Chapter 6 of 10 · Microsoft AZ-400
Pipelines: design and implement deployments
Blue-green, canary and ring strategies, hotfix paths, feature flags, and deploying containers, scripts and databases.
- 3topics
- 17 minfast track
- 1diagrams and exhibits
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1Deployment Strategies and Minimizing DowntimeAZ-400 deployment strategies: blue-green, canary, ring, rolling and A/B testing, App Service slots, load balancing and ordering…Diagram6 min
- 2Hotfix Paths, Resiliency and Feature FlagsAZ-400 safe delivery: hotfix paths, rollback versus roll forward, resilient deployments, and feature flags with Azure App…6 min
- 3Deploying Containers, Binaries, Scripts and DatabasesAZ-400 deployment mechanics: container images to ACR, AKS and App Service, binary packages, Azure CLI scripts, and database…5 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
Deploying is where risk lives. This chapter is part of the build and release pipelines domain, worth 50 to 55 percent of the exam in total. It covers deployment strategies that limit the blast radius, ways to minimize downtime, hotfix and resiliency planning, feature flags with Azure App Configuration, and deploying containers, binaries, scripts and databases.
The key skill is matching a strategy to a requirement: instant rollback, gradual exposure, no extra infrastructure, or no downtime.
How the topics fit together
- Deployment strategies and minimizing downtime compares blue green, canary, ring, rolling and slots, and covers ordering.
- Hotfix paths, resiliency and feature flags covers emergency changes, safe failure and Azure App Configuration.
- Deploying containers, binaries, scripts and databases covers the deployment mechanics and database changes.
Deploy (put code in production) and release (turn it on for users) are separate steps. Feature flags make that separation real.
How to use these pages
Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.
- What it is: the idea in plain words.
- How it works: the mechanism, with examples and tables.
- What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorise and how questions are phrased.
- Common mistakes: the classic traps.
- Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.
Ready for more practice?
The full Microsoft AZ-400 question bank has 766 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
This study guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft. Vendor names, certification names and exam codes are trademarks of their respective owners and are used for identification only.