Build CI/CD Pipeline with Azure DevOps, Docker & AKS (2026 Guide)

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build-ci-cd-pipeline-with-azure-devops-docker-aks-2026-guide

In today’s competitive tech landscape, companies are not just looking for developers — they are looking for engineers who can deliver fast, reliable, and scalable applications.

This is where Azure DevOps + Docker + Kubernetes (AKS) becomes a game-changer.

⚡ This is a real-world DevOps project — not just theory.

In this hands-on guide, we will build a real-world DevOps pipeline from scratch that takes your code from Git → builds a Docker image → pushes it to a registry → deploys it automatically to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

By the end of this guide, you will have a production-grade pipeline that you can showcase in your portfolio.

🚀 What You Will Build

CI/CD pipeline using Azure DevOps
Dockerized application
Azure Container Registry (ACR)
Deployment on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Full automation from code push to live deployment

🧰 Tools Used

Azure DevOps (Pipelines)
Docker
Azure Container Registry (ACR)
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Kubectl

📁 Project Structure

/app
 |-- Dockerfile
 |-- azure-pipelines.yml
 |-- k8s/
 |   |-- deployment.yaml
 |   |-- service.yaml
 |-- src/

⚙️ Step 1: Dockerize Your Application

Create a Dockerfile:

FROM node:18-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN npm install
CMD ["node", "src/app.js"]
EXPOSE 3000

Build and test locally:

docker build -t my-app .
docker run -p 3000:3000 my-app

☁️ Step 2: Create Azure Resources

az login

Create Resource Group:

az group create --name devops-rg --location eastus

Create Azure Container Registry:

az acr create --resource-group devops-rg --name myacr123 --sku Basic

Create AKS Cluster:

az aks create \
  --resource-group devops-rg \
  --name myAKSCluster \
  --node-count 2 \
  --enable-addons monitoring \
  --generate-ssh-keys

🔐 Step 3: Connect Azure DevOps with Azure

Go to Azure DevOps → Project Settings → Service Connections → Create a new Azure Resource Manager connection.

This allows your pipeline to deploy directly to Azure securely.

⚡ Step 4: Create Azure DevOps Pipeline

Create azure-pipelines.yml:

trigger:
- main

variables:
  imageName: my-app

stages:
- stage: Build
  jobs:
  - job: BuildAndPush
    pool:
      vmImage: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - task: Docker@2
      inputs:
        containerRegistry: 'ACR-Service-Connection'
        repository: '$(imageName)'
        command: 'buildAndPush'
        Dockerfile: '**/Dockerfile'
        tags: latest

☸️ Step 5: Kubernetes Deployment Files

Deployment Strategies: Blue-Green and Canary Deployments | by Jiadong Chen | Medium

deployment.yaml

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: my-app
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: my-app
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: my-app
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: my-app
        image: myacr123.azurecr.io/my-app:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 3000

service.yaml

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: my-app-service
spec:
  type: LoadBalancer
  selector:
    app: my-app
  ports:
  - port: 80
    targetPort: 3000

🚀 Step 6: Deploy to AKS Automatically

Add deployment stage:

- stage: Deploy
  dependsOn: Build
  jobs:
  - job: DeployToAKS
    pool:
      vmImage: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - task: Kubernetes@1
      inputs:
        connectionType: 'Azure Resource Manager'
        azureSubscriptionEndpoint: 'Azure-Service-Connection'
        azureResourceGroup: 'devops-rg'
        kubernetesCluster: 'myAKSCluster'
        command: apply
        useConfigurationFile: true
        configuration: k8s/deployment.yaml