Library of assets
TFS 2018
A library is a collection of build and release assets for an Azure DevOps project. Assets defined in a library can be used in multiple build and release pipelines of the project. The Library tab can be accessed directly in Azure Pipelines.
The library contains two types of assets: variable groups and secure files.
Variable groups are only available to release pipelines in TFS 2017 and earlier. They're available to build and release pipelines in TFS 2018 and in Azure Pipelines. Task groups and service connections are available to build and release pipelines in TFS 2015 and newer, and in Azure Pipelines.
Note
Microsoft Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2018 and earlier versions have the following differences in naming:
- Pipelines for build and release are called definitions
- Runs are called builds
- Service connections are called service endpoints
- Stages are called environments
- Jobs are called phases
Library security
All assets defined in the Library share a common security model. You can control who can define new items in a library, and who can use an existing item. Roles are defined for library items, and membership of these roles governs the operations you can perform on those items.
| Role for library item | Description |
|---|---|
| Reader | Can view the item. |
| User | Can use the item when authoring build or release pipelines. For example, you must be a 'User' for a variable group to use it in a release pipeline. |
| Administrator | Can also manage membership of all other roles for the item. The user who created an item gets automatically added to the Administrator role for that item. By default, the following groups get added to the Administrator role of the library: Build Administrators, Release Administrators, and Project Administrators. |
| Creator | Can create new items in the library, but this role doesn't include Reader or User permissions. The Creator role can't manage permissions for other users. |
The security settings for the Library tab control access for all items in the library. Role memberships for individual items get automatically inherited from the roles of the Library node.
For more information on pipeline security roles, see About pipeline security roles.
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