Microsoft’s Increasing Embrace of Linux on Azure
For years, Microsoft has shared that over half of the virtual machines (VMs) on Azure run on Linux. Today, the tech giant announced that Linux now powers more than 60% of its cloud customer cores. This milestone demonstrates the increasing popularity of Linux in the Microsoft ecosystem.
To address this growing demand, Microsoft has made AlmaLinux an endorsed Linux distribution on Azure. AlmaLinux, a solid alternative to RHEL and CentOS, meets Microsoft’s high standards for quality, support, and integration.
In a statement, Microsoft explained:
“Linux has become the most popular operating system on Azure, with over 60% of customer cores running Linux-based workloads. We are committed to investing in the platform to enhance the Linux and open-source experience on Azure, ensuring we meet our customers’ evolving needs.”
Microsoft’s Endorsement of AlmaLinux
AlmaLinux joins other endorsed Linux distributions on Azure, including Ubuntu, Debian, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and SUSE. These distributions go through a thorough vetting process. Microsoft evaluates demand, support agreements, and engineering collaboration before adding any Linux distribution to its endorsed list.
Microsoft explained that endorsed Linux distributions offer a higher assurance of quality. Users can find these images in the Azure Marketplace or access community sources, which provide different levels of utility and support.
Standards for Endorsed Distributions
To achieve endorsement, each Linux distribution must meet specific criteria. These include market demand, a commitment to updates and support, and an engineering relationship with Microsoft. Additionally, these distributions must adhere to Microsoft’s rigorous testing and update protocols. With these criteria in place, users can trust that endorsed distributions will integrate seamlessly within the Azure platform.
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