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The Azure Linux container host for AKS is an open-source Linux distribution created by Microsoft. It's generally available as a container host on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). You can deploy Azure Linux node pools in a new cluster, add Azure Linux node pools to your existing Ubuntu clusters, or migrate your Ubuntu nodes to Azure Linux nodes. To learn more about Azure Linux, see the Azure Linux documentation.
Important
Starting on November 30, 2025, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) no longer supports or provides security updates for Azure Linux 2.0. The Azure Linux 2.0 node image is frozen at the 202512.06.0 release. Beginning on March 31, 2026, node images will be removed, and you'll be unable to scale your node pools. Migrate to a supported Azure Linux version by upgrading your node pools to a supported Kubernetes version or migrating to osSku AzureLinux3. For more information, see the Retirement GitHub issue and the Azure Updates retirement announcement. To stay informed on announcements and updates, follow the AKS release notes.
Why use Azure Linux
The Azure Linux container host on AKS uses a native AKS image that provides one place to do all Linux development. Every package is built from source and validated, ensuring your services run on proven components. Azure Linux is lightweight, only including the necessary set of packages needed to run container workloads. Azure Linux provides a reduced attack surface and eliminates patching and maintenance of unnecessary packages. At the base layer, it has a Microsoft hardened kernel tuned for Azure. Learn more about the key capabilities of Azure Linux.
AKS Standard
In AKS Standard, you can choose Azure Linux as the node OS option based on your cluster and workload requirements.
To get started using Azure Linux with AKS Standard, see:
- Creating a cluster with Azure Linux
- How to upgrade Azure Linux clusters
- Add an Azure Linux node pool to your existing cluster
- Ubuntu to Azure Linux migration
- Azure Linux supported GPU SKUs
Considerations
When deciding how to use Azure Linux in AKS, keep the following points in mind:
- In AKS Standard, you can explicitly choose Azure Linux for new clusters, added node pools, or migration scenarios.
- Regional availability for Azure Linux follows AKS regional availability.
Regional availability
The Azure Linux container host is available for use in the same regions as AKS.
Related content
To learn more about Azure Linux, see the Azure Linux documentation.