Azure DevOps & Cloud-Native Updates – March 2025

By Lionel Gurret.

Introduction

Welcome to our Monthly Azure DevOps and Cloud Tech Updates Series!

Welcome to my monthly blog series where we bring you a concise roundup of significant Azure updates pertinent to DevOps, keeping you in the loop with the latest advancements.

Let’s check what’s new!

Updates

AI + machine learning

• [Launched] Generally Available: Reminder – End of Limited Time Promotional Discounts on Azure Databricks Serverless Compute Services
• [Launched] Generally Available: Anthropic Gen AI Models in Azure Databricks

Analytics

• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Chaos Studio Auto-Tagging of Experiment Resources for Private Networking Now Available
• [Launched] Generally Available: New Built-In Role for Azure Chaos Studio
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Chaos Studio Now in Germany West Central Region

Application Insights

• Support for Application Insights Status Monitor v1 will End on March 31, 2025

Bing Search

• Retirement: Bing Search APIs with Your LLM on March 6, 2025

Compute

• Retirement: Ubuntu 20.04 Node Pools in AKS
• Retirement: Ubuntu 18.04 Node Pools in AKS
• Retirement: Extended Support for Node 20 LTS Ends on April 30, 2026
• [Launched] Generally Available: VM Hibernation on GPU VMs
• Retirement: Kubenet Networking for Azure Kubernetes Service to Be Retired on March 31, 2028
• Retirement: Azure Spring Apps to Be Retired on March 31, 2028
• [Launched] WebAssembly System Interface (WASI) Node Pools in AKS
• Retirement: GPU image (Preview) in AKS
• [In preview] Public Preview: Windows Support for Virtual Machines Node Pools in AKS
• [Launched] Generally Available: Node Auto-Repair Kubernetes Events in AKS
• [In preview] Public Preview: Control Plane Azure Platform Metrics in AKS
• [Launched] Generally Available: Default Ephemeral OS Disk Sizing in AKS
• [Launched] Generally Available: Message of the Day Support in AKS
• [In preview] Public Preview: Azure Linux 3.0 Support in AKS
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Managed Prometheus Supports Horizontal Pod Autoscaling for Replica Set Pods in AKS
• [Launched] Generally Available: Custom Secure Boot UEFI Keys for Azure Trusted Launch VM

Containers

• Retirement: Docker Content Trust on March 31, 2028 – Replaced by the Notary Project and Azure Key Vault
• [Launched] Generally Available: Serverless GPUs in Azure Container Apps with NVIDIA NIM Support
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Container Apps in Australia SE, France South, Japan West, and Spain Central

Databases

• Retirement: Azure SQL Database FSV2-Series Offer
• [Launched] Generally Available: On-Demand Backups for Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server
• [In preview] Public Preview: Point-in-Time Restore Capability for Multiregion Write Accounts in Azure Cosmos DB
• [In preview] Public Preview: Azure Database for MySQL Triggers for Azure Functions
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure SQL Updates for Mid-March 2025
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Database for PostgreSQL Support for New Zealand North Region
• [Launched] Generally Available: Enhanced Performance Guidance in Azure Advisor for Azure Database for PostgreSQL
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Data Factory – Azure Database for PostgreSQL Connector Version 2.0
• [In preview] Public Preview: MySQL Discovery and Assessment in Azure Migrate
• [Launched] Generally Available: Entry-Level Tiers (M10/M20) with vCore-Based Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB
• [Launched] Generally Available: Autoscale for vCore-Based Azure Cosmos DB on MongoDB
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Database for PostgreSQL Supports pg_repack Extension Version 1.5.1
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Database for PostgreSQL – Flexible Server Supports the tdigest Extension
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Database for PostgreSQL Supports postgresql-hll Extension
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Database for PostgreSQL Support for Topn Extension
• [Launched] Generally Available: Lower Pricing for Azure Confidential Ledger
• [In preview] Private preview: User-defined functions for Azure confidential ledger

DevOps

• [Launched] Generally Available: Log Analytics Delete Data API

Developer tools

• [In preview] Public Preview: Enhance Performance and Security with Standard Load Balancer and Standard SKU Public IP Addresses in Azure DevTest Labs
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Load Testing Now Supports Locust

Features

• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Stream Analytics Integration with Schema Registry
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Virtual Network Manager Network Verifier

Hybrid + multicloud

• Retirement: Announcing the 3-Year Retirement of Current Architecture for AKS on Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022

Integration

• [In preview] Public Preview: Managed Developer Portal in Azure API Center (API Center Portal)

Internet of Things

• Retirement: Azure Maps Traffic APIs Version 1.0 to Be Retired on March 31, 2028

Management and governance

• Retirement: Support for Desired State Configuration Extension for Azure Virtual Machines to Be Retired on March 31, 2028
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Site Recovery Update Rollup 77 – March 2025
• [In preview] Public Preview: Azure Site Recovery Support for Azure Trusted Launch VMs Running Linux OS
• [Launched] Generally Available: Vaulted Backup Support for Azure Files Standard Shares

Networking

• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Firewall Updates – Parallel IP Group Updates
• [Launched] Generally Available: New Regions for Azure Front Door Premium with Private Link Enabled Origins
• [Launched] Generally Available: API Management as a Private Link-Enabled Origin for Front Door Premium

Open Source

• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure Monitor Managed Service for Prometheus for Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes

Retirements

• Retirement: Azure Intelligent Recommendation Service to Be Retired
• Retirement: Azure Maps Route APIs Version 1.0 to Be Retired on March 31, 2028
• Retirement: Docker Compose Feature for Azure App Service to Be Retired on March 31, 2027 – Replaced by Sidecars in Azure App Service

SDK and Tools

• Retirement: Azure Storage Data Movement Library (v2) Announcement

Storage

• [Launched] Generally Availability: AzAcSnap 11 — Azure Application Consistent Snapshot Tool Updates
• [In preview] Public Preview: Azure NetApp Files Flexible service level
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure NetApp Files Application Volume Group for SAP HANA – Extension 1
• [Launched] Generally Available: Azure NetApp Files Application Volume Group for Oracle
• [In preview] Public Preview: Azure Storage Object Replication Metrics for Visibility into Replication Progress
• [Launched] Generally Available: Edit Network Features for Azure NetApp Files with No Downtime

Sources

https://azure.microsoft.com/
Microsoft Dev Blog
Azure Website