Azure DevOps (ADO) Pipelines are a part of Azure DevOps services, offering a cloud service for automating the build, testing, and deployment of applications. This service integrates with your existing version control system and provides cloud and on-premises support for your projects. Here’s a brief overview of key aspects of ADO Pipelines:

1. CI/CD Pipeline Creation: ADO Pipelines allow you to create Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Deployment (CD) workflows. CI is used for automating the testing of your code each time a new commit is made, ensuring that your codebase is always in a deployable state. CD automates the deployment of your applications to various environments, such as testing, staging, and production.

2. YAML or Classic Editor: You can define pipelines using YAML syntax or through a classic user interface. YAML pipelines as code provide more control and are versioned with your code. Classic editor provides a graphical interface for configuring pipelines.

3. Integration with Version Control Systems: ADO Pipelines support integration with various version control systems, including GitHub, Azure Repos, Bitbucket, and others. This allows for the automation of builds and deployments directly from code repositories.

4. Cross-Platform Support: Pipelines support a range of programming languages and project types. You can build and deploy applications written in .NET, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, and more, and target various platforms like Windows, Linux, and macOS.

5. Extensibility and Marketplace: Azure DevOps provides a marketplace with thousands of extensions to customize and extend the capabilities of your pipelines. These extensions can add new tasks, services integrations, and more.

6. Hosted Agents and Self-Hosted Agents: You can choose between Microsoft-hosted agents, where Azure DevOps provides a virtual machine to run your build or deployment, or you can use self-hosted agents where you manage and configure your own virtual or physical machines.

7. Environment and Release Management: It provides tools for managing environments, approvals, gates, and allows for a controlled rollout of features.

8. Security and Compliance: ADO Pipelines adhere to strict security standards and compliance certifications, ensuring that your code and deployment processes are secure.

9. Integration with Other Azure Services: It seamlessly integrates with other Azure services, providing a comprehensive environment for managing the entire lifecycle of software development.

10. Monitoring and Analytics: Azure DevOps provides robust monitoring and analytics tools to help you track the performance and health of your pipelines, identify bottlenecks, and optimize your CI/CD processes.

Azure DevOps Pipelines offer a scalable, reliable, and versatile solution for automating all stages of your software delivery process, from code to cloud.