azure-updates

name	azure-updates
description	Retrieve Azure Updates information using the Microsoft Release Communications API. Get the latest announcements about new features, previews, retirements, and general availability for Azure services without authentication. Use when tracking Azure product updates, monitoring service changes, checking retirement announcements, or following new feature releases.
metadata	{"author":"openjny","version":"1.0"}

Azure Updates Skill

Retrieve Azure Updates information from the official Microsoft Release Communications API without authentication.

This is the official source for Azure service updates, including new features, previews, retirements, and general availability announcements. Prioritize this source when looking up Azure service updates.

API Endpoint

https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure

Response Structure

Top-level Response Fields

Field	Type	Description
@odata.context	string	OData metadata URL
@odata.count	integer	Total number of items (when $count=true)
value	array	List of update items
facets	array	Available filter options (when includeFacets=true)

Update Item Fields

Field	Type	Description
id	string	Unique identifier for the update
title	string	Update title
description	string	HTML-formatted description
status	string	Status: "Launched", "In preview", "In development", or null (for retirements)
products	array	Related Azure products
productCategories	array	Product categories (e.g., "Compute", "AI + machine learning")
tags	array	Tags (e.g., "Features", "Retirements", "Compliance")
generalAvailabilityDate	string	GA date in "YYYY-MM" format
previewAvailabilityDate	string	Preview date in "YYYY-MM" format
privatePreviewAvailabilityDate	string	Private preview date
availabilities	array	Availability details (see Availability Ring Values below)
created	string	Created timestamp (ISO 8601)
modified	string	Last modified timestamp (ISO 8601)
locale	string	Locale (typically null)

Available Status Values

• Launched - Generally Available
• In preview - Public Preview
• In development - In Development
• null - Typically for retirements

Availability Ring Values

The availabilities array contains objects with ring, year, and month fields:

Ring Value	Description
General Availability	GA release
Preview	Public Preview
Private Preview	Private Preview
Retirement	Service retirement

Example:

{
  "availabilities": [
    { "ring": "Preview", "year": 2024, "month": "October" },
    { "ring": "General Availability", "year": 2025, "month": "March" }
  ]
}

Steps

1. Basic API Call

Retrieve recent Azure updates:

# Basic call with count
curl "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=10"

# With jq for better readability
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5" \
  | jq '.value[] | {id, title, status}'

2. Pagination

Use top and skip parameters for pagination:

# Get first 20 items
curl "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=20&skip=0"

# Get next 20 items
curl "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=20&skip=20"

# Get items 41-60
curl "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=20&skip=40"

3. Sorting

Use $orderby to sort results:

# Sort by modified date (newest first)
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$orderby=modified%20desc" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, modified}'

# Sort by created date (oldest first)
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$orderby=created%20asc" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, created}'

# Sort by title alphabetically
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$orderby=title" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title}'

4. Filtering by Status

# Get updates in preview
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=status%20eq%20%27In%20preview%27" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, status}'

# Get launched (GA) updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=status%20eq%20%27Launched%27" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, status}'

# Get updates in development
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=status%20eq%20%27In%20development%27" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, status}'

5. Filtering by Tags

Use tags/any() for filtering by tags:

# Get retirement announcements
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=tags/any(t:t%20eq%20%27Retirements%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, tags}'

# Get feature announcements
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=tags/any(t:t%20eq%20%27Features%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, tags}'

# Get security-related updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=tags/any(t:t%20eq%20%27Security%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, tags}'

# Get Microsoft Build announcements
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=tags/any(t:t%20eq%20%27Microsoft%20Build%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, tags}'

6. Filtering by Product

Use products/any() for filtering by Azure products:

# Get AKS updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=products/any(p:p%20eq%20%27Azure%20Kubernetes%20Service%20(AKS)%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, products}'

# Get Azure Functions updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=products/any(p:p%20eq%20%27Azure%20Functions%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, products}'

# Get Azure Cosmos DB updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=products/any(p:p%20eq%20%27Azure%20Cosmos%20DB%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, products}'

# Get Azure OpenAI Service updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=products/any(p:p%20eq%20%27Azure%20OpenAI%20Service%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, products}'

7. Filtering by Product Category

Use productCategories/any() for filtering by category:

# Get AI + machine learning updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=productCategories/any(c:c%20eq%20%27AI%20%2B%20machine%20learning%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, productCategories}'

# Get Compute updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=productCategories/any(c:c%20eq%20%27Compute%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, productCategories}'

# Get Containers updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=productCategories/any(c:c%20eq%20%27Containers%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, productCategories}'

# Get Security updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=productCategories/any(c:c%20eq%20%27Security%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, productCategories}'

8. Filtering by Availability Ring

Use availabilities/any() for filtering by availability ring (recommended for retirements):

