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Template usage reference

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Azure DevOps Services | Azure DevOps Server 2022 - Azure DevOps Server 2019

Templates let you define reusable content, logic, and parameters in YAML pipelines. To work with templates effectively, you'll need to have a basic understanding of Azure Pipelines key concepts such as stages, steps, and jobs.

Templates can help you speed up development. For example, you can have a series of the same tasks in a template and then include the template multiple times in different stages of your YAML pipeline.

Templates can also help you secure your pipeline. When a template controls what is allowed in a pipeline, the template defines logic that another file must follow. For example, you may want to restrict what tasks are allowed to run. For that scenario, you can use template to prevent someone from successfully running a task that violates your organization's security policies.

There are two types of templates: includes and extends.

  • Includes templates let you insert reusable content with a template. If a template is used to include content, it functions like an include directive in many programming languages. Content from one file is inserted into another file.
  • Extends template control what is allowed in a pipeline. When an extends template controls what is allowed in a pipeline, the template defines logic that another file must follow.

To take full advantage of templates, you should also use template expressions and template parameters.

Imposed limits

Templates and template expressions can cause explosive growth to the size and complexity of a pipeline. To help prevent runaway growth, Azure Pipelines imposes the following limits:

  • No more than 100 separate YAML files may be included (directly or indirectly)
  • No more than 20 levels of template nesting (templates including other templates)
  • No more than 10 megabytes of memory consumed while parsing the YAML (in practice, this is typically between 600 KB - 2 MB of on-disk YAML, depending on the specific features used)

Use templates to define your logic once and then reuse it several times. Templates combine the content of multiple YAML files into a single pipeline. You can pass parameters into a template from your parent pipeline.

Extend from a template

To increase security, you can enforce that a pipeline extends from a particular template. The file start.yml defines the parameter buildSteps, which is then used in the pipeline azure-pipelines.yml. In start.yml, if a buildStep gets passed with a script step, then it is rejected and the pipeline build fails. When extending from a template, you can increase security by adding a required template approval.

# File: start.yml
parameters:
- name: buildSteps # the name of the parameter is buildSteps
  type: stepList # data type is StepList
  default: [] # default value of buildSteps
stages:
- stage: secure_buildstage
  pool:
    vmImage: windows-latest
  jobs:
  - job: secure_buildjob
    steps:
    - script: echo This happens before code 
      displayName: 'Base: Pre-build'
    - script: echo Building
      displayName: 'Base: Build'

    - ${{ each step in parameters.buildSteps }}:
      - ${{ each pair in step }}:
          ${{ if ne(pair.value, 'CmdLine@2') }}:
            ${{ pair.key }}: ${{ pair.value }}       
          ${{ if eq(pair.value, 'CmdLine@2') }}: 
            # Step is rejected by raising a YAML syntax error: Unexpected value 'CmdLine@2'
            '${{ pair.value }}': error         

    - script: echo This happens after code
      displayName: 'Base: Signing'

# File: azure-pipelines.yml
trigger:
- main

extends:
  template: start.yml
  parameters:
    buildSteps:  
      - bash: echo Test #Passes
        displayName: succeed
      - bash: echo "Test"
        displayName: succeed
      # Step is rejected by raising a YAML syntax error: Unexpected value 'CmdLine@2'
      - task: CmdLine@2
        inputs:
          script: echo "Script Test"
      # Step is rejected by raising a YAML syntax error: Unexpected value 'CmdLine@2'
      - script: echo "Script Test"

Extend from a template with resources

You can also use extends to extend from a template in your Azure pipeline that contains resources.

# File: azure-pipelines.yml
trigger:
- none

extends:
  template: resource-template.yml

# File: resource-template.yml
resources:
  pipelines:
  - pipeline: my-pipeline 
    source: sourcePipeline

steps:
- script: echo "Testing resource template"

Insert a template

You can copy content from one YAML and reuse it in a different YAML. Copying content from one YAML to another saves you from having to manually include the same logic in multiple places. The include-npm-steps.yml file template contains steps that are reused in azure-pipelines.yml.

