AZ-900 Episode 39 | Service Lifecycle in Azure | Public Preview and General Availability

Understanding Azure Service Lifecycle

In this section, we will learn about the different stages of Azure service lifecycle and how it impacts users.

Azure Service Lifecycle

• Every Azure service has its own lifecycle that defines the process of how it is released for public use.

• The development path of an Azure service starts with requirement gathering followed by development testing.

• The first release to the public is done by releasing a preview version of the service known as Public Preview.

• When the service is validated, it's then released to the public for the second time as a production-ready service known as General Availability (GA).

• Microsoft also has some internal versions of the service before it's released to Public Preview. One such stage is called Private Preview and is covered by an NDA.

Public Preview

• Public preview services are out of scope for Service Level Agreements (SLAs), so using them for production workloads is not recommended.

• Some services in preview are not covered by customer support, so Microsoft might not be able to help sometimes.

• During previous stages, certain services and features might have limited functionality.

• Public preview services very often have different or discounted pricing compared to GA pricing.

• In rare scenarios, Microsoft might decide to change or cancel a feature or a service completely.

Azure Portal Preview Releases

• Azure portal also has preview releases that can be accessed at any time using preview.portal.azure.com website.

Staying Up-to-date

• Visit azure.microsoft.com/updates website to find latest information about Azure products and features that are currently in development, preview or GA.

• Use the smiley button to send feedback about Azure service that is currently in a public preview or GA.

Using Public Preview Features in Production Applications

In this section, the speaker discusses their approach to using public preview features or services in production applications. They weigh the benefits against the risks and limitations of using such services.

Public Preview Stage

• Every service in Azure has its own lifecycle.

• The first stage is called public preview, which is a beta stage for an Azure service that has been released to the general public.

• This stage is designed for testing and not for production scenarios.

• You can test and prove the value of the service for your future applications.

General Availability Stage

• Another stage is called general availability, which is a production release of the service.

• The service has all the functionality that Microsoft wanted it to have, and you can use it for your applications.

Conclusion

In this section, the speaker concludes by summarizing what was discussed in this episode and encourages viewers to support their channel.

• All materials related to this episode can be found under episode 39 on their website.

• Understanding service lifecycle helps make more mindful decisions about design and applications.

• Support the channel by subscribing, liking, commenting, and watching future episodes.