Azure releases

Microsoft Azure updates and Terraform AzureRM provider. New features, breaking changes, security advisories and deprecations - each summarised in plain English and updated continuously.

Tracking 321 Azure releases · Updated

  • Azure Updates azuredeprecationeolengineer ·

    Azure Batch retiring HBv2, HC, and NP-series VMs

    Azure Batch will retire support for HBv2, HC, and NP-series virtual machines on May 31, 2027. This impacts users who currently utilize these specific high-performance computing VM types within their Azure Batch pools. Engineers and architects running HPC workloads should plan to migrate to alternative VM series before the retirement date.

    deprecation announcement
  • Azure Updates securityazuregaarchitect ·

    Azure Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks support cross-tenant CMK

    Azure Premium SSD v2 and Ultra Disks now support encryption with customer-managed keys (CMK) stored in a Key Vault in a different Microsoft Entra tenant, achieving general availability. This feature enhances security for organizations managing keys across multiple tenants. It is available for all users and requires no additional prerequisites beyond standard Azure Key Vault and managed disk configurations.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates infraazurepreview ·

    Azure Site Recovery adds NVMe disk controller support for Windows VMs

    Azure Site Recovery now supports replication and disaster recovery for Windows Azure Virtual Machines utilizing NVMe-enabled Generation 2 VM families. This enhancement is critical for workloads that rely on high-performance storage, extending DR capabilities to newer VM series. The feature is currently in public preview and applies to the Azure-to-Azure scenario.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates datainfraawsazureengineer ·

    Azure Blob Storage: Minimum billable object size for cool tiers

    Azure Blob and Data Lake Storage (ADLS) now have a minimum billable object size of 128KiB for cool, cold, and archive tiers. Objects smaller than this size will be billed as if they were 128KiB, potentially impacting costs for small object storage. This change applies to all users of these storage tiers.

    announcement patch
  • Azure Updates dataazuregaengineer ·

    Azure Blob/ADLS Smart Tier Now Generally Available

    Azure Blob and Data Lake Storage Smart Tier has reached General Availability today. This feature automatically transitions data between hot and cool tiers to optimize costs. It is available in most public cloud regions, excluding Israel Central, Qatar Central, and UAE North. This launch benefits users looking to manage storage expenses more effectively.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates infraazuregaengineer ·

    Azure File Sync available in new regions

    Azure File Sync is now generally available in Belgium Central, Malaysia West, and Indonesia Central. This expansion allows more organizations to leverage the service for hybrid cloud scenarios, including data tiering from on-premises Windows Servers to Azure Files. The service is now accessible to users in these new geographic locations.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates securityazurepreviewengineer ·

    Azure Bastion adds managed identity support for graphical session recording (preview)

    Azure Bastion now supports managed identities for graphical session recording, allowing write access to storage accounts via this authentication method. This enhancement simplifies secure storage configuration for session recordings. It is currently available as a public preview and applies to users managing Azure Bastion deployments.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates azuregagovernment ·

    Azure Storage Mover GA in Azure Government

    Azure Storage Mover is now generally available in Azure Government (US), providing a managed service for migrating large-scale file data. This enables U.S. government customers and partners to securely move their data to Azure Government cloud environments. The service offers a fully managed solution for this migration process.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates securityazuregaengineer ·

    Azure Files: Granular Encryption-in-Transit Controls for SMB/NFS

    Azure Files now offers independent configuration of encryption-in-transit settings for SMB and NFS protocols at the storage account level. This enhancement allows customers to define protocol-specific security policies, providing precise control over encryption requirements. This feature is now generally available, offering improved security posture for data in transit.

    feature
  • Azure Updates observabilityazurepreviewengineer ·

    Azure Monitor previews OpenTelemetry support for AKS applications

    Azure Monitor now supports application monitoring on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) using OpenTelemetry for instrumentation and data collection. This integration allows leveraging autoinstrumentation with the Azure Monitor OpenTelemetry distro. This preview feature enables enhanced observability for Kubernetes workloads on Azure.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates observabilityazuredeprecationengineer ·

