Azure Pipelines

Installation

Before using CodeAnt CI Scan in your Azure Pipelines, you need to install the CodeAnt extension from the Azure DevOps Marketplace:

Go to the Azure DevOps Marketplace and search for “CodeAnt AI” or directly download from here
Click Get it free
Select your Azure DevOps organization
Click Install

Once installed, the codeant-ci-scan task will be available in all pipelines across your organization.

Azure Pipelines Workflow

Add the following to your azure-pipelines.yml. It will trigger on every push to your target branch and kick off a CodeAnt analysis scan:

trigger:
  branches:
    include:
      - main

pool:
  vmImage: 'ubuntu-latest'

steps:
  - checkout: self

  - task: codeant-ci-scan@1
    inputs:
      accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
      baseUrl: 'https://api.codeant.ai'
    displayName: 'CodeAnt CI Scan'

With Optional Parameters

You can customize the scan behavior with additional parameters:

steps:
  - checkout: self

  - task: codeant-ci-scan@1
    inputs:
      accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
      baseUrl: 'https://api.codeant.ai'
      includePaths: 'src/**/*.{js,ts}'
      excludePaths: '**/node_modules/**,**/dist/**'
      timeout: '300'
      pollInterval: '15'
      noWait: 'false'
    displayName: 'CodeAnt CI Scan'

Important:

In Project → Pipelines → Library, add a secret variable named ACCESS_TOKEN with your personal access token or repo token.

How it works

Setup environment The task automatically extracts organization, project, and repository information from Azure DevOps built-in variables.
Download script The task fetches the CI scan script (start_scan.sh) from the CodeAnt API endpoint.
Trigger scan The script initiates a CI scan for your commit, optionally waiting for results based on the noWait parameter.
Pipeline feedback
- Success: Scan completes successfully (or is triggered in no-wait mode)
- Failure: Scan fails or detects critical issues, blocking the build

Script Parameters

The start_scan.sh script accepts the following parameters:

Required Parameters

Parameter	Flag	Description	Example
Access Token	`-a, --access-token`	Authentication token for CodeAnt API. Can be a Personal Access Token (PAT) or repository token	`$(ACCESS_TOKEN)`
Repository	`-r, --repo`	Repository name in `organization/project/repository` format	`myorg/myproject/myrepo`
Commit ID	`-c, --commit-id`	Git commit SHA to analyze	`$(Build.SourceVersion)`
Service	`-s, --service`	Git service provider	`azuredevops`, `github`, `gitlab`

Optional Parameters

Parameter	Flag	Default	Description
Branch	`-b, --branch`	(empty)	Branch name for the analysis	`main`, `develop`
Include Files	`-i, --include-files`	(empty)	Glob patterns for files to include in analysis	`"src/*/.js"`
Exclude Files	`-e, --exclude-files`	(empty)	Glob patterns for files to exclude from analysis	`"/test/"`
Polling Interval	`-p, --polling-interval`	`30`	Seconds between result polling attempts	`20`
Timeout	`-t, --timeout`	`300`	Maximum seconds to wait for results	`600`
No Wait	`-n, --no-wait`	`false`	Skip waiting for results, only trigger the scan	(flag only)

Execution Time Considerations

⏱️ Performance Options:

With result waiting (default): ~7 minutes
- Triggers scan and waits for complete analysis results
- Includes both security and SCA (Software Composition Analysis) results
- Best for comprehensive CI/CD pipelines where you need immediate feedback
With --no-wait flag: ~2 minutes
- Only triggers the scan and returns immediately
- Results can be fetched later or viewed in the CodeAnt dashboard
- Ideal for faster CI runs or when results can be processed asynchronously

Example Configurations

Fast CI Mode (No Wait)

For quick pipeline runs where you don’t need immediate results:

steps:
  - checkout: self

  - task: codeant-ci-scan@1
    inputs:
      accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
      baseUrl: 'https://api.codeant.ai'
      noWait: 'true'
    displayName: 'CodeAnt CI Scan (Fast Mode)'

Comprehensive Analysis (Wait for Results)

For thorough analysis with complete results:

steps:
  - checkout: self

  - task: codeant-ci-scan@1
    inputs:
      accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
      baseUrl: 'https://api.codeant.ai'
      timeout: '600'
      pollInterval: '20'
      noWait: 'false'
    displayName: 'CodeAnt CI Scan (Full Results)'

Custom File Filtering

To scan only specific files or exclude certain paths:

steps:
  - checkout: self

  - task: codeant-ci-scan@1
    inputs:
      accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
      baseUrl: 'https://api.codeant.ai'
      includePaths: 'src/**/*.{js,ts}'
      excludePaths: '**/node_modules/**,**/dist/**,**/test/**'
      noWait: 'true'
    displayName: 'CodeAnt CI Scan (Filtered)'

Branch-Specific Configuration

Run different scan modes based on the branch:

steps:
  - checkout: self

  # Fast mode for feature branches
  - task: codeant-ci-scan@1
    condition: ne(variables['Build.SourceBranch'], 'refs/heads/main')
    inputs:
      accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
      baseUrl: 'https://api.codeant.ai'
      noWait: 'true'
    displayName: 'CodeAnt CI Scan (Feature Branch - Fast)'

