Azure Update - 9th May 2025

Key Concepts

• Azure Linux
• Static Web Apps (Dedicated vs. Standard pricing)
• Azure Container Registry (Continuous Patching)
• Azure Storage Actions
• Premium SSD v2
• Database Migration Service
• Neon Serverless Postgres
• Cosmos DB for MongoDB Data API
• Cost Management Exports
• GPT4 Realtime API (WebRTC)
• Kusto Detective Agency

Compute

Static Web Apps: Dedicated Pricing Plan Retirement

• The dedicated pricing plan for Static Web Apps, previously in preview, is being retired by the end of October 2025.
• The dedicated plan offered features like more staging environments, larger app sizes, and more custom domains.
• The primary reason for retirement is the lack of globally distributed static content capability.
• Users are advised to migrate from the dedicated plan to the standard pricing plan before the retirement date.
• The standard plan is the focus moving forward.

Azure Container Registry: Continuous Patching (Preview)

• Azure Container Registry now offers continuous patching in preview.
• This feature automatically detects and remediates OS-level vulnerabilities in container images stored in the registry.
• It uses Trivy for regular vulnerability scanning and Copa for applying security fixes.
• Billing is based on the compute resources consumed during the patching activity.
• Currently, only Linux-based container images are supported; Windows-based image support is not yet available.

Storage

Azure Storage Actions: General Availability (GA)

• Azure Storage Actions is now generally available, providing a serverless way to perform actions on Azure Storage.
• It offers more powerful capabilities than the free lifecycle management features.
• Key Differences from Lifecycle Management:
  • Scale: Storage Actions can operate at a much larger scale.
  • Complexity: It supports more complex logic based on various storage attributes.
  • Action Range: Includes a full range of actions supported by different storage types, such as setting immutability.
  • Blob Type Support: Works for block, page, and append blobs.
  • Hierarchical Namespace: Compatible with Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 (hierarchical namespace enabled).
• Azure Storage Actions is suitable for larger storage accounts, more granular control, and a wider variety of actions compared to the free lifecycle management.

Premium SSD v2: New Region Availability

• Premium SSD v2 is now available in several new regions: US West, UK West, Canada East, Australia Southeast, North Central US, West Central US, Australia Central 2, and Norway West.
• Key Features of Premium SSD v2:
  • Sub-millisecond latency.
  • IOPS and throughput can be set independently from capacity.
  • IOPS and throughput can be dynamically adjusted even while in use.
• Premium SSD v2 is designed for high-performance storage needs, such as databases and big data analytics, where low latency and adjustable IOPS/throughput are critical. It bridges the gap between standard SSD and Ultra Disk.

Database

Database Migration Service: China North 3 Availability

• The Database Migration Service is now available in the China North 3 region.
• It facilitates seamless migration to various Azure SQL offerings within this region.
• The service is fully managed and aims to minimize downtime during migrations from different sources to Azure data platforms.

Neon Serverless Postgres: General Availability (GA)

• Neon Serverless Postgres is now generally available.
• It's a serverless, fully managed Postgres service developed through a collaboration between Microsoft and Neon.
• It simplifies the process of spinning up and managing Neon resources within the Azure portal.
• Billing is integrated into the Azure invoice, and it supports Entra ID for single sign-on.

Cosmos DB for MongoDB Data API: General Availability (GA)

• The Data API for vCore Cosmos DB for MongoDB is now generally available.
• It provides a RESTful interface over HTTP for interacting with Cosmos DB for MongoDB.
• This eliminates the need for traditional database drivers and complex query setups.
• Applications can interact with the database using REST calls, simplifying development and deployment.

Miscellaneous

Cost Management Exports: Enhancements (GA)

• Cost Management Exports have been enhanced and are now generally available.
• New Features:
  • Format Options: Supports CSV with GZIP compression and Parquet with Snappy compression.
  • PHOPS Support: Compliant with the FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS) format v1.0.
  • Expanded Data Set: Includes price sheets, reservation recommendations, reservation details, and reservation transactions.

GPT4 Realtime API: WebRTC Support (Preview)

• The GPT4 Realtime API now supports WebRTC (Real-Time Communication) in preview, in addition to WebSocket.
• This enables real-time speech and audio communication with very low latency, facilitating conversational interactions.
• The API is designed for applications requiring real-time speech-in, speech-out capabilities.

Kusto Detective Agency: Season 3.0

• The Kusto Detective Agency is launching Season 3.0 on June 8th.
• It's a free, interactive game focused on learning Kusto Query Language (KQL).
• Participants can register and compete for a spot in the Kusto Detective Agency Hall of Fame.
• The season's tagline is "Call of the Cyber Duty."
• The game provides a fun way to learn KQL, which is increasingly used in various technologies for data interaction.

Synthesis/Conclusion

This Azure update covers a range of improvements and new features across compute, storage, database, and miscellaneous services. Key takeaways include the retirement of the Static Web Apps dedicated plan, the introduction of continuous patching for Azure Container Registry, the GA release of Azure Storage Actions and Neon Serverless Postgres, and the addition of WebRTC support to the GPT4 Realtime API. These updates aim to provide developers and IT professionals with more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective solutions for building and managing applications on Azure. The Kusto Detective Agency offers a gamified approach to learning KQL, a valuable skill for interacting with many Azure services.