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Use the Azure Linux container host for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Applies to: ✔️ AKS Automatic ✔️ AKS Standard

The Azure Linux container host for AKS is an open-source Linux distribution created by Microsoft. It's generally available as a container host on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). You can deploy Azure Linux node pools in a new cluster, add Azure Linux node pools to your existing Ubuntu clusters, or migrate your Ubuntu nodes to Azure Linux nodes. To learn more about Azure Linux, see the Azure Linux documentation.

For most production workloads, AKS Automatic is the recommended production-ready default for AKS. In AKS Automatic, Azure Linux is preconfigured as the default operating system (OS) for the system node pool. This configuration means Azure Linux is part of the managed, production-ready default experience in AKS Automatic, rather than a separate decision you need to make for cluster system components.

Important

Starting on November 30, 2025, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) no longer supports or provides security updates for Azure Linux 2.0. The Azure Linux 2.0 node image is frozen at the 202512.06.0 release. Beginning on March 31, 2026, node images will be removed, and you'll be unable to scale your node pools. Migrate to a supported Azure Linux version by upgrading your node pools to a supported Kubernetes version or migrating to osSku AzureLinux3. For more information, see the Retirement GitHub issue and the Azure Updates retirement announcement. To stay informed on announcements and updates, follow the AKS release notes.

Why use Azure Linux

The Azure Linux container host on AKS uses a native AKS image that provides one place to do all Linux development. Every package is built from source and validated, ensuring your services run on proven components. Azure Linux is lightweight, only including the necessary set of packages needed to run container workloads. Azure Linux provides a reduced attack surface and eliminates patching and maintenance of unnecessary packages. At the base layer, it has a Microsoft hardened kernel tuned for Azure. Learn more about the key capabilities of Azure Linux.

Azure Linux is also the default OS for the system node pool in AKS Automatic. This default supports the AKS Automatic goal of providing a production-ready cluster configuration with preconfigured platform choices for reliability, security, and reduced operational overhead.

Azure Linux in AKS Automatic

AKS Automatic is the recommended production-ready default for most AKS workloads. In AKS Automatic:

  • Azure Linux is preconfigured as the default OS for the system node pool.
  • AKS manages core cluster setup and platform defaults for you.
  • Azure Linux is part of the built-in production-oriented experience, alongside other preconfigured security, scaling, and operations defaults.

If you want a managed AKS experience with production-ready defaults, start with AKS Automatic. To learn more, see What is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Automatic?

Deployment options for Azure Linux on AKS

How you use Azure Linux depends on whether you're using AKS Automatic or AKS Standard.

AKS Automatic

In AKS Automatic, the system node pool uses Azure Linux by default. If you're creating a new production workload and want the recommended production-ready default experience for AKS, start with AKS Automatic.

To get started, see:

AKS Standard

In AKS Standard, you can choose Azure Linux as the node OS option based on your cluster and workload requirements.

To get started using Azure Linux with AKS Standard, see:

Considerations

When deciding how to use Azure Linux in AKS, keep the following points in mind:

  • For new production workloads, AKS Automatic is the recommended production-ready default for most AKS scenarios.
  • In AKS Automatic, the system node pool is preconfigured to use Azure Linux.
  • In AKS Standard, you can explicitly choose Azure Linux for new clusters, added node pools, or migration scenarios.
  • Regional availability for Azure Linux follows AKS regional availability.

Regional availability

The Azure Linux container host is available for use in the same regions as AKS.

Related content

To learn more about Azure Linux and AKS Automatic, see:

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