GitVersion is a tool that automatically generates a Semantic Versioning (SemVer) compliant version number using your Git repository’s history. Integrating GitVersion with Azure DevOps can streamline versioning in your CI/CD pipelines. Here’s a guide on how to set up and use GitVersion in Azure DevOps:

Prerequisites

• A Git repository in Azure DevOps.
• Basic understanding of Azure Pipelines.

Steps to Integrate GitVersion with Azure DevOps

1. Install GitVersion Task:

   • Add the GitVersion task to your Azure DevOps pipeline by installing it from the Azure DevOps Marketplace.

2. Update Azure Pipeline Configuration:

   • Modify your azure-pipelines.yml file to include the GitVersion task. Here’s an example snippet:
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   steps: - task: GitVersion@5 inputs: runtime: 'core' configFilePath: 'GitVersion.yml' # Optional: Path to GitVersion configuration file updateAssemblyInfo: true # Optional: Automatically update the AssemblyInfo files with version information

   This configuration will run GitVersion with .NET Core (runtime: 'core'), using the specified GitVersion configuration file.

3. Use the Generated Version:

   • GitVersion sets a number of output variables that can be used in subsequent steps of your pipeline. For example, GitVersion.SemVer will contain the SemVer version.
   • You can use these variables to tag your build, create packages, or set version numbers in AssemblyInfo files.
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   - script: echo $(GitVersion.SemVer) displayName: 'Display GitVersion'

4. Configure GitVersion (Optional):

   • You can create a GitVersion.yml file in your repository to customize GitVersion’s behavior. This file can define the versioning mode, tag prefixes, version increment strategies, and more.

5. Execute the Pipeline:

   • Commit and push the updated azure-pipelines.yml to your repository. Azure DevOps will execute the pipeline, and GitVersion will calculate the version number based on your Git history.

Best Practices and Tips

• Branch Naming: Follow a consistent branch naming convention that aligns with GitVersion’s configuration for accurate versioning.
• Tagging Releases: Use Git tags for marking releases in your repository. GitVersion can use these tags to determine the version number.
• Handling Pre-releases: Define pre-release tags in GitVersion.yml to manage pre-release versions.
• Version Bumping: Understand how commit messages and branches affect version bumping. For instance, commits on the develop branch might increment the minor version.

Troubleshooting

• Incorrect Versions: If GitVersion generates unexpected version numbers, check your branch naming, tags, and GitVersion.yml configuration.
• Pipeline Failures: If the pipeline fails during the GitVersion task, verify that the task is correctly configured and that it’s compatible with your repository structure.

Integrating GitVersion into your Azure DevOps pipelines can significantly simplify the process of versioning your software, ensuring that each build or release has a unique and meaningful version number based on your Git history.