Azure PowerShell Support Lifecycle

Article
10/08/2024

Every Microsoft product has a lifecycle. The lifecycle begins when a product is released and ends when it's no longer supported. Knowing key dates in this lifecycle helps you make informed decisions about when to upgrade or make other changes to your software.

The Azure PowerShell support lifecycle is designed to provide clarity and predictability for customers regarding support for each release. The length of time and degree of support vary based on a few qualifications. The Azure PowerShell support lifecycle follows Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy unless specified otherwise in this article.

"Azure PowerShell" consists of the PowerShell module named "Az" and the dependent PowerShell modules signed by "Microsoft Corporation". For the current list of Az PowerShell modules, see Azure PowerShell Modules.

Versioning

Azure PowerShell follows Semantic Versioning for version numbering. Semantic versioning is a system that uses a three-part number format: major.minor.patch.

Major versions: Breaking changes, including architectural and fundamental design changes.
Minor versions: Backwards compatible feature updates and improved Azure services coverage.
Patch versions: Backwards compatible security fixes without new features or functionality changes.

Module version types

Releases of Azure PowerShell can include the following types of versions:

Generally available (GA): Modules version 1.0.0 and higher without preview in the version. Adheres to breaking change policy.
Preview: Modules less than version 1.0.0. Don't adhere to breaking change policy.
Feature preview: Modules version 1.0.0 and higher with preview in the version. Don't adhere to breaking change policy.

Caution

Preview and Feature preview versions aren't recommended for production environments.

There are two Az PowerShell modules:

Az. Installs all GA service modules for managing Azure resources.
AzPreview. Installs all GA and preview modules for managing Azure resources. Doesn't include feature preview modules.

The AzPreview module is always the same version and is released at the same time as the Az module.

Release cadence

Azure PowerShell is updated monthly, with up to two annual releases introducing breaking changes. This release cadence is designed to provide customers with predictable release dates, empowering businesses, developers, and the community to make strategic decisions when planning their roadmaps.

Warning

Before upgrading to a major breaking change version of the Az PowerShell module, you should review the migration guide.

Support of releases

Azure PowerShell ships two types of generally available releases. Customers can choose Standard Term Support (STS) or Long Term Support (LTS) releases. The quality of all releases is the same. The only difference is the length of support.

Standard Term Support (STS) releases
- Odd-numbered major versions are STS releases.
- STS versions are supported until the next major release of Azure PowerShell.
- Supported for approximately six months from the original major version release date.
- Receives minor version and patch updates until out of support.
Long Term Support (LTS) releases
- Even-numbered major versions are LTS releases, beginning with Az 12.0.0.
- The final version of each LTS release is supported until the second subsequent STS version is released.
- Supported for approximately 18 months from the original major version release date.
- Receives minor version updates only for the first 6 months and patch updates until out of support.

Important

You must install the latest minor and patch version to qualify for support.

The following image illustrates the release cadence and support lifecycle of Azure PowerShell for STS and LTS releases.

Support Lifecycle

The following table provides examples of how the release cadence correlates with the support lifecycle:

Note

The dates in the following table are for example purposes only. The actual release dates vary.

Version number	Release schedule	Release type	Support type	Supported until version
12.0.0	May 2024	Major	LTS	12.1.0
12.1.0	June 2024	Minor	LTS	12.2.0
12.2.0	July 2024	Minor	LTS	12.3.0
12.3.0	August 2024	Minor	LTS	12.4.0
12.4.0	September 2024	Minor	LTS	12.5.0
12.5.0	October 2024	Minor	LTS	15.0.0
13.0.0	November 2024	Major	STS	13.1.0
13.1.0	December 2024	Minor	STS	13.2.0
13.2.0	January 2025	Minor	STS	13.3.0
13.3.0	February 2025	Minor	STS	13.4.0
13.4.0	March 2025	Minor	STS	13.5.0
13.5.0	April 2025	Minor	STS	14.0.0
14.0.0	May 2025	Major	LTS	14.1.0

Examples:
- To qualify for support, you must update to 12.1.0 when released if you have Az 12.0.0 installed.
- If Az 12.5.0 is the final release of Az version 12, it's supported until the release of Az 15.0.0.
- When Az 14.0.0 is released, Az version 13 is no longer supported.

Breaking changes

Major version releases of Azure PowerShell introduce breaking changes and occur up to two times per year. Various types of breaking changes can occur in cmdlets. For more information, see Breaking Change Definition. Breaking changes may occur at any point for preview and feature preview modules. Non-GA modules aren't required to adhere to breaking change policies.

Breaking change warning messages

Breaking change warning messages allow Azure PowerShell cmdlet authors to communicate upcoming breaking changes with end users.

Suppress breaking change warning messages

To suppress breaking change warning messages, see Configure breaking change warning messages in global settings.

For more information, see Breaking Changes Attribute Help.

List of breaking changes

For detailed information about breaking changes in major releases of the Az PowerShell module, see the following articles.

Supported environments

The following table identifies the supported platforms for the Az, AzureRM, and Azure PowerShell modules.