Maintain Azure CDN Endpoint with Akamai Retirement

Question

I am writing to seek assistance regarding the upcoming retirement of Azure CDN from Akamai, scheduled for October. I would like to request help in keeping my current CDN endpoint unchanged during this transition.

As per the retirement announcement, I understand that Azure CDN from Akamai is scheduled to be retired in October. However, it is crucial for my application/service to maintain the existing CDN endpoint without disruption. The current endpoint is deeply integrated into our infrastructure, and any changes would require significant effort and potential downtime for our customers.

I kindly request your support in exploring the available options to ensure the continuity of my CDN endpoint without any changes. If possible, I would like to migrate the CDN service seamlessly to an alternative provider or an Azure-native solution while keeping the current endpoint intact.

Is there a method to keep the current endpoint intact?

Currently, we don't use any custom domains for endpoints.

Answer 1

Hello @Chanaka Thilakarathne ,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A Platform. Thank you for reaching out & hope you are doing well.

I understand that you would like some information about the upcoming retirement of Azure CDN from Akamai, scheduled for October and it is whether it is possible to keep your current CDN endpoint unchanged during this transition.

From your post, I also understand that you don't use any custom domains for endpoints.

So, below are some points that I found while discussing this issue with our Azure CDN Product Group team:

1. If a custom domain is used/cnamed to azureedge.net endpoint, then you can refer the below doc for more general guidance: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cdn/cdn-change-provider?toc=%2Fazure%2Ffrontdoor%2FTOC.json
2. If you are using CDN endpoints such as xyz.azureedge.net without a custom domain, then manually migrating the CDN endpoint without downtime is not possible because you won't be able to create multiple Azure CDN profiles with the same endpoint name.
3. The only way to manually migrate your CDN endpoint will be to delete the old CDN endpoint and reuse it in another CDN provider. The endpoint should be available to re-use within 5 to 10 minutes of its deletion, but you should consider some downtime which is needed for the creation of a new endpoint and updating DNS records. NOTE: It is not possible to rename a CDN endpoint. So you need to create a fresh endpoint with the required endpoint name as soon as it is deleted from your Akamai CDN profile.
4. You can wait until we auto migrate, and that migration is expected to be graceful. With the Nov 1 auto migrate: the profiles and endpoints will remain consistent; the downstream provider will be changed behind the scenes from Akamai to Azure CDN Standard from Verizon

Kindly let us know if the above helps or you need further assistance on this issue.

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Answer 2

understand your concern about maintaining your existing CDN endpoint without disruption during the retirement of Azure CDN from Akamai. While Azure CDN from Akamai is being retired, you have a couple of options to ensure continuity for your CDN endpoint:

Azure CDN from Microsoft: Azure provides its own CDN offering called Azure CDN from Microsoft, which can serve as a seamless alternative to Azure CDN from Akamai. With this option, you can create a new CDN profile in Azure and configure it to use Azure CDN from Microsoft. You can then replicate the configuration settings from your current CDN endpoint to the new Azure CDN profile. This way, you can transition your CDN service to Azure CDN from Microsoft while keeping the same CDN endpoint intact.

Migration to an alternative CDN provider: If you prefer to migrate your CDN service to an alternative CDN provider, you can choose from various CDN providers available in the market. Some popular CDN providers include Cloudflare, Fastly, and Amazon CloudFront. To migrate to an alternative CDN provider, you would need to set up a new CDN endpoint with the chosen provider and update your application/service to use the new endpoint. This approach would involve some changes to your infrastructure and may require coordination with the new CDN provider.

When considering either option, it's important to evaluate the features, pricing, and performance of the alternative CDN solution to ensure it meets your requirements.

As you mentioned that you don't use any custom domains for your endpoints, the transition to a new CDN solution should be relatively straightforward. You can work with your development and infrastructure teams to implement the chosen solution, replicate the CDN configuration, and test it thoroughly before retiring Azure CDN from Akamai.

Answer 3

Maintaining the current CDN endpoint while transitioning away from Azure CDN from Akamai can be a challenge due to the retirement of the service. Here are the steps you can take to minimize disruption and potentially migrate your CDN service to an alternative provider or an Azure-native solution:

Review the Retirement Information:

• Ensure you have a clear understanding of the retirement timeline and requirements provided by Azure CDN from Akamai. This includes understanding when the service will be retired and what actions are required.

Evaluate Azure CDN Alternatives:

• Explore alternative CDN providers or Azure-native CDN services, such as Azure CDN from Microsoft, Azure Front Door, or Azure Blob Storage static website hosting.

Migrate Your Content:

• Begin the process of migrating your content and configurations from Azure CDN from Akamai to the chosen alternative CDN service. This may involve replicating your content and configuring the new CDN service accordingly.

1. Testing and Validation:

• Thoroughly test the new CDN service to ensure that it functions as expected and serves content effectively.