AZ-400 Practice Question: Design and implement build and release pipelines
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently 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`.
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
✓
resources: repositories: - repository: self type: github trigger: release: true
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.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
pr:
Why it's wrong here
The `pr:` key configures pull request validation triggers, which fire when a pull request is opened or updated in GitHub. This is for build validation on proposed changes, not for GitHub release events, so it cannot satisfy the requirement to trigger on releases.
- ✗
trigger:
Why it's wrong here
The top-level `trigger:` key in Azure Pipelines YAML defines CI triggers for push events to branches or tags only. It does not listen for GitHub release events, so using it alone will not start a pipeline when a release is created.
- ✓
resources: repositories: - repository: self type: github trigger: release: true
Why this is correct
Defining a `resources.repositories` entry with `type: github` and `repository: self` references the GitHub repository, and adding `trigger: release: true` under that repository enables the pipeline to start automatically when a GitHub release is published. This is the correct event-driven trigger for GitHub releases, as it explicitly subscribes to release activity from the connected repository.
- ✗
schedules:
Why it's wrong here
The `schedules:` key defines cron-based triggers that run a pipeline at specified times (e.g., nightly). These are time-based, not event-driven, and cannot respond to GitHub release events, so schedules will not provide the desired release-triggered integration.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to DevOps and Azure DevOps
Key term
GitHub
GitHub is a cloud-based platform for storing, tracking, and collaborating on code using Git version control.
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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