Efficient CI/CD pipelines rely on flexible and scalable agent hosting. This session explores the various Azure DevOps agent hosting options, tailored to different operational needs and scaling requirements.

The session begins with Microsoft-hosted agents, a straightforward choice for teams to start without managing infrastructure. It then covers self-hosted agents on Azure Virtual Machines and Azure VM Scale Sets, which offer more control and customization for specific workloads.

Innovative methods like hosting agents within an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster and using Azure Container Apps are also discussed. These approaches leverage Kubernetes Event-Driven Autoscaling (KEDA) to scale agents based on demand, ensuring efficient resource use.

An exciting new solution, Managed DevOps Pools, combines the power and flexibility of VMs with the ease of a managed service. This feature could be a game changer for teams, eliminating the need for manual VM management while providing robust performance and scalability.

This session mixes introductions to various hosting options with practical demos, offering tips on when to use each based on your needs.