I am speaking at the Welsh Azure User Group’s online event in June 2025. This group is great, and I am ready to share insights on a key topic for efficient CI/CD pipelines: Azure DevOps Agent Hosting.
My session, “From VMs to Managed Pools: Navigating Azure DevOps Agent Hosting”, will cover the various ways to host your Azure DevOps agents. We will help you pick the best option for your operational needs and scaling requirements.
We will start with Microsoft-hosted agents. These are easy for teams to use without managing infrastructure. Then, we will look at self-hosted agents on Azure Virtual Machines and Azure VM Scale Sets. These give you more control and options.
For modern and scalable approaches, I will discuss hosting agents within an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster and using Azure Container Apps. We will show how KEDA (Kubernetes Event-Driven Autoscaling) can make sure you use resources well.
We will also look at Managed DevOps Pools. This new solution combines the power of VMs with the ease of a managed service. It could remove the need for manual VM management while providing strong performance and scalability.
The session will mix introductions to these hosting options with practical demos. I will give you tips on when to use each based on your needs.
Event Details:
- What: Welsh Azure User Group Online Event
- When: 25th June 2025, 6PM BST
- Where: Online
- Sign up on Meetup
I look forward to discussing Azure DevOps agent hosting with you there.
The abstract for my session is as follows:
From VMs to Managed Pools: Navigating Azure DevOps Agent Hosting
Efficient CI/CD pipelines rely on flexible and scalable agent hosting. This session explores the various Azure DevOps agent hosting options, tailored to different operational needs and scaling requirements.
The session begins with Microsoft-hosted agents, a straightforward choice for teams to start without managing infrastructure. It then covers self-hosted agents on Azure Virtual Machines and Azure VM Scale Sets, which offer more control and customization for specific workloads. Innovative methods like hosting agents within an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster and using Azure Container Apps are also discussed. These approaches leverage Kubernetes Event-Driven Autoscaling (KEDA) to scale agents based on demand, ensuring efficient resource use.
An exciting new solution, Managed DevOps Pools, combines the power and flexibility of VMs with the ease of a managed service. This feature could be a game changer for teams, eliminating the need for manual VM management while providing robust performance and scalability.
This session mixes introductions to various hosting options with practical demos, offering tips on when to use each based on your needs.
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