Deploying to Azure with GitHub Actions Quiz Quiz

Assess your understanding of deploying applications to Azure using GitHub Actions with this focused quiz. Strengthen your knowledge of workflows, authentication, deployment jobs, and troubleshooting common issues related to continuous deployment and automation in cloud environments.

1. Understanding Workflow Triggers

   Which workflow trigger should you use in a deployment pipeline to run the deployment job automatically after merging changes to the main branch?

   1. on: pull_request
   2. on: schedule
   3. on: push
   4. on: dispatch

   Explanation: The correct trigger is 'on: push' because it activates the workflow whenever changes are pushed to a specified branch, such as the main branch. 'on: pull_request' only triggers for pull request events, which do not necessarily coincide with merged code. 'on: dispatch' must be triggered manually or via API. 'on: schedule' would run the workflow at fixed times instead of after code changes. Only 'on: push' ensures automatic execution after a merge.

2. Authentication in Azure Deployments

   When configuring authentication for deployment to Azure using GitHub Actions, which credential type is most commonly stored as a secret and used for the action to log in?

   1. Service Principal
   2. Deployment Token
   3. Personal Access Token
   4. Public Key

   Explanation: The service principal is most commonly used and securely stored as a secret to allow the workflow to authenticate with cloud services. A public key alone would not provide sufficient credentials. Personal access tokens are not typically used for this type of authentication, and deployment tokens may be used in other contexts but are not the standard for this scenario. Using a service principal ensures secure, automated authentication.

3. Job Dependencies in Workflows

   In a GitHub Actions workflow that builds and then deploys an application to Azure, how can you ensure the 'deploy' job runs only if the 'build' job completes successfully?

   1. Specify 'run-if: build-success' in the deploy job
   2. Add 'after: build' at the top of the deploy job
   3. Use 'before' keyword
   4. Set 'needs: build' in the deploy job

   Explanation: 'Needs: build' is the key that establishes job dependencies, ensuring the deployment runs after a successful build. There is no 'before' keyword in this context. 'after: build' is not a recognized property in workflow configuration. 'run-if: build-success' is a typo and not valid syntax. Only 'needs: build' is the correct and supported method.

4. Selecting Deployment Actions

   If you want to deploy a containerized web app to Azure from your GitHub repository, which type of GitHub Action should you include in your workflow?

   1. A container deployment action
   2. A test runner action
   3. A code scanning action
   4. A static code analysis action

   Explanation: A container deployment action is specifically designed for deploying containers to cloud environments from source repositories. Code scanning and static code analysis actions are used for code quality and security but do not handle deployment. A test runner action is intended for running tests. Only the container deployment action fulfills the deployment requirement.

5. Troubleshooting Failed Deployments

   Upon a failed deployment to Azure using GitHub Actions, what is the first recommended step you should take to identify the cause?

   1. Immediately re-run the workflow
   2. Change the branch protection settings
   3. Review the workflow run logs
   4. Delete the workflow file

   Explanation: Reviewing workflow run logs provides detailed information on where and why the failure occurred, helping you quickly diagnose the issue. Re-running the workflow might simply repeat the failure without offering insights. Deleting the workflow file is not constructive and may create more issues. Changing branch protection has no direct effect on deployment failures. Analyzing logs is always the preferred initial step.