.NET on Azure Functions – September 2024 roadmap update

Our final roadmap update is as follows: March 2024Here we outlined our plans for the ongoing model for .NET 8. It has since been released, and in this post we’ll cover what to expect for the rest of 2024.

.NET 8 options for in-progress models

Since our last post, we have released support for .NET 8 in the in-process model! Apps that are already using .NET 6 in the in-process model can move to .NET 8 by following these steps: Update to target .NET 8 in the ongoing model guide.

Please keep the following in mind: Support for the current model will end on November 10, 2026.And you’ll want to start planning Migrating to an Isolated Worker Model Before that date.

.NET 9 (Preview)

The isolated worker model now supports .NET 9 in Preview on Linux starting with .NET 9 Preview 7. Windows support is coming soon. See: .NET Version Preview Click here for the latest information on OS and version support. As with all major versions of .NET, we will provide general availability (GA) support in line with the .NET GA release.

As part of targeting .NET 9, your project must use the new V2 versions of the core worker dependencies, which are described in the following sections.

V2 package for isolated worker model

Introducing a set of V2 packages that coordinate major versions of framework targets and transitive package dependencies. For example: 2.0.0-preview1 Worker package Now targets .NET 8, .NET 9, and .NET Standard 2.0.

These changes introduce new .NET APIs, such as those required to support integration. .NET Aspire. Like many in the community, we are very excited about .NET Aspire and are working on a preview of support for Azure Functions projects in Aspire orchestration.

We plan to move the 2.x versions to GA with the release of .NET 9. There will be a few iterations of these packages while the V2 versions remain in preview. These will add new features and have some minor breaking changes to fix bugs. However, since the primary intent of the V2 packages is to address dependencies and .NET API support, these other changes will be limited in scope.

Notice about version support

According to .NET Official Support Policy.NET 6 will reach end of support on November 12, 2024. Any applications targeting that version will need to update to .NET 8 (or .NET 9 when it is generally released) before support ends.

Even if you choose to implement the in-process model option in .NET 8 for one of your applications, we still recommend starting planning. Migrating to an Isolated Worker Model In advance End of support for ongoing models on November 10, 2026.

Since the last roadmap update, support for .NET 7 has ended. If you still have resources targeting that version, you should update them as soon as possible.

Closing thoughts

The updates covered in this post will be effective until the end of 2024. Additional improvements to the Isolated Worker model are planned and we look forward to sharing them in the next roadmap update!

If you encounter problems with previewing or migrating, do the following: Join the team on GitHub. As always, we appreciate the community for sharing their experiences and helping us make .NET better on Azure Functions.

– Azure Functions Team