Introduction
In today's fast-paced development landscape, automating CI/CD pipelines is essential for secure, high-quality deployments. This article guides you through implementing an enterprise-level CI/CD pipeline using Azure DevOps, Azure Cosmos DB, ASP.NET Core, and a microservices architecture for a high-security logistics management system.

This system features RFID-based inventory management, real-time product tracking, and efficient microservices to manage operations across multiple warehouses nationwide. We will detail each step of setting up the CI/CD pipeline to enhance build, test, and deployment workflows while ensuring security, reliability, and scalability.

Solution Context: Logistics Management System
Key Features
The logistics system emphasizes:

  • RFID-based inventory management.
  • Real-time tracking of heavy and high-value goods.
  • Integration with Azure Cosmos DB for transactional data management.
  • Secure API endpoints and encryption for communication security.
  • Microservices architecture utilizing ASP.NET Core, Entity Framework, and Azure Service Bus.

**Pipeline Architecture with Azure DevOps ** The CI/CD pipeline consists of the following core stages:

  • Source Code Management: Set up repositories with Azure Repos or GitHub.
  • Dependency Restore & Build: Restore dependencies and build using .NET Core.
  • Unit & Integration Tests: Validate business logic and data interactions with Cosmos DB.
  • Test Results Publishing: Provide visibility into test results for the team.
  • Deployment to Azure: Deploy microservices using Azure App Services or Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

**Sample CI/CD Pipeline Code ** YAML Pipeline Configuration

trigger:
  branches:
    include:
      - main

pool:
  vmImage: 'windows-latest'

steps:
- task: UseDotNet@2
  inputs:
    packageType: sdk
    version: '6.x'

- task: DotNetCoreCLI@2
  inputs:
    command: 'restore'
    projects: '**/*.csproj'

- task: DotNetCoreCLI@2
  inputs:
    command: 'build'
    projects: '**/*.csproj'

- task: DotNetCoreCLI@2
  inputs:
    command: 'test'
    projects: '**/UnitTests/*.csproj'

- task: AzureWebApp@1
  inputs:
    azureSubscription: '<YOUR_AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION>'
    appType: 'webApp'
    appName: '<YOUR_APP_NAME>'
    package: '$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/**/*.zip'

Key Code Implementations Microservices Code ASP.NET Core Microservice Example

[ApiController]
[Route("api/[controller]")]
public class LogisticsController : ControllerBase
{
    private readonly ILogisticsService _logisticsService;

    public LogisticsController(ILogisticsService logisticsService)
    {
        _logisticsService = logisticsService;
    }

    [HttpPost("register-product")]
    public async Task<IActionResult> RegisterProduct([FromBody] ProductDto product)
    {
        var result = await _logisticsService.RegisterProductAsync(product);
        return Ok(result);
    }
}

Dependency Injection

public void ConfigureServices(IServiceCollection services)
{
    services.AddScoped<ILogisticsService, LogisticsService>();
    services.AddDbContext<AppDbContext>(options => 
        options.UseSqlServer(Configuration.GetConnectionString("DefaultConnection")));
}

** Azure Cosmos DB Integration** Cosmos DB Repository Pattern

public class CosmosDbRepository<T> : ICosmosDbRepository<T> where T : class
{
    private readonly Container _container;

    public CosmosDbRepository(CosmosClient dbClient, string databaseName, string containerName)
    {
        _container = dbClient.GetContainer(databaseName, containerName);
    }

    public async Task AddItemAsync(T item)
    {
        await _container.CreateItemAsync(item);
    }

    public async Task<IEnumerable<T>> GetItemsAsync(string query)
    {
        var iterator = _container.GetItemQueryIterator<T>(new QueryDefinition(query));
        var results = new List<T>();
        while (iterator.HasMoreResults)
        {
            results.AddRange(await iterator.ReadNextAsync());
        }
        return results;
    }
}

RFID Integration WPF RFID Code Example

private void RegisterTag(string rfidTag)
{
    var product = new Product
    {
        RfidTag = rfidTag,
        RegisteredOn = DateTime.Now
    };

    _logisticsService.RegisterProduct(product);
    MessageBox.Show("RFID Tag Registered Successfully!");
}

Error Handling & Challenges Common Challenges Managing Cosmos DB Connection Strings Solution: Use Azure Key Vault for storing secrets securely. Handling Connection Failures

try
{
    await cosmosDbClient.GetDatabase("LogisticsDB").ReadAsync();
}
catch (CosmosException ex)
{
    _logger.LogError($"Cosmos DB connection failed: {ex.Message}");
}

Repository for Full Implementation

  • Complete CI/CD Pipeline YAML file.
  • Microservices code with Cosmos DB integration.
  • WPF RFID integration project.
  • Unit and Integration tests.

Project Structure

├── Microservices │ ├── Logistics.API # ASP.NET Core microservice │ ├── CosmosDb.Repository # Cosmos DB data access logic │ ├── UnitTests # Unit and integration tests ├── WPF RFID Application # RFID-based product registration ├── DevOps Pipelines │ ├── azure-pipelines.yml # CI/CD pipeline configuration ├── README.md # Documentation

Setup Instructions
Prerequisites:

  • Install .NET 6 SDK
  • Install Azure CLI
  • Set up an Azure subscription with:
    • Azure Cosmos DB
    • Azure Service Bus
    • Azure Key Vault
  • Configure your RFID hardware.

Configure Environment Variables Create a .env file in the root directory and add the following variables:

COSMOS_DB_CONNECTION_STRING= SERVICE_BUS_CONNECTION_STRING= KEY_VAULT_URI=

** Sample API Endpoints** Register Product POST /api/logistics/register-product

Request:

{
  "rfidTag": "123456789",
  "productName": "High-Value Item",
  "warehouseLocation": "Mumbai"
}

Response:

  {
  "status": "Success",
  "productId": "xyz-123",
  "registeredOn": "2024-07-12T10:00:00Z"
}

Key Challenges Addressed

Secure Connection Management: Solution: Stored connection strings and secrets in Azure Key Vault. High Volume Transaction Handling: Solution: Leveraged Azure Cosmos DB’s global distribution and partitioning. RFID Hardware Integration: Solution: Built a WPF application for seamless communication with RFID hardware.

Conclusion This professional approach ensures a seamless, automated, and reliable deployment strategy for a high-security logistics management system. By combining Azure DevOps, Azure Cosmos DB, and robust microservices architecture, the system is scalable, secure, and capable of handling real-time operations across multiple warehouses.