to any platform or cloud.
Key term
Pipeline
A pipeline is an automated series of steps that takes code from development to production, ensuring quality and speed.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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