Note

Template files need to exist on your filesystem at the start of a pipeline run. You can't reference templates in an artifact.

# File: templates/include-npm-steps.yml

steps:
- script: npm install
- script: yarn install
- script: npm run compile

# File: azure-pipelines.yml

jobs:
- job: Linux
  pool:
    vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
  steps:
  - template: templates/include-npm-steps.yml  # Template reference
- job: Windows
  pool:
    vmImage: 'windows-latest'
  steps:
  - template: templates/include-npm-steps.yml  # Template reference

Step reuse

You can insert a template to reuse one or more steps across several jobs. In addition to the steps from the template, each job can define more steps.

# File: templates/npm-steps.yml
steps:
- script: npm install
- script: npm test

# File: azure-pipelines.yml

jobs:
- job: Linux
  pool:
    vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
  steps:
  - template: templates/npm-steps.yml  # Template reference

- job: macOS
  pool:
    vmImage: 'macOS-latest'
  steps:
  - template: templates/npm-steps.yml  # Template reference

- job: Windows
  pool:
    vmImage: 'windows-latest'
  steps:
  - script: echo This script runs before the template's steps, only on Windows.
  - template: templates/npm-steps.yml  # Template reference
  - script: echo This step runs after the template's steps.

Job reuse

Much like steps, jobs can be reused with templates.

# File: templates/jobs.yml
jobs:
- job: Ubuntu
  pool:
    vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
  steps:
  - bash: echo "Hello Ubuntu"

- job: Windows
  pool:
    vmImage: 'windows-latest'
  steps:
  - bash: echo "Hello Windows"

# File: azure-pipelines.yml

jobs:
- template: templates/jobs.yml  # Template reference

When working with multiple jobs, remember to remove the name of the job in the template file, so as to avoid conflict

# File: templates/jobs.yml
jobs:
- job: 
  pool:
    vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'
  steps:
  - bash: echo "Hello Ubuntu"

- job:
  pool:
    vmImage: 'windows-latest'
  steps:
  - bash: echo "Hello Windows"

# File: azure-pipelines.yml

jobs:
- template: templates/jobs.yml  # Template reference
- template: templates/jobs.yml  # Template reference
- template: templates/jobs.yml  # Template reference

Stage reuse

Stages can also be reused with templates.

# File: templates/stages1.yml
stages:
- stage: Angular
  jobs:
  - job: angularinstall
    steps:
    - script: npm install angular

# File: templates/stages2.yml
stages:
- stage: Build
  jobs:
  - job: build
    steps:
    - script: npm run build

# File: azure-pipelines.yml
trigger:
- main

pool:
  vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

stages:
- stage: Install
  jobs: 
  - job: npminstall
    steps:
    - task: Npm@1
      inputs:
        command: 'install'
- template: templates/stages1.yml # Template reference
- template: templates/stages2.yml # Template reference

Job, stage, and step templates with parameters

In the following templates:

  • templates/npm-with-params.yml defines two parameters: name and vmImage and creates a job with the name parameter for the job name and the vmImage parameter for the VM image.
  • The pipeline (azure-pipelines.yml) references the template three times, each with different parameter values referring to the operating system and VM image names.
  • The built pipeline runs on a different VM image and named according to the specified OS. Each job performs npm install and npm test steps.
# File: templates/npm-with-params.yml

parameters:
- name: name  # defaults for any parameters that aren't specified
  default: ''
- name: vmImage
  default: ''

jobs:
- job: ${{ parameters.name }}
  pool: 
    vmImage: ${{ parameters.vmImage }}
  steps:
  - script: npm install
  - script: npm test

When you consume the template in your pipeline, specify values for the template parameters.

