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Azure DevOps utilizes personal access tokens (PATs) as the primary method of authentication for integrating with third-party continuous integration (CI) tools. PATs are secure and can be easily generated by users with a specific scope of permissions tailored to their needs, allowing them to access the necessary resources within Azure DevOps. This flexibility makes PATs ideal for CI tools that require authentication to push code changes, trigger builds, or access repositories, as they allow developers to maintain control over access rights without exposing their credentials.

In contrast, certificate authentication is typically used in scenarios requiring more robust security measures, and might be better suited for specific service-to-service communications rather than third-party CI integrations. A Shared Access Signature (SAS) token is more relevant to Azure Storage or Azure service authentication rather than direct Azure DevOps interaction. NTLM authentication, while a traditional method used in Windows environments, is not commonly implemented for Azure DevOps service integrations, especially not with third-party CI tools.

Given these considerations, the use of personal access tokens is not only practical but aligns closely with the needs of modern development workflows that Azure DevOps aims to support.