# Get retirement announcements (recommended method)
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=availabilities/any(a:a/ring%20eq%20%27Retirement%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, availabilities}'

# Get GA updates by ring
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=availabilities/any(a:a/ring%20eq%20%27General%20Availability%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, availabilities}'

# Get Preview updates by ring
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=availabilities/any(a:a/ring%20eq%20%27Preview%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, availabilities}'

9. Filtering by Date

# Get updates GA'd in January 2025
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=generalAvailabilityDate%20eq%20%272025-01%27" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, generalAvailabilityDate}'

# Get updates preview'd in December 2024
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=previewAvailabilityDate%20eq%20%272024-12%27" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, previewAvailabilityDate}'

10. Search

Use $search for text search:

# Search for "kubernetes" in updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$search=kubernetes" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title}'

# Search for "AI" in updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$search=AI" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title}'

# Search for "retirement" in updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$search=retirement" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title}'

11. Getting Facets (Filter Options)

Use includeFacets=true to get available filter values with counts:

# Get all facets
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&includeFacets=true&top=1" \
  | jq '.facets'

# Get product categories with counts
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&includeFacets=true&top=1" \
  | jq '.facets[] | select(.name == "ProductCategory") | .values[] | {value, count}'

# Get status options with counts
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&includeFacets=true&top=1" \
  | jq '.facets[] | select(.name == "Status") | .values'

# Get tags with counts
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&includeFacets=true&top=1" \
  | jq '.facets[] | select(.name == "Tags") | .values[] | {value, count}'

12. Combining Filters

Combine multiple filters with and:

# Get AKS updates that are in preview
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=products/any(p:p%20eq%20%27Azure%20Kubernetes%20Service%20(AKS)%27)%20and%20status%20eq%20%27In%20preview%27" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, status}'

# Get security updates from Containers category
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=productCategories/any(c:c%20eq%20%27Containers%27)%20and%20tags/any(t:t%20eq%20%27Security%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, tags, productCategories}'

# Get launched features in AI category
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=5&\$filter=productCategories/any(c:c%20eq%20%27AI%20%2B%20machine%20learning%27)%20and%20status%20eq%20%27Launched%27%20and%20tags/any(t:t%20eq%20%27Features%27)" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, status}'

13. Getting Latest Updates (Common Use Case)

# Get 10 most recently modified updates
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=10&\$orderby=modified%20desc" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, status, modified}'

# Get latest GA announcements
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=10&\$filter=status%20eq%20%27Launched%27&\$orderby=modified%20desc" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, generalAvailabilityDate, modified}'

# Get latest preview announcements
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=10&\$filter=status%20eq%20%27In%20preview%27&\$orderby=modified%20desc" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, previewAvailabilityDate, modified}'

# Get upcoming retirements (using availability ring)
curl -s "https://www.microsoft.com/releasecommunications/api/v2/azure?\$count=true&top=10&\$filter=availabilities/any(a:a/ring%20eq%20%27Retirement%27)&\$orderby=modified%20desc" \
  | jq '.value[] | {title, availabilities, modified}'

Output Format

Simplified Update Item

{
  "id": "466954",
  "title": "Public Preview: Collect Azure Container Storage metrics...",
  "status": "In preview",
  "products": ["Azure Container Storage", "Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)"],
  "productCategories": ["Containers", "Compute"],
  "tags": ["Features"],
  "generalAvailabilityDate": null,
  "previewAvailabilityDate": "2024-12",
  "modified": "2025-01-09T16:00:28.6638383Z"
}

Facet Response

{
  "name": "Status",
  "values": [
    { "value": "In development", "count": 137 },
    { "value": "In preview", "count": 2929 },
    { "value": "Launched", "count": 4686 }
  ]
}

Query Parameters Summary

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
$count	boolean	Include total count	$count=true
includeFacets	boolean	Include filter facets	includeFacets=true
top	integer	Number of items to return	top=20
skip	integer	Number of items to skip	skip=20
$orderby	string	Sort field and direction	$orderby=modified desc
$filter	string	OData filter expression	$filter=status eq 'Launched'
$search	string	Text search query	$search=kubernetes

Filter Expression Examples

Filter Type	Expression
By status	status eq 'Launched'
By tag	tags/any(t:t eq 'Features')
By availability ring	availabilities/any(a:a/ring eq 'Retirement')
By product	products/any(p:p eq 'Azure Functions')
By category	productCategories/any(c:c eq 'Compute')
By date	generalAvailabilityDate eq '2025-01'
Combined	status eq 'Launched' and tags/any(t:t eq 'Features')

Notes

• The API is publicly accessible without authentication
• All dates are in UTC and ISO 8601 format
• HTML content in description field needs to be parsed/stripped for plain text
• Special characters in filter values must be URL-encoded
• Maximum top value may be limited by the API