    Azure Managed Grafana Essential SKU to retire March 30, 2027

    The Essential SKU for Azure Managed Grafana will be retired on March 30, 2027. Customers currently using this SKU are advised to migrate to the Standard SKU or Azure Monitor Dashboards with Grafana to maintain service continuity. This change impacts users of the Essential tier of the managed Grafana service.

    deprecation announcement
  • Azure Updates infraazurepreviewengineer ·

    Azure AKS StandardV2 NAT Gateway now in public preview

    Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) now supports StandardV2 NAT Gateway as an outbound type, enabling zone-redundant connectivity and up to 100 Gbps throughput. This feature is available in public preview for AKS managed or BYO VNets. It also adds IPv6 outbound support for AKS clusters, benefiting SREs and platform engineers managing highly available and performant outbound network traffic.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates azuregapreviewenergy ·

    Azure Event Grid supports Stripe events

    Azure Event Grid can now receive events directly from Stripe, enabling developers to build event-driven architectures without managing webhook infrastructure or custom brokers. This integration acts as a fully managed event broker between Stripe and Event Grid. The feature is available in preview.

    feature
  • Terraform AzureRM Provider Releases terraforminfraazurepreviewengineer ·

    Terraform Azure Provider v4.68.0: New Resources and Enhancements

    Terraform Azure Provider version 4.68.0 introduces new resources for managing Azure DevOps pools, Private DNS CNAME records, and Data Lake Storage backup instances. The release also includes enhancements to existing resources, such as improved validation for Key Vault names and expanded support for Bastion Host configurations. Several bug fixes address issues with Databricks workspace updates, Function App deployments, and Kubernetes cluster configurations, improving stability and resource management.

    feature patch
  • Azure Updates infraazurega ·

    Azure Database for PostgreSQL adds PgBouncer 1.25.1 GA

    PgBouncer 1.25.1 is now generally available for Azure Database for PostgreSQL - Flexible Server. This built-in connection pooling feature helps scale to thousands of connections by efficiently managing idle and short-lived connections. The update provides improved scalability and reduced overhead for database workloads.

    patch feature
  • Azure Updates azuregaengineer ·

    Azure Service Health simplifies PostgreSQL maintenance notifications

    Azure Service Health now provides regional consolidated maintenance notifications for Azure Database for PostgreSQL, moving from per-server alerts to a single notification per region. This change simplifies how users receive information about upcoming maintenance activities. The feature is now generally available, applicable to all users of Azure Database for PostgreSQL.

    feature patch
  • Azure Updates azurepreviewengineer ·

    Azure Migrate adds Azure Files assessment preview

    Azure Migrate now supports assessments for Azure Files in public preview, enabling users to plan migrations of on-premises SMB and NFS file shares to Azure Files. This feature helps discover file shares and provides visibility into migration readiness. It is available to customers and partners looking to migrate file storage.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates observabilityazuregaengineer ·

    AKS Namespace and Workload Views Now Include Azure Monitor Observability

    Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) has launched General Availability for integrated observability data within its Namespace and Workload views, powered by Azure Monitor managed service for Prometheus. This enhancement allows users to monitor cluster health, troubleshoot pending or failed pods, and analyze resource utilization more easily. The feature is now generally available to all AKS users.

    feature patch
  • Azure Updates aiazuregaengineer ·

    Azure Red Hat OpenShift adds NVIDIA H100/H200 GPU support

    Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO) now generally available supports NVIDIA H100 and H200 GPU-based Azure Virtual Machine SKUs. This enables customers to run large-scale AI, machine learning, and high-performance computing workloads. The update enhances ARO's capabilities for demanding computational tasks.

    feature announcement
  • Azure Updates infraazuregaengineer ·

    Azure Kubernetes Service: Disable HTTP proxy for running clusters

    Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) now allows administrators to disable HTTP proxy settings for running clusters. This change reduces disruption when network requirements evolve, impacting organizations that use HTTP proxies to control outbound traffic. The feature is now generally available.

    feature