Add README for pipeline examples

Author: timothywarner

pipelines/README.md

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+# Pipeline Examples for AZ-400 Training
+
+This directory contains verified YAML pipeline examples for teaching CI/CD concepts in the AZ-400 course.
+
+## 📁 Pipeline Files
+
+### 1. Single-Stage CI Pipeline (`single-stage-ci.yml`)
+**Purpose:** Basic continuous integration for Node.js applications
+
+**Key Features:**
+- Node.js setup and dependency installation
+- Linting and code quality checks
+- Unit testing with coverage
+- Artifact creation and publishing
+- Clear commenting for learning
+
+**Use Case:** Teaching CI fundamentals in Segment 2
+
+### 2. Multi-Stage CI/CD Pipeline (`multi-stage-cicd.yml`)
+**Purpose:** Complete DevOps pipeline with multiple environments
+
+**Key Features:**
+- 5 stages: Build → Dev → Staging → Production → Post-Deploy
+- Environment approvals and gates
+- Blue-green deployment strategy
+- Automated rollback on failure
+- Performance and integration testing
+- Deployment slots and swapping
+
+**Use Case:** Advanced pipeline concepts in Segment 3
+
+### 3. GitHub Actions Workflow (`../.github/workflows/node-azure-deploy.yml`)
+**Purpose:** GitHub-native CI/CD to Azure
+
+**Key Features:**
+- Matrix strategy for multiple Node versions
+- GitHub environments with protection rules
+- Azure Web App deployment
+- Release tagging
+- Security scanning with CodeQL
+- Reusable workflow patterns
+
+**Use Case:** Comparing Azure Pipelines vs GitHub Actions
+
+## 🚀 How to Use These Examples
+
+### For Azure Pipelines:
+1. Create a new pipeline in Azure DevOps
+2. Select "Existing Azure Pipelines YAML file"
+3. Choose the appropriate YAML file
+4. Update variables (service connections, resource names)
+5. Save and run
+
+### For GitHub Actions:
+1. Workflow is automatically detected in `.github/workflows/`
+2. Configure secrets in repository settings:
+   - `AZURE_CREDENTIALS` - Service principal JSON
+3. Workflow triggers on push to main/master
+
+## 📝 Required Configuration
+
+### Azure Resources:
+```bash
+# Create resource group
+az group create --name rg-az400-demo --location eastus
+
+# Create App Service Plan
+az appservice plan create \
+  --name plan-az400-demo \
+  --resource-group rg-az400-demo \
+  --sku B1 \
+  --is-linux
+
+# Create Web Apps
+az webapp create \
+  --name webapp-az400-demo-dev \
+  --resource-group rg-az400-demo \
+  --plan plan-az400-demo \
+  --runtime "NODE:18-lts"
+```
+
+### Service Connection (Azure DevOps):
+1. Project Settings → Service connections
+2. New service connection → Azure Resource Manager
+3. Service principal (automatic)
+4. Name: `AZ400-ServiceConnection`
+
+### GitHub Secrets:
+```bash
+# Create service principal
+az ad sp create-for-rbac \
+  --name "sp-az400-github" \
+  --role contributor \
+  --scopes /subscriptions/{subscription-id}/resourceGroups/rg-az400-demo \
+  --json-auth
+```
+
+## 🎓 Teaching Points
+
+### Single-Stage Pipeline:
+- Pipeline triggers and paths
+- Agent pools and VM images
+- Variables and expressions
+- Task vs script steps
+- Artifact publishing
+
+### Multi-Stage Pipeline:
+- Stage dependencies
+- Deployment jobs vs regular jobs
+- Environment approvals
+- Deployment strategies
+- Failure handling
+
+### GitHub Actions:
+- Workflow syntax differences
+- Actions marketplace
+- Environments and secrets
+- Reusable workflows
+- GitHub-specific features
+
+## 🔧 Customization
+
+Students can modify these pipelines to:
+- Add additional testing frameworks
+- Implement different deployment strategies
+- Add notifications (Teams, Slack)
+- Include infrastructure as code
+- Add security scanning tools
+
+## 📚 Additional Resources
+
+- [Azure Pipelines YAML schema](https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/devops/pipelines/yaml-schema)
+- [GitHub Actions documentation](https://docs.github.com/actions)
+- [Azure Web Apps deployment](https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/app-service/deploy-github-actions)