# File: azure-pipelines.yml

jobs:
- template: templates/npm-with-params.yml  # Template reference
  parameters:
    name: Linux
    vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

- template: templates/npm-with-params.yml  # Template reference
  parameters:
    name: macOS
    vmImage: 'macOS-latest'

- template: templates/npm-with-params.yml  # Template reference
  parameters:
    name: Windows
    vmImage: 'windows-latest'

Stage templates with multiple parameters

In the following templates:

  • The stage-template.yml template defines four parameters: stageName, jobName, vmImage, and scriptPath, all of type string. The template creates a stage using the stageName parameter to set the stage name, defines a job with jobName, and includes a step to run a script.
  • The pipeline, azure-pipeline.yml, then dynamically define stages and jobs using parameters and runs a job that executes a script, build-script.sh.
# stage-template.yml

parameters:
  - name: stageName
    type: string
  - name: jobName
    type: string
  - name: vmImage
    type: string
  - name: scriptPath
    type: string

stages:
  - stage: ${{ parameters.stageName }}
    jobs:
      - job: ${{ parameters.jobName }}
        pool:
          vmImage: ${{ parameters.vmImage }}
        steps:
          - script: ./${{ parameters.scriptPath }}

# azure-pipelines.yml
trigger:
- main

stages:
- template: stage-template.yml
  parameters:
    stageName: 'BuildStage'
    jobName: 'BuildJob'
    scriptPath: 'build-script.sh' # replace with script in your repository
    vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

Templates with steps and parameters

You can also use parameters with step or stage templates.

In the following templates:

  • The template (templates/steps-with-params.yml) defines a parameter named runExtendedTests with a default value of false.
  • The pipeline (azure-pipelines.yml) runs npm test and npm test --extended because the runExtendedTests parameter is true.
# File: templates/steps-with-params.yml

parameters:
- name: 'runExtendedTests'  # defaults for any parameters that aren't specified
  type: boolean
  default: false

steps:
- script: npm test
- ${{ if eq(parameters.runExtendedTests, true) }}:
  - script: npm test --extended

When you consume the template in your pipeline, specify values for the template parameters.

# File: azure-pipelines.yml

steps:
- script: npm install

- template: templates/steps-with-params.yml  # Template reference
  parameters:
    runExtendedTests: 'true'

Note

Scalar parameters without a specified type are treated as strings. For example, eq(true, parameters['myparam']) will return true, even if the myparam parameter is the word false, if myparam is not explicitly made boolean. Non-empty strings are cast to true in a Boolean context. That expression could be rewritten to explicitly compare strings: eq(parameters['myparam'], 'true').

Parameters aren't limited to scalar strings. See the list of data types. For example, using the object type:

# azure-pipelines.yml
jobs:
- template: process.yml
  parameters:
    pool:   # this parameter is called `pool`
      vmImage: ubuntu-latest  # and it's a mapping rather than a string


# process.yml
parameters:
- name: 'pool'
  type: object
  default: {}

jobs:
- job: build
  pool: ${{ parameters.pool }}

Variable reuse

Variables can be defined in one YAML and included in another template. This could be useful if you want to store all of your variables in one file. If you're using a template to include variables in a pipeline, the included template can only be used to define variables. You can use steps and more complex logic when you're extending from a template. Use parameters instead of variables when you want to restrict type.

In this example, the variable favoriteVeggie is included in azure-pipelines.yml.

# File: vars.yml
variables:
  favoriteVeggie: 'brussels sprouts'

# File: azure-pipelines.yml

variables:
- template: vars.yml  # Template reference

steps:
- script: echo My favorite vegetable is ${{ variables.favoriteVeggie }}.

Variable templates with parameter

You can pass parameters to variables with templates. In this example, you're passing the DIRECTORY parameter to a RELEASE_COMMAND variable.

# File: templates/package-release-with-params.yml

parameters:
- name: DIRECTORY 
  type: string
  default: "." # defaults for any parameters that specified with "." (current directory)

variables:
- name: RELEASE_COMMAND
  value: grep version ${{ parameters.DIRECTORY }}/package.json | awk -F \" '{print $4}'

When you consume the template in your pipeline, specify values for the template parameters.

