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Lab environment setup

What you need​

AZ-400 labs use three platforms. All have free tiers sufficient for every challenge.

PlatformWhatFree tier
GitHubActions, Packages, Advanced Security2000 min/month Actions, GHAS free on public repos
Azure DevOpsPipelines, Repos, Boards, Artifacts1 free parallel job (1800 min/month)
AzureDeployment targets (App Service, ACA)$200 credit (new account) or F1/free tiers

Click the button below for a pre-configured environment:

Open in GitHub Codespaces

Your Codespace includes:

  • Git (latest)
  • GitHub CLI (gh)
  • Azure CLI with DevOps extension (az devops)
  • Docker (for container labs)
  • Node.js 20 LTS (for build/test labs)
  • Terraform CLI (for IaC labs)

GitHub Free accounts get 60 hours/month of Codespaces.

Option 2: Local setup​

If you prefer working locally, install:

# GitHub CLI
# https://cli.github.com/

# Azure CLI + DevOps extension
az extension add --name azure-devops

# Docker Desktop
# https://docker.com/products/docker-desktop

# Node.js 20 LTS
# https://nodejs.org/

# Terraform
# https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/install

Step 1: Create a free Azure DevOps organization​

  1. Go to dev.azure.com
  2. Sign in with your Microsoft account
  3. Click "New organization"
  4. Name it (e.g., yourname-certprep)
  5. Create a project named az400-labs
# Or via CLI (after signing in):
az devops configure --defaults organization=https://dev.azure.com/yourname-certprep
az devops project create --name az400-labs

Step 2: Fork the lab starter repo​

Many challenges reference a pre-built sample repository:

# Fork the lab starter repo to your GitHub account
gh repo fork azurecertprep/az400-lab-starter --clone

# This gives you:
# - Sample Node.js app with tests
# - Incomplete/broken CI workflows to fix
# - Pre-configured Dockerfile
# - Intentional security vulnerabilities for scanning labs

Step 3: Connect Azure subscription​

# Login to Azure CLI
az login

# Set a default subscription
az account set --subscription "Your Subscription Name"

# Create a resource group for lab resources
az group create --name rg-az400-labs --location eastus

Step 4: Connect Azure DevOps to GitHub​

For challenges that test integration between platforms:

  1. In Azure DevOps → Project Settings → Service Connections
  2. New service connection → GitHub
  3. Authorize with your GitHub account

Or via CLI:

az devops service-endpoint github create \
  --github-url https://github.com \
  --name github-connection \
  --project az400-labs

Cleanup between challenges​

Most challenges include a cleanup section. For a full reset:

# Delete all lab Azure resources
az group delete --name rg-az400-labs --yes --no-wait

# Recreate fresh
az group create --name rg-az400-labs --location eastus

Cost management​

  • GitHub Actions: 2000 minutes/month free (Linux runners). Monitor usage at github.com → Settings → Billing
  • Azure DevOps: 1 free Microsoft-hosted parallel job. Check at dev.azure.com → Organization Settings → Pipelines → Parallel jobs
  • Azure resources: Use F1/free tiers. Delete after each challenge. Set budget alerts at $10.
Pro tip

Many Domain 3 challenges can be completed entirely with GitHub Actions free tier + Azure free tier App Service (F1). No paid services required.