“Microsoft Hosted Agents” likely refers to a service provided by Microsoft Azure DevOps (formerly known as Visual Studio Team Services or VSTS). Azure DevOps is a platform that offers a set of development tools and services for software development teams to plan, develop, test, and deliver applications. One of the services within Azure DevOps is the ability to use hosted build agents for continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines.

Hosted agents are virtual machines maintained and managed by Microsoft in Azure DevOps. These agents are available for building, testing, and deploying applications without the need for setting up and managing your own infrastructure. Azure DevOps provides various agent types to support different platforms, such as Windows, Linux, and macOS, and you can choose the appropriate agent type based on your development and testing needs.

Here’s how the process typically works:

1. Setting Up Pipelines: In Azure DevOps, you define pipelines that automate the build, test, and deployment processes for your software.

2. Agent Selection: When defining your pipeline, you can choose to use Microsoft-hosted agents. These agents are pre-configured virtual machines with various tools and software stacks already installed.

3. Pipeline Execution: When you trigger a pipeline run, Azure DevOps assigns an available hosted agent to run the tasks defined in your pipeline.

4. Build and Test: The assigned agent executes the necessary steps, such as building your code, running tests, and generating artifacts.

5. Deployment: If your pipeline includes deployment steps, the agent may also handle deploying your application to various environments.

6. Cleanup: Once the pipeline run is complete, the hosted agent is released and can be used for other pipeline runs.

Using Microsoft Hosted Agents has several advantages:

• Ease of Use: You don’t need to worry about setting up and maintaining your own build infrastructure.
• Scalability: Azure DevOps can dynamically allocate and manage agents based on the demand, ensuring optimal resource utilization.
• Platform Variety: You can choose from different agent types based on the platforms and tools you need.
• Managed Environment: Microsoft maintains and updates the agents with the latest software and security patches.