Configure Source Control with Azure Repos

Learn how to implement Source Control with Azure Repos.

Available on:Enterprise plan

With Source Control with Azure Repos, you can use pull requests on Azure Repos to manage changes to your Retool applications.

Setup instructions

Disable git syncing

If you've enabled Git Syncing, disable it:

• In your docker.env file, set DISABLE_GIT_SYNCING=true and VERSION_CONTROL_LOCKED=false.
• In the Settings > Advanced tab in Retool, remove the repository URL and branch name from your Git Syncing configuration.

Prerequisites

This guide requires access to an Azure DevOps account with permissions to create repos and access tokens.

1. Create a new repository in Azure Repos

1. Create or use an existing project under Azure Repos. Ensure its name does not contain any spaces.
2. Create a new Git repository under Azure Repos for your Retool apps. Ensure that it has a README.md file at the root level directory.

2. Create a personal access token

1. Create an Azure Repos personal access token.
2. Under the Code section, check Full and Status. With this token, Retool will be able to programmatically manipulate your repository, generate pull requests, and see their statuses. Accordingly, use the most appropriate admin in your organization to generate it.

3. Configure Azure repository settings

Retool Cloud and Self-hosted Retool v3.18 and later

Go to the Source Control settings, and select Set up Azure Repos. Enter the following settings.

Setting	Description	Example
Azure Repository	The repo name from step 1. Ensure this name does not contain any spaces.	retool-apps
Azure Organization	The Azure DevOps organization.	acme-co
Azure Branch	Retool automatically tracks changes to this branch.	main
Azure Project	The new or existing Azure DevOps project from step 1. Ensure its name does not contain any spaces.	proj-retool
Azure User	The Azure Repos username.	retool
Azure URL	Your base Azure URL. For Azure Cloud, this is always http://dev.azure.com. For Azure self-managed, this is the URL where your instance is hosted.	https://azure.mycompany.com
Personal Access Token	The Azure project access tokens to authenticate to the Azure API.	AKIAWS3BACWHP6QW6VB2
Use Basic Auth	Set this to true if you are using self-hosted Azure Repos.	true

Self-hosted Retool v.2.115.1 and later

Variable	Description	Example
AZURE_REPOS_USER	The Azure Repos username	retool
AZURE_REPOS_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN	The personal access token generated previously	mpoqd2zy7jklzfbhmuzev46vbbcpkeeqminb4wcvwigsrldasdfa
AZURE_REPOS_ORGANIZATION	The Azure DevOps organization	acme-co
AZURE_REPOS_PROJECT	The new or existing Azure DevOps project from step 1. Ensure its name does not contain any spaces.	proj-retool
AZURE_REPOS_REPO	The repo name from step 1. Ensure its name does not contain any spaces.	retool
AZURE_REPOS_MAIN_BRANCH	Retool automatically tracks changes to this branch	main

If you use your own SSL certificates, set the SSL_CERT_FILE and NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS environment variables on the jobs-runner and api containers to the path to your SSL certificate.

4. Test your configuration

After you set up your environment variables, if you’re an admin on your Retool instance, you can visit Settings > Source Control.

If your Azure Repos environment is correctly configured, the page will show your Azure Repos commits in the Deployment Dashboard section. You can also click the Test connection button, which sends a request to test the connection.

If you don't see the Deployment Dashboard and your Azure Repos commits on Settings > Source Control, check that your environment variables are correctly configured.

What's next?

You are now ready to use source control. Learn how to create branches and pull requests, merge changes, and use other source control features in the getting started guide.