Microsoft Azure Linux Made Generally Available After 7 Months Of Public Preview

Microsoft Build 2023 was a stellar success. Along with introducing their new data analytics platform called Fabric, the tech giant also unveiled Microsoft Azure Linux and made it available generally.

The software was already being used internally for the past two years and then running on public preview since October 2022. After all these months of testing and working on feedback, Azure Linux looks finally ready for the market.

What Is Microsoft Azure Linux?

Microsoft Azure Linux is a special extension of the existing Azure platform. It is an open-source container host OS that gives you access to countless Linux distributions such as SUSE, Ubuntu, and Red Hat. Using this tool, you can run containers in Kubernetes and create your own Linux virtual machines or hundreds of preconfigured images and Linux workloads.

During a Q&A session at the event, the principal program manager lead for Azure Linux, Jim Perrin, implied their troubled history with Linux is the primary reason why they decided to come up with a brand new distribution platform.

This statement hints at another unfortunate statement made by then-CEO Steve Ballmer in 2001 saying Linux is Cancer".

Part of the reason that we did not choose to start with distribution and fork it for our needs is we didn't want to be seen as doing the embrace-and-extend thing again.Perrin

For those unaware, Microsoft was infamously known in the 90s to use the embrace-extend-extinguish strategy to disadvantage its competitors.

Azure Linux and Azure Kubernetes

In a separate blog post, he also talked about the Azure Linux container host for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) and its general availability.

This new platform is lightweight, secure, and optimized for Azure. It is the outcome of honest reviews during the public preview phase. In fact, Perrin personally thanked those involved in the preview in this post, citing that their feedback and insights have been paramount in shaping Linux Azure the way it is today.

For better security, Microsoft also made sure that all Azure Linux container host updates were first passed through a series of strict Azure validation tests. These tests will be constantly updated with new scenarios, further reducing the chances of digital exploitation. On top of that, the entire chain is monitored directly by the Microsoft team so that every user can enjoy better quality and resilience.

This brand-new venture has already managed to earn the support of many notable leaders in the tech industry, including DynaTrace, HashiCorp, DataGog, and Tenable.

In short, customers are benefiting in terms of reduced vulnerabilities and points of attack. Also, with the removal of unnecessary packages, customers can save ample time and resources that would have otherwise been wasted on security patching and maintenance.

Speaking of Kubernetes, there was another major announcement made at Build 2023. Microsoft revealed that Kubernetes apps will also be generally available in the Azure Marketplace.

Kubernetes Apps is a hub for third-party open-source software for the AKS platform and has been in public review since October 2022, just like Azure Linux. Microsoft has already checked and certified the apps so that customers feel safe and confident using them.

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