Azure Service Lifecycle

Azure services go through multiple phases before becoming fully available. Each phase has different levels of support, availability, and pricing.

1. Deployment Phase

Microsoft develops and internally tests new Azure services before making them available to customers.

2. Private Preview (Alpha)

🔹 Limited access – Invitation-only for select customers. 🔹 Early feedback – Used for testing and improvements. 🔹 No SLA, No Support – Services may be unstable. 🔹 Limited Regions & Functionality – Not widely available.

3. Public Preview (Beta)

🔹 Available to more customers – Anyone can opt-in. 🔹 Discounted Pricing – Lower costs for testing. 🔹 Limited SLA & Support – Not production-ready. 🔹 Ongoing development – Features may change.

4. General Availability (GA)

✅ Fully released – Available for all customers. ✅ SLA-backed – Official Microsoft support. ✅ All regions – Broader deployment. ✅ Full functionality – Stable and production-ready.

Key Considerations

⚠️ Preview services may have bugs, feature changes, and no production guarantees. GA services provide full stability, support, and compliance.