# File: azure-pipelines.yml

variables: # Global variables
  - template: package-release-with-params.yml # Template reference
    parameters:
      DIRECTORY: "azure/checker"

pool:
  vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

stages:
- stage: Release_Stage 
  displayName: Release Version
  variables: # Stage variables
  - template: package-release-with-params.yml  # Template reference
    parameters:
      DIRECTORY: "azure/todo-list"
  jobs: 
  - job: A
    steps: 
    - bash: $(RELEASE_COMMAND) #output release command

Extend from a template and use an include template with variables

One common scenario is to have a pipeline with stages for development, testing, and production that uses both a template for variables and an extends template for stages or jobs.

In the following example, variables-template.yml defines a set of virtual machine variables that are then used in azure-pipeline.yml.

# variables-template.yml

variables:
- name: devVmImage
  value: 'ubuntu-latest'
- name: testVmImage
  value: 'ubuntu-latest'
- name: prodVmImage
  value: 'ubuntu-latest'

The following file, stage-template.yml defines a reusable stage configuration with three parameters (name, vmImage, steps) and a job named Build.

# stage-template.yml
parameters:
- name: name
  type: string
  default: ''
- name: vmImage
  type: string
  default: ''
- name: steps
  type: stepList
  default: []

stages:
- stage: ${{ parameters.name }}
  jobs:
  - job: Build
    pool:
      vmImage: ${{ parameters.vmImage }}
    steps: ${{ parameters.steps }}

The following pipeline, azure-pipelines.yml, imports variables from variables-template.yml, and then uses the stage-template.yml template for each stage. Each stage (Dev, Test, Prod) gets defined with the same template but with different parameters, leading to consistency across stages while allowing for customization. The Prod stage includes an environment variable as an example of something you might use for authentication.

# azure-pipelines.yml
trigger:
- main

variables:
- template: variables-template.yml

stages:
- template: stage-template.yml
  parameters:
    name: Dev
    vmImage: ${{ variables.devVmImage }}
    steps:
      - script: echo "Building in Dev"
- template: stage-template.yml
  parameters:
    name: Test
    vmImage: ${{ variables.testVmImage }}
    steps:
      - script: echo "Testing in Test"
- template: stage-template.yml
  parameters:
    name: Prod
    vmImage: ${{ variables.prodVmImage }}
    steps:
      - script: echo "Deploying to Prod"
        env:
          SYSTEM_ACCESSTOKEN: $(System.AccessToken)

Reference template paths

Template paths can be an absolute path within the repository or relative to the file that does the including.

To use an absolute path, the template path must start with a /. All other paths are considered relative.

Here's an example nested hierarchy.

|
+-- fileA.yml
|
+-- dir1/
     |
     +-- fileB.yml
     |
     +-- dir2/
          |
          +-- fileC.yml

Then, in fileA.yml you can reference fileB.yml and fileC.yml like this.

steps:
- template: dir1/fileB.yml
- template: dir1/dir2/fileC.yml

If fileC.yml is your starting point, you can include fileA.yml and fileB.yml like this.

steps:
- template: ../../fileA.yml
- template: ../fileB.yml

When fileB.yml is your starting point, you can include fileA.yml and fileC.yml like this.

steps:
- template: ../fileA.yml
- template: dir2/fileC.yml

Alternatively, fileB.yml could refer to fileA.yml and fileC.yml using absolute paths like this.

steps:
- template: /fileA.yml
- template: /dir1/dir2/fileC.yml

Use other repositories

You can keep your templates in other repositories. For example, suppose you have a core pipeline that you want all of your app pipelines to use. You can put the template in a core repo and then refer to it from each of your app repos:

# Repo: Contoso/BuildTemplates
# File: common.yml
parameters:
- name: 'vmImage'
  default: 'ubuntu-22.04'
  type: string

jobs:
- job: Build
  pool:
    vmImage: ${{ parameters.vmImage }}
  steps:
  - script: npm install
  - script: npm test

Now you can reuse this template in multiple pipelines. Use the resources specification to provide the location of the core repo. When you refer to the core repo, use @ and the name you gave it in resources.

