Our last roadmap update was in March 2024, in which we outlined the plans for the in-process model for .NET 8. That has since been released, and in this post, we’ll cover what you can expect throughout the rest of 2024.

.NET 8 option for the in-process model

Since our last post, we have released support for .NET 8 on the in-process model! Apps already using .NET 6 on the in-process model can move to .NET 8 by following the steps in the updating to target .NET 8 on the in-process model guidance.

Please keep in mind that support ends for the in-process model on November 10, 2026, and you’ll want to begin planning your migration to the isolated worker model in advance of that date.

.NET 9 (Preview)

The isolated worker model now supports .NET 9 as a Preview on Linux, starting with .NET 9 Preview 7. Windows support is forthcoming. Please see Preview .NET versions for up-to-date information about OS and version support. As with all .NET major versions, we will aim to have general availability (GA) support aligned with the .NET GA release.

As part of targeting .NET 9, your project will need to use new V2 versions of the core worker dependencies, discussed in the next section.

V2 packages for the isolated worker model

We’re introducing a set of V2 packages that adjusts the framework targets and the major versions of transitive package dependencies. For example, the 2.0.0-preview1 Worker package now targets .NET 8, .NET 9, and .NET Standard 2.0.

These changes bring in new .NET APIs, such as those needed to support integration with .NET Aspire. Like many in the community, we’re very excited about .NET Aspire, and we’re working toward a preview of support for Azure Functions projects in Aspire orchestrations.

We plan to move the 2.x versions to GA alongside the .NET 9 release. There will be a few iterations of these packages while the V2 versions remain in preview. These will add new features, and there will be a few minor breaking changes for bug fixes. However, the primary intent of the V2 packages is to address dependencies and .NET API support, so these other changes will be limited in scope.

Reminders about version support

Per the .NET Official Support Policy, .NET 6 will reach end of support on November 12, 2024. You should update any applications targeting those versions to .NET 8 (or .NET 9, when generally available) prior to the end of support.

If you choose to exercise in-process model option for .NET 8 for any of your applications, it’s still a great idea to begin planning your migration to the isolated worker model in advance of support ending for the in-process model on November 10, 2026.

Since the last roadmap update, support for .NET 7 has ended. If you have any resources still targeting that version, you should update them as soon as you can.

Closing thoughts

The updates covered in this post will take us through the end of 2024. We have additional enhancements planned for the isolated worker model, and we’ll look forward to sharing those in our next roadmap update!

If you encounter any issues with the previews or with any migrations, please engage the team on GitHub. As always, we thank the community for sharing your experiences and helping us make .NET on Azure Functions ever better.

– The Azure Functions team

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