How Microsoft calculate cost for Azure DevOps Parallel job?

Question

Hi all,
I want to ask about how Azure DevOps calculate cost for parallel job, is it monthly calculation or it will base on the actual usage of project?
Fox example, I have this use case in my team:
By default, we use 20 parallel jobs for self-hosted agent, this is use in the non-working hours with low number of builds.
But in working hours, developers have many PRs build so we increase the parallel to 60 parallel jobs.
And it happens like that for the next day.

So how to Azure Devops calculate the cost for Parallel jobs?
Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi Nguyen Duc Huu (MS/EDS31-XC),

For Microsoft-hosted parallel jobs, you can get up to 10 free Microsoft-hosted parallel jobs that can run for up to 360 minutes (6 hours) each time for public projects. When you create a new Azure DevOps organization, you aren't given this free grant by default.

For private projects, you can get one free job that can run for up to 60 minutes each time. When you create a new Azure DevOps organization, you might not always be given this free grant by default.

To request the free grant for public or private projects, submit a request

For self-hosted parallel jobs, you can register any number of self-hosted agents in your organization. We charge based on the number of jobs you want to run at a time, not the number of agents registered. There are no time limits on self-hosted jobs.

For public projects that are self-hosted, you can have unlimited parallel jobs running. For private projects, you can have one job plus one job for each active Visual Studio Enterprise subscriber who is a member of your organization.

When the free tier is no longer sufficient for your self-hosted private project, you can purchase more capacity per parallel job. For pricing cost per parallel job, see the Azure DevOps pricing page

Kindly accept this answer if it helps

Answer 2

Hi @Nguyen Duc Huu (MS/EDS31-XC) ,

Thanks for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

Azure DevOps calculates costs based on the number of parallel jobs you have purchased and not directly on your project's actual usage.

When you purchase self-hosted parallel jobs, the cost is fixed monthly based on the number of jobs you decide to buy. This doesn't change regardless of whether you're utilizing all the jobs or not.

1. Free Limits: Each Azure DevOps organization starts with one free self-hosted parallel job, which allows unlimited minutes. For private projects, you can additionally get one job for each active Visual Studio Enterprise subscriber in your organization, but no time limits apply. Public projects have no limits on the number of jobs but do have time constraints for usage.
2. Pricing for Additional Jobs: If you need more parallel jobs, you will have to pay for each additional job at a fixed rate, which enables you to run more concurrent jobs. You can check the exact pricing in the Azure DevOps pricing page.

Remember, a job is consumed only when it is actively running on an agent, not during waiting times for approvals or other delays.

In your case, looks like you have a dynamic need for increased parallel jobs during busy hours (like when managing many PRs). Increasing parallel jobs (e.g., from 20 to 60 during working hours) means you'll be charged for 60 parallel jobs for the billing period. You might want to consider purchasing additional parallel jobs to ensure you're equipped to handle surges in demand without creating bottlenecks.

Hope this helps!

References:

• Azure DevOps Services buying build and release pipelines
• Configure and pay for parallel jobs
• Azure DevOps pricing page

Hope this helps!

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