Connecting Azure DevOps with Azure

An article on using Azure service connection

Photo from Unsplash with a brightened Azure DevOps and Azure logo.

Introduction

I recently had to set up a new Azure service connection in Azure DevOps and I couldn’t use the default authentication method because I wasn’t the owner of the Azure subscription. I had to, therefore, use the service principal route to get everything connected. I’ve recreated the scenario and have highlighted the steps in this article.

Creating a new service connection

Let’s start by creating a new service connection in Azure DevOps. Head to the service connections page using the URL https://dev.azure.com/<Organisation>/<Project>/_settings/adminservices. Replace <Organisation> and <Project> with the appropriate values.

Select Azure Resource Manager from the options listed and then select Service principal (manual). You should see something like this.

Now, let’s start by filing out this form. It’s a lengthy one, so I’ve split it into three sections to make it easier to understand.

Section #1: Subscription

Assuming the default Environment and Scope Level is what you’re after, you would only require to set the Subscription ID and Subscription Name in most cases.

To get these values, head to portal.azure.com and search for Subscriptions. Click the subscription that you want to connect Azure DevOps to. You should see the Subscription ID and Subscription Name in the Overview panel, as highlighted below.

Section #2: Authentication

Next, we need to fill out the service principal information. Think of this as entering the credentials of a virtual entity that exists in your Azure portal and has access to…