AZ-400 - Design and Implement Build and Release Pipelines - Section 3.8

Design and implement a GitHub runner or Azure DevOps agent infrastructure, including self-hosted agents, scale set agents, cost, and connectivity.

Design a runner and agent infrastructure that balances cost, connectivity, and capability across Microsoft-hosted agents, self-hosted agents, scale set agents, and GitHub runners. Choose the appropriate agent pool type based on network access requirements, tooling dependencies, and concurrency demands.

self-hosted agentsMicrosoft-hosted agentsscale set agentsGitHub runnersagent pools

Practice question for this objective

Free sampleDesign and Implement Build and Release Pipelineshard

A team is deciding between Microsoft-hosted agents and self-hosted agents for a new build pipeline in "Azure Pipelines". The build must compile against a licensed compiler that is not present on any standard image, and it must reach an internal package feed that has no public endpoint and is reachable only from inside the company virtual network. Which two requirements, on their own, justify choosing self-hosted agents over Microsoft-hosted agents? Select TWO.

  • ASoftware that the team licenses and installs once must persist on the agent across every subsequent build run rather than being reinstalled each time. Correct
  • BThe build needs to run in parallel across several jobs at the same time to shorten the queue during busy periods.
  • CThe agent must connect to an internal package feed that is published only inside the company virtual network with no public endpoint. Correct
  • DThe team wants Microsoft to patch the operating system and keep the toolchain images current without any maintenance effort.
Identify that persistent custom tooling and private-network connectivity are the requirements that force self-hosted agents over Microsoft-hosted ones. Microsoft-hosted agents run on disposable images in Microsoft's network, so they cannot retain installed licensed tooling between runs and cannot reach resources that exist only on a private network. Both constraints are satisfied by a self-hosted agent that the team places inside its own network and configures once.

Why A is correct: Microsoft-hosted agents start from a fresh image and are discarded after each job, so custom-licensed tooling does not persist, whereas a self-hosted agent keeps installed software between runs.

Why B is wrong: Concurrency is bought by adding parallel jobs and applies to Microsoft-hosted agents as well, so this is tempting but does not require self-hosting.

Why C is correct: Microsoft-hosted agents run in Microsoft's network and cannot route to a private feed with no public endpoint, so reaching it requires a self-hosted agent placed inside the network.

Why D is wrong: Hands-off patching is a reason to prefer Microsoft-hosted agents, not self-hosted ones where the team owns maintenance, so this argues the opposite way.

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