Here are the frequently questions (FAQs) about Azure CDN retirement.
When will Azure CDN be retired in China?
Azure China CDN will be retired starting from December 1, 2025, in China. Customers must either migrate to Azure Front Door or an alternative CDN before this date to avoid service disruption.
Do you have a replacement service?
Yes. Azure Front Door (AFD) is the recommended replacement service. It offers native integration with the Azure ecosystem and DevOps workflows, enhanced content delivery and load balancing features, built-in Web Application Firewall (WAF), and advanced security features. Azure Front Door is available in China East 3 and China North 3 regions.
What are the key timelines?
- Starting from September 15, 2025, no new profiles are allowed. If you need to create new profiles, please create on Azure Front Door.
- Starting from November 15, 2025, no changes to existing profiles are allowed.
- Starting from December 1, 2025, existing CDN traffic will stop serving traffic.
- Starting from February 1, 2026, you won’t be able to access Azure portal for your Azure CDN profiles in China, and exampledomain.mcchcdn.com as the CNAME endpoint can’t be used any more.
When is the latest I should migrate?
It is recommended to complete migration to Azure Front Door or an alternative CDN provider before November 30, 2025.
What if I don't migrate by the due date?
Azure Front Door will attempt to automatically migrate your CDN resources. However, some configurations cannot be migrated automatically and there will be service disruptions. See the next question for details.
How do I tell if my profile can be auto migrated?
Not all Azure CDN profiles can be migrated due to the feature gaps. Please refer to the compatibility section in Azure CDN and Front Door comparison, you can also see if your profile is eligible for migration on porta. If some of the features aren’t supported on Azure Front Door, your Azure CDN profiles can’t be automatically migrated. If you are using the global acceleration or overseas, AFD can’t migrate your CDN profile.
What can I do if my profile is not eligible for migration?
You must migrate to an alternative third party CDN. Please reach out to support team or sales contact if you want to learn more.
Do I need to make any changes on my side if AFD team helps migrate to Azure Front Door?
No, AFD will take care of migration without downtime if your instance are eligible for auto migration. However, if your Azure CDN profile is disabled or has no active request in the past 3 months, or your Azure CDN profile isn’t compatible for migration based on the gap mentioned in [Azure CDN and Front Door comparison]((azure-china-cdn-and-afd-comparison.md), Azure Front Door won’t migrate your profile and your service will experience service disruption from December 1, 2025. In this case, you need to consider an alternative CDN solution.
Is there any DNS change to point my custom domain from Azure CDN endpoint to AFD endpoint?
AFD will add XXX.mcchcdn.com CNAME to xxx-hash.z01.frontdoor.azure.cn. However, please plan to change your DNS CNAME from XXX.mcchcdn.com to xxx-hash.z01.frontdoor.azure.cn by end of January 2026 to avoid unexpected disruption.
Will my cost increase if I migrate to Azure Front Door?
It depends on your traffic pattern. Azure Front Door will have different billing meters and may result in higher costs. However, Microsoft will offer a discount in the first year to match the China CDN cost. Starting from December 1, 2026, standard AFD billing will apply to all meters. Please reach out to your sales representative to request the 1-year discount. Please delete inactive CDN profiles to avoid unnecessary migration cost before November 15, 2025.
Are there any noticeable changes after migration to Azure Front Door?
A few noticeable changes
- Feature set: Azure Front Door offers richer self-service features in customize cipher suite, URL rewrite or URL redirect with server variables and header manipulations in rules engine, path-based routing, Web Application Firewall, origin security using Private Link, etc.
- Pricing model: Azure CDN charges for egress only while Azure Front Door charges for base fee, egress from AFD edge to clients, ingress from AFD edge to origin, request fee.
- PoPs: Azure Front Door has presence in Azure China East 3 and Azure China North 3 regions while Azure CDN has hundreds of points of presences.
What if I don’t want to migrate to Azure Front Door?
You would need to migrate to an alternative third party CDN. Please reach out to support team or sales contact if you want to learn more.