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Azure PowerShell versioning, release cadence, and breaking changes

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The Az PowerShell module is a rollup module containing more than 70 generally available (GA) or stable service modules for managing Azure resources directly from PowerShell.

Versioning

The Az PowerShell modules follow Semantic Versioning for version numbering. Versions of Azure service modules fall into one of three categories:

  • Generally available. Modules version 1.0.0 and higher without preview in the version. Adheres to breaking change policy.
  • Preview. Modules less than version 1.0.0. Don't adhere to breaking change policy.
  • Feature preview. Modules version 1.0.0 and higher with preview in the version. Don't adhere to breaking change policy.

There are two Az PowerShell rollup modules:

  • Az. Installs all GA service modules for managing Azure resources.
  • AzPreview. Installs all GA and preview modules for managing Azure resources. Doesn't include feature preview modules.

The AzPreview module is always the same version and is released at the same time as the Az module.

Release cadence

Planned updates to the Az PowerShell module are released on the first Tuesday of each month. These 12 planned updates per calendar year are in two categories:

  • Major versions. At most, two per calendar year introduce breaking changes. The first number in the version number is updated. For example, version 6.6.0 to version 7.0.0.
  • Minor versions. 10 per calendar year that don't introduce breaking changes. The second number in the version number is updated. For example, version 7.0.0 to version 7.1.0.

Warning

Before upgrading to a major breaking change version of the Az PowerShell module, you should review the migration guide.

Unplanned patch versions may be released at any time to fix bugs. Patch versions don't introduce breaking changes. The third number in the version number is updated. For example, version 6.2.0 to version 6.2.1.

Breaking changes

Important

Breaking changes may occur at any point for non-GA preview and feature preview modules. Non-GA modules aren't required to adhere to breaking change policies.

When do breaking changes occur

We release two breaking change versions per year:

  • One in late spring
  • One in the fall

For information about upcoming breaking change releases, see Azure PowerShell milestones.

Types of breaking changes

Various types of breaking changes can occur in cmdlets. For more information, see Breaking Change Definition.

List of breaking changes

For detailed information about breaking changes in major releases of the Az PowerShell module, see the following articles.

Breaking change warning messages

Breaking change warning messages allow Azure PowerShell cmdlet author's to communicate upcoming breaking changes with end users.

Suppress breaking change warning messages

To suppress breaking change warning messages, see How do I disable breaking change warning messages in Azure PowerShell?.

For more information, see Breaking Changes Attribute Help.

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