Software delivery is expected to be fast, reliable, and continuously evolving in today’s digital economy. This is where DevOps comes into play — a transformative methodology that bridges the gap between software development and IT operations. As more organizations adopt DevOps, there is an increasing demand for professionals who not only understand the DevOps culture but also know how to leverage powerful tools like GitHub to streamline and automate development workflows.
One of the most comprehensive entry points into this domain is the DevOps & GitHub Foundations (AZ-2008) training. Designed to provide a strong grasp of DevOps principles and GitHub fundamentals, this course empowers IT professionals, developers, and students to adopt best practices for modern software delivery.
In this detailed article provided by Multisoft Systems, we’ll explore everything you need to know about DevOps & GitHub Foundations (AZ-2008) online training — from the course content and objectives to career benefits, certification details, and future trends in the DevOps space.
What Is DevOps & GitHub Foundations (AZ-2008)?
The DevOps & GitHub Foundations (AZ-2008) course is a Microsoft-designed learning path that teaches the fundamental principles of DevOps and the practical usage of GitHub as a DevOps platform. GitHub, originally built as a platform for code collaboration and version control, has evolved into a complete DevOps platform with GitHub Actions, GitHub Packages, GitHub Advanced Security, and integrations with Azure.
This training aligns perfectly with modern enterprise needs where agility, automation, and continuous delivery are key success factors. The AZ-2008 certification course helps learners gain hands-on experience in these areas and understand how to foster collaboration between development and operations teams.
Why DevOps & GitHub?
- GitHub enables seamless collaboration between developers and operations teams with tools for version control, pull requests, and code reviews.
- GitHub Actions allows automation of builds, tests, and deployments — essential for modern DevOps pipelines.
- GitHub, built on Git, provides industry-standard version control that ensures code integrity and easy rollback.
- DevOps practices combined with GitHub help teams release software faster with greater reliability and quality.
- GitHub Advanced Security integrates security scans into the DevOps pipeline, identifying vulnerabilities early.
- GitHub integrates natively with major cloud platforms like Azure, enabling automated cloud deployments.
- Supports GitOps workflows and IaC practices, allowing infrastructure to be managed just like application code.
- GitHub scales from small teams to large enterprises, supporting diverse languages, frameworks, and DevOps tools.
- GitHub has a massive developer community and marketplace of actions/extensions, accelerating innovation.
- GitHub proficiency and DevOps expertise are in high demand, opening doors to lucrative roles across industries.
Target Audience
The DevOps & GitHub Foundations (AZ-2008) course is ideal for:
- Software Developers
- DevOps Engineers
- System Administrators
- Cloud Engineers
- Release Managers
- QA/Test Engineers
- IT Operations Professionals
- Technical Project Managers
- Students and Freshers aspiring to enter the DevOps domain
Course Objectives
By the end of the DevOps & GitHub Foundations (AZ-2008) training, participants will be able to:
- Understand DevOps culture, principles, and lifecycle
- Use Git for version control and collaboration
- Create and manage GitHub repositories
- Implement branching strategies and pull requests
- Automate builds, tests, and deployments using GitHub Actions
- Understand Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation
- Leverage GitHub Advanced Security features
- Integrate GitHub with Azure DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud services
- Apply best practices for modern DevOps workflows
Version Control with Git
Version Control with Git is one of the foundational pillars of modern software development and DevOps practices. Git is a distributed version control system (VCS) that enables teams to track changes in source code, collaborate on software projects, and manage different versions of applications efficiently. Unlike traditional version control systems, Git provides a local repository for each developer, allowing them to work offline and commit changes independently before synchronizing with the central repository, typically hosted on platforms like GitHub. Using Git, developers can create branches to experiment with new features or fix bugs without affecting the main codebase. These branches can later be merged into the main branch after thorough testing and code review, ensuring stability and maintaining high-quality standards. This branching and merging model fosters collaboration by enabling multiple team members to work on different aspects of a project simultaneously.
Moreover, Git maintains a complete history of all changes, making it easy to revert to previous versions if needed. This ensures that the development process is transparent, auditable, and resilient to accidental errors. Git also supports tagging, which allows teams to mark significant releases or milestones, facilitating better release management.
In DevOps workflows, Git serves as the single source of truth for both application code and infrastructure code (Infrastructure as Code). Automated CI/CD pipelines often trigger actions based on Git events, such as commits or pull requests, enabling continuous integration and continuous delivery. In essence, mastering Git is essential for any developer or IT professional looking to succeed in modern DevOps environments.