# Repo: Contoso/LinuxProduct
# File: azure-pipelines.yml
resources:
  repositories:
    - repository: templates
      type: github
      name: Contoso/BuildTemplates

jobs:
- template: common.yml@templates  # Template reference

# Repo: Contoso/WindowsProduct
# File: azure-pipelines.yml
resources:
  repositories:
    - repository: templates
      type: github
      name: Contoso/BuildTemplates
      ref: refs/tags/v1.0 # optional ref to pin to

jobs:
- template: common.yml@templates  # Template reference
  parameters:
    vmImage: 'windows-latest'

For type: github, name is <identity>/<repo> as in the examples above. For type: git (Azure Repos), name is <project>/<repo>. If that project is in a separate Azure DevOps organization, you'll need to configure a service connection of type Azure Repos/Team Foundation Server with access to the project and include that in YAML:

resources:
  repositories:
  - repository: templates
    name: Contoso/BuildTemplates
    endpoint: myServiceConnection # Azure DevOps service connection
jobs:
- template: common.yml@templates

Repositories are resolved only once, when the pipeline starts up. After that, the same resource is used for the duration of the pipeline. Only the template files are used. Once the templates are fully expanded, the final pipeline runs as if it were defined entirely in the source repo. This means that you can't use scripts from the template repo in your pipeline.

If you want to use a particular, fixed version of the template, be sure to pin to a ref. The refs are either branches (refs/heads/<name>) or tags (refs/tags/<name>). If you want to pin a specific commit, first create a tag pointing to that commit, then pin to that tag.

Note

If no ref is specified, the pipeline will default to using refs/heads/main.

You can also pin to a specific commit in Git with the SHA value for a repository resource. The SHA value is a 40-character checksum hash that uniquely identifies the commit.

resources:
  repositories:
    - repository: templates
      type: git
      name: Contoso/BuildTemplates
      ref: 1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef12345678

You may also use @self to refer to the repository where the original pipeline was found. This is convenient for use in extends templates if you want to refer back to contents in the extending pipeline's repository. For example:

# Repo: Contoso/Central
# File: template.yml
jobs:
- job: PreBuild
  steps: []

  # Template reference to the repo where this template was
  # included from - consumers of the template are expected
  # to provide a "BuildJobs.yml"
- template: BuildJobs.yml@self

- job: PostBuild
  steps: []

# Repo: Contoso/MyProduct
# File: azure-pipelines.yml
resources:
  repositories:
    - repository: templates
      type: git
      name: Contoso/Central

extends:
  template: template.yml@templates

# Repo: Contoso/MyProduct
# File: BuildJobs.yml
jobs:
- job: Build
  steps: []

FAQ

How can I use variables inside of templates?

There are times when it may be useful to set parameters to values based on variables. Parameters are expanded early in processing a pipeline run so not all variables are available. To see what predefined variables are available in templates, see Use predefined variables.

In this example, the predefined variables Build.SourceBranch and Build.Reason are used in conditions in template.yml.

# File: azure-pipelines.yml
trigger:
- main

extends:
  template: template.yml

# File: template.yml
steps:
- script: echo Build.SourceBranch = $(Build.SourceBranch) # outputs refs/heads/main
- script: echo Build.Reason = $(Build.Reason) # outputs IndividualCI
- ${{ if eq(variables['Build.SourceBranch'], 'refs/heads/main') }}: 
  - script: echo I run only if Build.SourceBranch = refs/heads/main 
- ${{ if eq(variables['Build.Reason'], 'IndividualCI') }}: 
  - script: echo I run only if Build.Reason = IndividualCI 
- script: echo I run after the conditions