How to Use Azure Pipeline Task and Job Conditions (2024)

An Azure Pipeline task is a single task to be performed in an Azure Pipeline. An Azure Pipeline Job is a grouping of tasks that run sequentially on the same target. In many cases, you will want to only execute a task or a job if a specific condition has been met. Azure Pipeline conditions allow us to define conditions under which a task or job will execute. For more information on Azure Pipeline conditions, see Azure Pipeline Conditions.

In this blog, I will detail a common situation in which pipeline conditions are helpful, the configuration of this condition, and will include documentation links for more information.

Common Use Case: Pull Request Validation

I've been working with an Azure Build Pipeline that first tests several pieces of Python code, publishes the test results to the pipeline, and then packages up a Helm chart and three container images. These artifacts are then pushed to Azure Container Registry.

How to Use Azure Pipeline Task and Job Conditions (1)

On this pipeline, I have configured a trigger so that the Pipeline is run both when code is committed to the master branch of the associated repository AND when a pull request is made against the master branch of the repository. This is cool because the pipeline will now run all unit tests when a pull request is created, and provide test results for review prior to merging the pull request.

How to Use Azure Pipeline Task and Job Conditions (2)

Things look good, however, I found that when a pull request is made, not only are the tests running, but the artifacts are built and pushed to the Azure Container Registry. This is not what I want to occur. I want the artifact jobs to only run once a pull request has been merged to master.

Digging into execution conditions for my artifact jobs, I found that the default condition is,Only when all previous jobs have succeeded which seems to be the culprit here.

How to Use Azure Pipeline Task and Job Conditions (3)

Rather than executing when all previous jobs were successful, I want to only execute the artifact jobs when the previous jobs were successful and the trigger was not a pull request. For this configuration, we can use custom conditions.

Task and Job Conditions

Task and job conditions allow us to build custom and if needed complex conditions under which a task or job will run. Conditions are built using a series of pipeline expressions. Details on expression capability and syntax can be found at the Expression documentation.

After some experimentation, I found that I can change the condition from Only when all previous jobs have succeeded, toCustom condition using variable expressions, and then provide the following condition to meet my expected result. This condition will trigger when the dependant jobs were successful and the build reason is not equal to a pull request.

and(succeeded(), ne(variables['Build.Reason'], 'PullRequest'))

Here is what the condition looks like in my build pipeline.

How to Use Azure Pipeline Task and Job Conditions (4)

If using a YAML based pipeline, the configuration would look similar to this.

- job: Build Artifacts dependsOn: Run Tests condition: and(succeeded(), ne(variables['Build.Reason'], 'PullRequest'))

This is just one simple example. Using the expressionlanguage you should be able to finelycontrolthe execution behavior of you Azure build and release pipelines.

Feel free to reach out in comments or on Twitter at @nepeters.

How to Use Azure Pipeline Task and Job Conditions (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between job and task in pipeline? ›

Jobs are like different tasks you need to complete, such as mixing ingredients or baking the cake. In a pipeline, you might have a job for building your code, another for running tests, and one for deploying your application.

How to add condition in Azure DevOps pipeline? ›

Inside the Control Options of each task, and in the Additional options for a job in a release pipeline, you can specify the conditions under which the task or job will run. When you specify your own condition property for a stage / job / step, you overwrite its default condition: succeeded() .

What is the difference between a job and a task in Azure? ›

In Azure Batch, a task represents a unit of computation. A job is a collection of these tasks. More about jobs and tasks, and how they are used in an Azure Batch workflow, is described below.

What is the difference between a job and a step in Azure pipelines? ›

Each job runs on one agent. A job can also be agentless. Each agent runs a job that contains one or more steps. A step can be a task or script and is the smallest building block of a pipeline.

What is the difference between a job task and a work task? ›

Tasks are discrete pieces of work. Different types of tasks require different skills, and jobs consist of bundles of tasks associated with different specialisations.

What is the difference between job responsibilities and tasks? ›

The distinction hinges on the question, “Why do I do this?” The responsibility is high level, and the task is specific. One responsibility may carry five (or more) associated tasks. If you can eliminate one responsibility through clarification, you may eliminate several tasks.

How do I add a task to Azure pipeline? ›

Pipeline stages
  1. Add "Use Node CLI for Azure DevOps (tfx-cli)" to install the tfx-cli onto your build agent.
  2. Add the "npm" task with the "install" command and target the folder with the package. ...
  3. Add the "Bash" task to compile the TypeScript into JavaScript.
Mar 25, 2024

What is the difference between compile and runtime in Azure pipeline? ›

In a compile-time expression ( ${{ <expression> }} ), you have access to parameters and statically defined variables . In a runtime expression ( $[ <expression> ] ), you have access to more variables but no parameters. In this example, a runtime expression sets the value of $(isMain) .

How do I add a job to my Azure pipeline? ›

To add jobs to your build pipeline, edit the pipeline on the Pipelines page. Select ... to add a job. To add jobs to your release pipeline, edit the pipeline from Pipelines > Releases. View the stage tasks in the stage where you want to add your job.

What is the difference between task and job in Azure Batch? ›

Tasks are individual units of work that comprise a job. Tasks are submitted by the user and scheduled by Batch on to compute nodes. The following sections provide suggestions for designing your tasks to handle issues and perform efficiently.

What is the definition of a job or task? ›

task, duty, job, chore, stint, assignment mean a piece of work to be done. task implies work imposed by a person in authority or an employer or by circ*mstance. charged with a variety of tasks. duty implies an obligation to perform or responsibility for performance.

What is the difference between a job and a task in software? ›

In essence, it's any activity executed by a computer system, either in response to an instruction or as part of normal computer operations. A job is usually made up of one or more tasks, which when performed, signify the execution of a job.

What 2 types of Pipelines can you create in Azure DevOps? ›

Users can define the pipeline in the Azure DevOps portal with the classic editor. They can also define a “Build Pipeline” for such activities as to build and test your code, and then publish artifacts. Additionally, they can also define the “Release Pipeline” to consume these artifacts and deploy them in targets.

What is the difference between pipeline job and job? ›

The main difference between any job and a Pipeline Job is that the Pipeline Scripted job runs on the Jenkins controller, using a lightweight executor expected to use very few resources in order to translate the pipeline to atomic commands that execute or send to the agents.

What are the two ways for Azure Pipelines to be built? ›

There are two main options for operating Azure Pipelines—you can define pipelines using YAML code or the classic UI.

What is the difference between a cron job and a task? ›

Definition: Cron jobs, also known as scheduled tasks, are used to execute repetitive tasks at predetermined intervals. They act like a ticking clock in the background, triggering actions based on specific times or intervals. Think of it as a scheduled alarm clock.

What is the difference between a task and a job in programming? ›

In computer programming, a task may be defined as a unit of work being executed. A task is a sub-part of a job. Several tasks together form a job. A task may be referred to as a thread sometimes.

What is the difference between job to be done and task? ›

Jobs To Be Done Vs.

Tasks are specific actions that customers take while trying to get a job done. But tasks are specific to the processes and tools being "hired" by the customer to address the JTBD.

What is a job in a pipeline? ›

Pipeline jobs are positions where professionals work on structures that can transport oil and gas across vast distances. The oil and gas industry has many positions involved in the construction, maintenance and monitoring of pipelines.

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