Collaboration with GitHub
Collaboration with GitHub plays a crucial role in modern DevOps and agile software development. GitHub, built on top of Git, provides a rich set of collaboration tools that make it easy for teams—whether local or globally distributed—to work together on the same codebase seamlessly. It’s not just a platform for storing code, but a collaborative environment that fosters transparency, peer review, automation, and rapid iteration. Developers can fork repositories, work on feature branches, and then submit pull requests (PRs) for review. This PR workflow encourages team members to discuss code changes, suggest improvements, and ensure that only high-quality code is merged into the main branch. Issues and discussion boards on GitHub enable effective tracking of bugs, feature requests, and tasks, serving as a shared project management hub.
With built-in support for GitHub Actions, teams can automate CI/CD workflows directly within GitHub, ensuring that code is tested and deployed automatically after approval. GitHub’s integration with popular tools like Slack, Jira, Azure DevOps, Jenkins, and Kubernetes further enriches the collaborative experience. Key Benefits of Collaboration with GitHub:
- Pull Requests & Code Reviews: Structured process for peer review and quality assurance.
- Issues & Discussions: Built-in tools for tracking bugs, enhancements, and project tasks.
- Branching Strategies: Supports feature-driven development and multiple team workflows.
- GitHub Projects: Agile project management with kanban boards and progress tracking.
- GitHub Actions: Automate testing, deployment, and DevOps workflows.
- Integrations: Seamless with CI/CD tools, cloud services, and third-party apps.
- Visibility & Transparency: Real-time activity feeds and audit trails.
- Community & Open Source: Leverage public repositories and engage with global developer communities.
In short, GitHub transforms software development into a highly collaborative, automated, and quality-driven process—perfectly aligned with the goals of modern DevOps teams.
What is GitHub Actions?
GitHub Actions is an automation platform within GitHub that enables developers to create custom CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) workflows directly in their repositories. It allows teams to automate tasks such as building, testing, and deploying applications whenever changes occur in the codebase. GitHub Actions uses simple YAML configuration files and integrates seamlessly with GitHub Events (e.g., push, pull requests). With a vast marketplace of pre-built actions, it supports flexible, scalable DevOps pipelines, empowering faster, more reliable software delivery.
Benefits of the Training
- Gain a comprehensive understanding of DevOps principles, practices, and lifecycle, essential for modern software delivery.
- Master GitHub workflows, version control, branching, pull requests, and GitHub Actions for CI/CD automation.
- Work on practical labs and projects that simulate real DevOps pipelines used in enterprise environments.
- Enhance your resume with in-demand DevOps and GitHub skills, opening doors to high-paying roles.
- Learn how to integrate GitHub with Azure and other cloud platforms, preparing you for cloud-first DevOps environments.
- Understand how to embed security (DevSecOps) into your pipelines using GitHub Advanced Security and best practices.
Real-World Applications of DevOps & GitHub
Here are just a few examples of how DevOps and GitHub skills are used in practice:
- Agile Development: Fast iterations and continuous feedback
- CI/CD Pipelines: Automating application testing and deployment
- Cloud-Native Deployments: Seamless cloud and container deployments with GitHub Actions
- Infrastructure Automation: Managing infrastructure with GitHub and IaC tools
- Secure Development: Embedding security into the development lifecycle with GitHub Advanced Security
Future Trends in DevOps and GitHub
The future of DevOps and GitHub is evolving rapidly, driven by emerging trends like GitOps, where Git becomes the single source of truth for both code and infrastructure. AI-powered DevOps tools, such as GitHub Copilot, are transforming how code is written, reviewed, and optimized. DevSecOps continues to gain momentum, embedding security practices directly into CI/CD pipelines. Additionally, the rise of cloud-native architectures, Kubernetes, and serverless computing is pushing DevOps automation to new heights. GitHub’s expanding integrations with cloud platforms and enterprise tools will further solidify its role as a core component of modern DevOps ecosystems.
Conclusion
The DevOps & GitHub Foundations (AZ-2008) training is a strategic starting point for anyone aspiring to thrive in today’s DevOps-driven software landscape. Whether you’re a developer aiming to implement CI/CD pipelines, an operations engineer seeking to automate deployments, or an IT professional exploring GitHub-based DevOps practices, this course provides the knowledge and hands-on skills to excel. By mastering DevOps principles and GitHub tools, you’ll be able to:
- Collaborate more effectively
- Automate software delivery
- Ensure secure, reliable releases
- Boost your career prospects
As cloud computing, automation, and DevOps continue to evolve, investing in AZ-2008 training positions you to lead the way in building modern, scalable, and secure software systems. Enroll in Multisoft Systems now!