In Azure DevOps, handling Git credentials is essential for securely managing access to your repositories, especially when cloning, pushing, or pulling code. There are various ways to authenticate and manage these credentials:

1. Personal Access Tokens (PATs)

• Creation: Create a PAT via your Azure DevOps user settings. This token acts like a password and can be used for Git operations and API access.
• Usage: Use the PAT when prompted for a password while performing Git operations.
• Scope and Expiration: You can define the scope and expiration of PATs for security purposes.

2. SSH Keys

• Setup: Generate an SSH key pair on your local machine, and then add the public key to your Azure DevOps user profile.
• Usage: Use SSH keys to authenticate Git operations. This is often preferred for command-line users.
• Security: SSH keys are secure and don’t require frequent renewals like PATs.

3. Credential Managers

• Azure Repos Credential Manager: Use the Azure Repos Credential Manager for secure and seamless authentication.
• Git Credential Manager: Git Credential Manager (GCM) can also be used. It stores credentials so that you don’t have to enter your PAT every time.

4. Integrating with IDEs

• Visual Studio: Visual Studio integrates with Azure DevOps and can handle authentication for Git operations automatically.
• Other IDEs: Most modern IDEs can store and manage Git credentials, often through their integration with credential managers.

5. Using Git in CI/CD Pipelines

• Azure Pipelines: In Azure Pipelines, you don’t usually need to manually handle credentials for accessing repositories within the same Azure DevOps project. Service connections and the built-in checkout step manage this automatically.

Best Practices

1. Secure Storage: Always store your credentials securely. Never hardcode them in your code or expose them in logs.
2. Minimal Scope: Grant only the necessary permissions needed for the task when creating PATs or SSH keys.
3. Regular Rotation: Regularly rotate your PATs and SSH keys for enhanced security.
4. Understand and Use Credential Managers: Credential Managers simplify the process of handling credentials and improve security.
5. Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Enable 2FA for your Azure DevOps account for additional security.

Troubleshooting and Common Issues

• Authentication Errors: If you encounter authentication errors, check if the PAT or SSH key has expired or if the permissions are correctly set.
• Multiple Accounts: If you have multiple Azure DevOps accounts, ensure that the correct credentials are being used for each repository.

Managing Git credentials in Azure DevOps is a critical aspect of securing your CI/CD pipeline and code repositories. By choosing the appropriate method and following best practices, you can maintain both ease of access and security.