Azure DevOps yaml file recommendation when I have multi build and multi environments

Question

I am working on implementing a YAML pipeline to deploy application to the four different environments. Unfortunately I need to perform build every time specific to environment. I have four front end portals and 8 microservices (.NET web API's) related code in a single repo.

For example I have a angular code for one of the front end and I need to execute npm run dev:build, npm run dev:qa ...npm run prod:prod to generate artifacts per environment and then I can deploy on the respective environment.

With environment branching strategy I can deploy easily mean maintaining branches like Dev, QA, UAT and PROD. By creating pull requests I can merge and deploy to the respective environment. But I don't want this complex branching strategy.

So I decided to create a single yaml, and used parameters and conditionals to deploy on respective environment with one click like below Azure DevOps yaml not picking up the parameters

Since I have 4 frontend portals and 8 microservices its difficult to run pipeline with one click manually. So i decided to add triggers for Dev and QA at least and using Release/* branch I want to deploy the code to higher environments.

But when I use triggers and parameters pipeline is not running. When I include parameters I guess Trigger is None.

trigger:
- dev 

parameters:     
- name: environment    
  displayName: Environment to choose    
  type: string
  values:
    - UAT
 

variables:    
  vmImageName: 'windows-2019'

stages:
- stage: DevBuildStage
  dependsOn: []
  displayName: Dev_Build

  jobs:
  - job: Build_Job
    displayName: Build
    pool:
      vmImage: $(vmImageName)

    steps:
    - task: PowerShell@2
      displayName: command1
      inputs:
        targetType: 'inline'
        script: |
          Write-Host "This is Dev build"

- stage: UATBuildStage
  condition: and(succeeded(), eq('${{ parameters.environment }}', 'UAT'))
  dependsOn: []
  displayName: UAT_Build

  jobs:
  - job: Build_Job
    displayName: Build
    pool:
      vmImage: $(vmImageName)

    steps:
    - task: PowerShell@2
      displayName: command1
      inputs:
        targetType: 'inline'
        script: |
          Write-Host "This is UAT build"


- stage: DeploytoDev
  displayName: Deploy to Dev 
  dependsOn: DevBuildStage
  condition: succeeded()

  jobs:
  - deployment: Deploy
    displayName: Deploy
    environment: 'development'
    variables:
    - group: dev
    pool:
      vmImage: $(vmImageName)

    strategy:
      runOnce:
        deploy:

          steps:
          - task: PowerShell@2
            inputs:
              targetType: 'inline'
              script: |
                Write-Host "Deploy to Dev"
            
- stage: DeploytoUAT
  displayName: Deploy to UAT
  dependsOn: UATBuildStage
  condition: succeeded()

  jobs:
  - deployment: Deploy
    displayName: Deploy
    environment: 'uat'
    pool:
      vmImage: $(vmImageName)

    strategy:
      runOnce:
        deploy:

          steps:
          - task: PowerShell@2
            inputs:
              targetType: 'inline'
              script: |
                # Write your PowerShell commands here.
                
                Write-Host "Deploy to UAT"

This is how I want to run Dev build and deploy automatically but UAT I can run whenever I need manually using parameters. This way I want to reduce the number of branches.

The simple branching strategy like Dev(Dev environement) --- Release/*(QA, UAT and PROD) --- main (Just to maintain the stable code) Please help me on this issue.

Answer 1

Finally I have decided to use environmental branching strategy means a specific branch to deploy to the environment ...Dev(Branch) --- DEV(environment). Also I have used templates to reuse step.