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Language runtime support policy

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This article explains Azure functions language runtime support policy.

Retirement process

Azure Functions runtime is built around various components, including operating systems, the Azure Functions host, and language-specific workers. To maintain full-support coverages for function apps, Functions support aligns with end-of-life support for a given language. To achieve this goal, Functions implements a phased reduction in support as programming language versions reach their end-of-life dates. For most language versions, the retirement date coincides with the community end-of-life date.

Notification phase

The Functions team sends notification emails to function app users about upcoming language version retirements. When you receive the notification, you should prepare to upgrade functions apps to use to a supported version.

Retirement phase

After the language end-of-life date, function apps that use retired language versions can still be created and deployed, and they continue to run on the platform. However your apps aren't eligible for new features, security patches, and performance optimizations until you upgrade them to a supported language version.

Important

You're highly encouraged to upgrade the language version of your affected function apps to a supported version. If you're running functions apps using an unsupported runtime or language version, you may encounter issues and performance implications and will be required to upgrade before receiving support for your function app.

Retirement policy exceptions

There are few exceptions to the retirement policy outlined above. Here's a list of languages that are approaching or have reached their end-of-life (EOL) dates but continue to be supported on the platform until further notice. When these languages versions reach their end-of-life dates, they're no longer updated or patched. Because of this, we discourage you from developing and running your function apps on these language versions.

Language Versions EOL Date Retirement Date
Python 3.7 27 June 2023 30 September 2023
Node 14 30 April 2023 30 June 2024
Node 16 11 September 2023 30 June 2024

Language version support timeline

To learn more about specific language version support policy timeline, visit the following external resources:

Configuring language versions

Language Configuration guides
C# (isolated worker model) link
C# (in-process model) link
Java link
Node link
PowerShell link
Python link

Retired runtime versions

This historical table shows the highest language level for specific Azure Functions runtime versions that are no longer supported:

Language 2.x 3.x
C# GA (.NET Core 2.1) GA (.NET Core 3.1 & .NET 5*)
JavaScript/TypeScript GA (Node.js 10 & 8) GA (Node.js 14, 12, & 10)
Java GA (Java 8) GA (Java 11 & 8)
PowerShell N/A N/A
Python GA (Python 3.7) GA (Python 3.9, 3.8, 3.7)
TypeScript GA GA

*.NET 5 was only supported for C# apps running in the isolated worker model.

For the language levels currently supported by Azure Functions, see Languages by runtime version.

Next steps

To learn more about how to upgrade your functions apps language versions, see the following resources: