This AZ-400 practice question tests your understanding of design and implement build and release pipelines. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You need to integrate Azure Pipelines with GitHub to trigger a build when a release is published in GitHub. Which trigger type should you use in the pipeline?
pr:
Why wrong: pr is for pull requests.
trigger:
Why wrong: trigger is for push events.
resources: repositories: - repository: self type: github trigger: release: true
Correct: resources with release trigger.
schedules:
Why wrong: schedules is for cron-based triggers.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
resources: repositories: - repository: self type: github trigger: release: true
Option C is correct because Azure Pipelines supports a GitHub release trigger through the `resources` definition, where you specify a `trigger` with `release: true` under the repository configuration. This tells the pipeline to automatically start a build whenever a new release is published in the linked GitHub repository, which directly matches the requirement.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
pr:
Why it's wrong here
pr is for pull requests.
trigger:
Why it's wrong here
trigger is for push events.
resources: repositories: - repository: self type: github trigger: release: true
Why this is correct
Correct: resources with release trigger.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
schedules:
Why it's wrong here
schedules is for cron-based triggers.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the `trigger:` keyword (which handles CI branch triggers) with the release trigger syntax, or mistakenly think a simple `trigger:` can be configured to listen for GitHub release events, when in fact it requires the nested `resources` structure with `release: true`.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the `release: true` trigger uses GitHub’s release webhook events (specifically the `released` action) to notify Azure Pipelines. This is distinct from the `published` event in GitHub Actions; Azure Pipelines listens for the `released` event to avoid triggering on draft releases or pre-releases unless explicitly configured. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for automating deployment pipelines that should only run when a stable release is finalized, not during the creation of release candidates.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
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FAQ
Design and implement build and release pipelines — This question tests Design and implement build and release pipelines — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: resources: repositories: - repository: self type: github trigger: release: true — Option C is correct because Azure Pipelines supports a GitHub release trigger through the `resources` definition, where you specify a `trigger` with `release: true` under the repository configuration. This tells the pipeline to automatically start a build whenever a new release is published in the linked GitHub repository, which directly matches the requirement.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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