Microsoft unveils Azure Linux 4.0, its first full Linux distro for the cloud

Microsoft unveiled Azure Linux 4.0, its first general-purpose Linux distribution for Azure, split into a traditional VM image and a dedicated Azure Container Linux (ACL) for container workloads. Based on Fedora and upstreamed via Flatcar, the distro is open source on GitHub and designed to integrate tightly with Azure, with ACL immutable and the VM image usable for all Azure workloads. Developers can run a Windows-hosted path via WSL in the future, but no desktop GUI is planned. Microsoft commits to a two-year support window with monthly security updates and an opt-in automatic-upgrade option, while remaining compatible with other Azure-supported distros. The move signals a deeper Microsoft embrace of Linux and open source in the AI-centric cloud era.