Azure Quick Questions and Solutions: Question 1

Question:

How do you share a package with external users in Azure Artifacts?

Solution:

Simple Explanation:

1. Login to your Azure DevOps portal.

2. Navigate to Azure Artifacts from the left-hand pane in your team project.

3. Locate and select the package you want to share.

4. Under the settings of the package, select the ‘Feeds’ option.

5. Click on ‘Permissions’ and then ‘Add’.

6. Add the external user’s email to share access. Set the role to ‘Reader’ for them to view and consume the package.

7. Notify the external user about their access. They can now retrieve and consume the package by authenticating with a Personal Access Token (PAT) or Azure AD credential.

Best Practices to follow:

• Security: When sharing packages with external users, always ensure that you follow best security practices. Limit access to what is necessary and avoid granting excessive permissions. In many cases, providing ‘Reader’ access is sufficient for external users.
• Authentication: Mention that external users will need to authenticate when retrieving and consuming the package. They can use either a Personal Access Token (PAT) or Azure AD credentials, depending on your organization’s authentication settings and policies. Provide guidance on how to create and use these credentials.
• Notify Users: As mentioned in step 7, notifying external users about their access is crucial. Ensure they are aware of the steps they need to take to retrieve and consume the package.
• Token Expiration: If using PAT for authentication, remind users that PATs can expire. They may need to refresh or recreate their tokens periodically.
• Monitoring: Regularly monitor access permissions and revoke access when it’s no longer needed. It’s good practice to audit and review external users’ access over time.
• Access Logs: Azure Artifacts provides access logs that can help you track who accessed your packages. Review these logs for security and auditing purposes.

By following these steps and best practices, you can securely share packages with external users in Azure Artifacts while maintaining control and visibility over who has access to your packages.