  # Full analysis for main branch
  - task: codeant-ci-scan@1
    condition: eq(variables['Build.SourceBranch'], 'refs/heads/main')
    inputs:
      accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
      baseUrl: 'https://api.codeant.ai'
      timeout: '600'
      noWait: 'false'
    displayName: 'CodeAnt CI Scan (Main Branch - Full)'

Best Practices

Use fast mode for PRs: Set noWait: 'true' for pull request pipelines to keep them fast
Full analysis for main: Use complete analysis (wait for results) on main/master branch merges
Adjust timeouts: Increase timeout for larger repositories that take longer to analyze
File filtering: Use include/exclude patterns to focus analysis on relevant code
Keep tokens secure: Always use Azure DevOps Variable Groups or Pipeline Variables for tokens
Monitor performance: Track scan times and optimize based on your repository size

Troubleshooting

Task not found

If you see “Task ‘codeant-ci-scan’ not found”:

Ensure the CodeAnt extension is installed in your Azure DevOps organization
Go to Organization Settings → Extensions to verify installation
Check that the extension is enabled for your project

Scan times out

If the scan takes longer than expected:

Increase the timeout using timeout: '600' (10 minutes) or higher
Check if the CodeAnt service is operational
Consider using noWait: 'true' for faster pipeline execution
Review your network connectivity to the CodeAnt API

Authentication failures

If you see “Access token invalid” or “ACCESS_TOKEN is required”:

Verify your ACCESS_TOKEN variable is correctly configured in Pipeline Variables or Variable Groups
Ensure the token has appropriate repository permissions
Check that the variable is marked as secret
Verify the token hasn’t expired

No results returned

If the scan completes but returns no results:

Check that CI scanning is enabled for your repository in CodeAnt
Verify the commit SHA is correct
Ensure your Azure DevOps organization has proper integration with CodeAnt
Check the CodeAnt dashboard to see if the scan was registered

Repository format issues

If you see “Invalid repository format” or “Required Azure DevOps variables not found”:

Verify that environment variables are being set correctly
Check that BUILD_REPOSITORY_NAME, BUILD_SOURCEVERSION, and SYSTEM_TEAMPROJECT are available
The task expects repository format: organization/project/repository
Add debugging by checking the task logs for environment variable values

Windows compatibility issues

If running on Windows agents:

Ensure Git Bash or WSL is available on the agent
The task automatically detects Windows and uses bash for script execution
Consider using Linux agents (ubuntu-latest) for best compatibility

Advanced Configuration

Custom API Endpoint

If you’re using a self-hosted CodeAnt instance:

- task: codeant-ci-scan@1
  inputs:
    accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
    baseUrl: 'https://your-codeant-instance.com'

Parallel Jobs

Run scans in parallel for different directories:

jobs:
  - job: ScanBackend
    steps:
      - task: codeant-ci-scan@1
        inputs:
          accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
          baseUrl: 'https://api.codeant.ai'
          includePaths: 'backend/**'
        displayName: 'Scan Backend'

  - job: ScanFrontend
    steps:
      - task: codeant-ci-scan@1
        inputs:
          accessToken: $(ACCESS_TOKEN)
          baseUrl: 'https://api.codeant.ai'
          includePaths: 'frontend/**'
        displayName: 'Scan Frontend'

With CodeAnt CI Scan in place, every push will automatically trigger a comprehensive code analysis, helping you maintain high code quality and security standards in your Azure DevOps repositories.

Start Here

Setup

Pull Request Review

Scan center

Integrations

IDE

Rule Reference

Resources

Installation

Azure Pipelines Workflow

With Optional Parameters

How it works

Script Parameters

Required Parameters

Optional Parameters

Execution Time Considerations

Example Configurations

Fast CI Mode (No Wait)

Comprehensive Analysis (Wait for Results)

Custom File Filtering

Branch-Specific Configuration

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Task not found

Scan times out

Authentication failures

No results returned

Repository format issues

Windows compatibility issues

Advanced Configuration

Custom API Endpoint

Parallel Jobs

Start Here

Setup

Pull Request Review

Scan center

Integrations

IDE

Rule Reference

Resources

​Installation

​Azure Pipelines Workflow

​With Optional Parameters

​How it works

​Script Parameters

​Required Parameters

​Optional Parameters

​Execution Time Considerations

​Example Configurations

​Fast CI Mode (No Wait)

​Comprehensive Analysis (Wait for Results)

​Custom File Filtering

​Branch-Specific Configuration

​Best Practices

​Troubleshooting

​Task not found

​Scan times out

​Authentication failures

​No results returned

​Repository format issues

​Windows compatibility issues

​Advanced Configuration

​Custom API Endpoint

​Parallel Jobs

Installation

Azure Pipelines Workflow

With Optional Parameters

How it works

Script Parameters

Required Parameters

Optional Parameters

Execution Time Considerations

Example Configurations

Fast CI Mode (No Wait)

Comprehensive Analysis (Wait for Results)

Custom File Filtering

Branch-Specific Configuration

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Task not found

Scan times out

Authentication failures

No results returned

Repository format issues

Windows compatibility issues

Advanced Configuration

Custom API Endpoint

Parallel Jobs