This post is the first in a 3-part series:
- Foundations (this post)
- Start shipping (context engineering, MCP servers, orchestration)
- App modernization (Java, .NET, PHP, microservices)
Bookmark this post for quick reference as you start exploring Agentic DevOps. It will be updated as the 3 parts become available.
Getting started with Agentic DevOps
Agentic DevOps is a new approach to software development where AI-powered agents work alongside your team across the entire software development lifecycle.
Unlike traditional AI assistance, these agents go beyond suggestions—they can take on tasks end-to-end, collaborate across tools, and operate across the lifecycle with your guidance and approval.
This series is designed as a practical entry point, using short videos to walk through the key concepts and patterns—from foundational ideas to real-world implementation.
In this first post, we focus on the fundamentals across four short videos.
Video 1: Agentic DevOps and AI-native Development
In this video, you’ll learn:
- How DevOps is evolving into Agentic DevOps
- What it means to have AI agents working alongside your development team
- Why this shift is happening now
Agentic DevOps builds on DevOps and DevSecOps by introducing agents that actively collaborate in development workflows—moving from automation to true team augmentation.
Additional links:
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/agentic-devops-evolving-software-development-with-github-copilot-and-microsoft-azure/
- https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/solutions/devops
Video 2: AI across the SDLC
In this video, you’ll learn:
- How AI is applied across the full software development lifecycle
- Where tools like GitHub Copilot fit beyond just coding
- How teams can extend AI into planning, testing, deployment, and operations
AI is no longer limited to code generation. It is becoming a foundational layer across planning, coding, verification, deployment, and operations.
Additional links:
- https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/agents/planning
- https://awesome-copilot.github.com/learning-hub/cli-for-beginners/
- https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/use-copilot-agents/request-a-code-review/use-code-review
Video 3: Chat, Cloud Agent and Custom Agents
In this video, you’ll learn:
- The difference between chat‑based assistance and agent‑driven execution
- How cloud agents handle tasks asynchronously
- How custom agents enable reusable, team-specific workflows
The shift from asking AI for help to delegating work to agents is a key step in adopting Agentic DevOps.
Additional links:
- https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/agents/local-agents
- https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/agents/cloud-agents
- https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/customization/custom-agents
Video 4: Agent Types and Subagents
In this video, you’ll learn:
- The differences between local, CLI, and cloud-based agents
- When to use synchronous vs asynchronous execution models
- How subagents enable specialized, scalable task execution
Not all agents behave the same way. Choosing the right type and execution model is critical to scaling agent-driven workflows effectively.
Additional links:
- https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/agents/overview
- https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/agents/third-party-agents
- https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/agents/subagents
What’s next
In Part 2, we move from concepts to execution:
- Context Engineering fundamentals
- MCP servers as tool interfaces
- Multi-agent orchestration
Stay tuned.
Reviewed by Simona Toader, Senior Global Black Belt at Microsoft.
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