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AzDoDeploymentGroup

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Michael Zanatta edited this page Aug 13, 2026 · 1 revision

AzDoDeploymentGroup Resource

Description

The AzDoDeploymentGroup DSC resource is used to create and manage deployment groups within an Azure DevOps project. Deployment groups represent sets of machines (targets) where applications will be deployed. They are used in release pipelines for managing deployments to multiple environments and are particularly useful for on-premises or hybrid deployment scenarios.

Syntax

AzDoDeploymentGroup [string] #ResourceName
{
    ProjectName = [String] $ProjectName
    DeploymentGroupName = [String] $DeploymentGroupName
    [ Description = [String] $Description ]
    [ Tags = [String[]] $Tags ]
    [ Ensure = [String] {'Present', 'Absent'} ]
    [ DependsOn = [String[]] ]
    [ PsDscRunAsCredential = [PSCredential] ]
}

Properties

Key Properties (Required)

  • ProjectName [String] - The name of the Azure DevOps project.

  • DeploymentGroupName [String] - The name of the deployment group.

Optional Properties

  • Description [String] - A description of the deployment group's purpose and scope.

  • Tags [String[]] - An array of tags to categorize or organize the deployment group (e.g., @('Production', 'Web', 'Servers')).

  • Ensure [String] - Desired state of the resource:

    • 'Present' - (default) Deployment group should exist
    • 'Absent' - Deployment group should be removed

Common Properties

  • DependsOn [String[]] - Dependencies on other resources. Use this to control the order of resource execution.

  • PsDscRunAsCredential [PSCredential] - Credentials to run this resource under.

Return Values

The resource returns the following properties:

  • ProjectName - The name of the project
  • DeploymentGroupName - The name of the deployment group
  • Description - The description of the deployment group
  • Tags - The tags associated with the deployment group
  • Ensure - Current state ('Present' or 'Absent')

Examples

Example 1: Create Basic Deployment Group

Configuration CreateDeploymentGroup {
    Import-DscResource -ModuleName 'AzureDevOpsDscNative'
    
    Node localhost {
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'WebServers' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Web Servers'
            Description          = 'Target servers for web application deployment'
            Tags                 = @('Production', 'Web', 'Frontend')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
    }
}

CreateDeploymentGroup
Start-DscConfiguration -Path ./CreateDeploymentGroup -Wait -Verbose

Example 2: Create Multiple Deployment Groups

Configuration MultipleDeploymentGroups {
    Import-DscResource -ModuleName 'AzureDevOpsDscNative'
    
    Node localhost {
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'WebServers' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Web Servers'
            Description          = 'Production web application servers'
            Tags                 = @('Production', 'Web', 'Frontend')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
        
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'APIServers' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'API Servers'
            Description          = 'Production API backend servers'
            Tags                 = @('Production', 'API', 'Backend')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
        
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'DatabaseServers' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Database Servers'
            Description          = 'Production database servers'
            Tags                 = @('Production', 'Database', 'Critical')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
    }
}

MultipleDeploymentGroups
Start-DscConfiguration -Path ./MultipleDeploymentGroups -Wait -Verbose

Example 3: Environment-Specific Deployment Groups

Configuration EnvironmentDeploymentGroups {
    Import-DscResource -ModuleName 'AzureDevOpsDscNative'
    
    Node localhost {
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'DevWebServers' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Development Web Servers'
            Description          = 'Development environment web servers'
            Tags                 = @('Development', 'Web', 'Low-Priority')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
        
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'StagingWebServers' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Staging Web Servers'
            Description          = 'Staging environment web servers for testing'
            Tags                 = @('Staging', 'Web', 'Medium-Priority')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
        
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'ProductionWebServers' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Production Web Servers'
            Description          = 'Production environment web servers - critical'
            Tags                 = @('Production', 'Web', 'Critical', 'Monitored')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
    }
}

EnvironmentDeploymentGroups
Start-DscConfiguration -Path ./EnvironmentDeploymentGroups -Wait -Verbose

Example 4: Query Deployment Group State

# Get the current state of a deployment group
$properties = @{
    ProjectName         = 'MyProject'
    DeploymentGroupName = 'Web Servers'
}

$result = Invoke-DscResource -Name 'AzDoDeploymentGroup' `
    -Method Get `
    -Property $properties `
    -ModuleName 'AzureDevOpsDscNative'

$result | Select-Object ProjectName, DeploymentGroupName, Description, Tags, Ensure

Example 5: Create Deployment Groups for Multi-Tier Application

Configuration MultiTierDeployment {
    Import-DscResource -ModuleName 'AzureDevOpsDscNative'
    
    Node localhost {
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'LoadBalancers' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Load Balancers'
            Description          = 'Load balancer tier'
            Tags                 = @('Production', 'Networking', 'Critical')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
        
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'WebTier' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Web Tier'
            Description          = 'Web application servers'
            Tags                 = @('Production', 'Web', 'Scalable')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
        
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'AppTier' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Application Tier'
            Description          = 'Application logic servers'
            Tags                 = @('Production', 'Application', 'Scalable')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
        
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'DataTier' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Database Tier'
            Description          = 'Database servers'
            Tags                 = @('Production', 'Database', 'Critical', 'HA')
            Ensure               = 'Present'
        }
    }
}

MultiTierDeployment
Start-DscConfiguration -Path ./MultiTierDeployment -Wait -Verbose

Example 6: Remove Deployment Group

Configuration RemoveDeploymentGroup {
    Import-DscResource -ModuleName 'AzureDevOpsDscNative'
    
    Node localhost {
        AzDoDeploymentGroup 'RemoveOldGroup' {
            ProjectName          = 'MyProject'
            DeploymentGroupName  = 'Deprecated Servers'
            Ensure               = 'Absent'
        }
    }
}

RemoveDeploymentGroup
Start-DscConfiguration -Path ./RemoveDeploymentGroup -Wait -Verbose

Important Notes

Deployment Group Purposes

  • Used in release pipelines for deployment targeting
  • Represent sets of machines (physical servers, VMs, cloud instances)
  • Enable canary, blue-green, and rolling deployments
  • Support various deployment strategies

Agent Registration

  • Creating a deployment group does not register agents
  • Agents must be manually registered or deployed
  • Requires deployment group agent to be installed on machines

Tags

  • Tags are used to organize and filter deployment groups
  • Can represent environment, tier, location, or capabilities
  • Useful for deployment strategy targeting

Best Practices

  • Create separate deployment groups for each environment
  • Use meaningful names and descriptions
  • Tag groups by environment, tier, and purpose
  • Document deployment group configurations
  • Regularly review and update deployment groups

Deployment Strategies

  • Deployment groups support various strategies
  • Can deploy in waves or rings
  • Enable health checks and monitoring integration

Troubleshooting

Issue: "Project Not Found"

Cause: The project does not exist

Solution:

# Verify project name matches exactly
# Ensure project exists before creating deployment groups
# Use AzDoProject resource to create project first

Issue: "Cannot Create Deployment Group"

Cause: Insufficient permissions or invalid settings

Solution:

  • Verify user has project administrator permissions
  • Check personal access token has "Release" scope
  • Ensure deployment group name is unique within project

Issue: "Deployment Group Not Visible in Pipelines"

Cause: Agents not registered or group not properly created

Solution:

  • Verify deployment group was created successfully
  • Register agents with the deployment group
  • Check deployment group is accessible from pipeline definitions

Related Resources

See Also

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