Retirement Of AzureEdge.net DNS: Edg.io Business Closure And What You Need To Know

Microsoft has announced the retirement of Azure CDN services from the azureedge.net domain by January 15, 2025, driven by Edgio’s (formerly Limelight Networks) business closure. This domain underpins Azure CDN services, .NET installations, and content delivery for various Azure and Microsoft services. The shift requires developers and DevOps teams to update configurations, pipelines, and deployment practices to ensure continuity. As a result, Microsoft is migrating some endpoints away from the *.azureedge.net domain, while others are remaining. This article outlines what you need to know, the risks of inaction, and the necessary steps to mitigate disruptions.

Is the azureedge.net Domain Being Retired?

Yes and no, this is sort of complicated. The usage of Azure CDN from Edg.io that was hosted on the *.azureedge.net domain is being retired. You’ll see below that there are workarounds for some services that will still utilize the azureedge.net domain, while other services will be moving away from azureedge.net domain completely.

Edg.io, the DNS provider for azureedge.net, is ceasing operations. As a result, Microsoft is discontinuing Azure CDN from Edg.io and transitioning to Azure Front Door or other Akamai-based CDN solutions. This change impacts applications and services relying on azureedge.net URLs.

Important: The retirement of Azure CDN from Edg.io is the cause for concern in regards to azureedge.net domain retirement. Microsoft has noted that relying on domains like *.azureedge.net and *.azurefd.net is not recommended as this would pose availability risks. The advised response is to adopt a custom domain as soon as possible to ensure greater flexibility and to avoid a single point of failure related to those domains.

Risks of Not Updating

Failing to update services and pipelines reliant on azureedge.net can lead to critical disruptions and security vulnerabilities. As Edg.io, the DNS provider for azureedge.net, ceases operations, services depending on this domain will face resolution failures, breaking deployments, CDN access, and .NET downloads. The resulting downtime could significantly impact application availability, while unpatched dependencies introduce risks of exploits or data exposure. Proactively migrating to new CDN endpoints or custom domains is essential to maintain service continuity and avoid last-minute crises.

1. Service Interruptions – When azureedge.net becomes inactive, endpoints relying on it will fail to resolve, breaking applications and deployments.
2. Security Risks – Continuing to use a decommissioned domain can introduce security vulnerabilities or unexpected downtime.
3. Limited Support – Microsoft will provide limited support for legacy endpoints leading up to the retirement date, after which users are responsible for maintaining custom fallback solutions.

What to Use Instead

• Azure Front Door – This is Microsoft’s flagship CDN offering, providing robust, scalable, and secure content delivery. It integrates seamlessly with existing Azure services.
• Custom Domains – Microsoft strongly advises migrating to custom domains to avoid reliance on azureedge.net or other Microsoft-managed domains.
• New Microsoft CDN Domains – For .NET services, Microsoft will redirect traffic to new, dedicated Microsoft CDN URLs. Ensure your automation points to the updated domains by the transition deadline.

Key Services Affected and What to Migrate/Update

.NET Downloads and Installers

• Affected URLs:
  • dotnetcli.azureedge.net – Hosts .NET SDKs, Runtimes, and Installers.
  • dotnetbuilds.azureedge.net – Provides daily builds and preview releases.
• Action Required:
  • Review all automation scripts, Dockerfiles, and CI/CD pipelines that fetch .NET components via these URLs.
  • Update to the new Microsoft CDN domains once announced.
  • Temporary Workaround: Use feature flags to retain azureedge.net URLs temporarily during migration, but replace them immediately post-transition.
• Impact:
  • Failure to update URLs will break .NET builds, deployments, and installations.

The “Critical: .NET install domains and URLs are changing” Issue on the dotnet/core project contains more details on what to change to update to newer supported DNS urls for .NET.

Azure Front Door – Migrate from Azure CDN

Azure Front Door is Microsoft’s recommended CDN replacement for the azureedge.net domain. It offers enhanced performance, scalability, and integrated security features compared to Azure CDN from Edgio.

• Affected URL:
  • Any Azure CDN profiles linked to *.azureedge.net for static asset delivery (e.g., web apps, APIs).
• Migration Process:
  • Set up an Azure Front Door profile and configure endpoints matching existing azureedge.net URLs.
  • Retain *.azureedge.net temporarily by mapping it to Front Door profiles.
  • Microsoft advises switching to custom domains to mitigate future risks.
• Key Considerations:
  • Migration supports only Front Door Standard and Premium SKUs.
  • Bring Your Own Certificate (BYOC) isn’t available for azureedge.net domains.

The “Migrate to Azure Front Door while retaining *.azureedge.net domain” article from Microsoft contains more information for migrating to Azure Front Door from Azure DNS.

Azure CDN Services

• Affected Areas:
  • Any Azure CDN profiles linked to *.azureedge.net for static asset delivery (e.g., web apps, APIs).
• Migration Path:
  • Recommended: Migrate to Azure Front Door – Microsoft’s flagship CDN solution.
  • Alternative: Shift to Akamai CDN if preferred.
  • Microsoft will begin automatic migration on January 7, 2025 unless you opt out by configuring the feature flag DoNotForceMigrateEdgioCDNProfiles.
• Steps to Migrate:
  1. Audit CDN profiles and dependencies.
  2. Initiate manual migration to Azure Front Door.
  3. Update DNS records and domain mappings.
  4. Test asset delivery on the new CDN.
  5. Gradually reroute production traffic.

Azure DevOps Pipelines and GitHub Actions

• Affected Pipelines:
  • Any DevOps pipelines or GitHub Actions pulling artifacts, SDKs, or tools from azureedge.net.
• Action Required:
  • Update YAML and pipeline scripts to fetch .NET SDKs, Docker images, and tools from new Microsoft-hosted URLs.
  • Modify build agents to use updated download paths.
• Testing Process:
  1. Clone pipelines to a staging environment.
  2. Substitute new URLs and test builds.
  3. Deploy updates incrementally to minimize downtime.

Critical Deadlines to Track

By staying ahead of these updates, developers and DevOps engineers can ensure seamless service continuity and avoid the pitfalls of azureedge.net retirement.

• January 3, 2025 – No further configuration changes allowed for Azure CDN from Edgio.
• January 7, 2025 – Automatic migration to Azure Front Door begins. Developers must set the feature flag DoNotForceMigrateEdgioCDNProfiles by this date if manual migration is preferred.
• January 15, 2025 – Azure CDN from Edgio officially retires. Any unresolved dependencies on azureedge.net will cease to function.

Beware: It’s possible the Edge.io business closure may happen sooner than these deadline dates specified by Microsoft. You’ll want to make the necessary updates / migrations as soon as possible to prevent being affected by potential downtime.

Conclusion

The retirement of Azure CDN from azureedge.net represents a significant shift in Microsoft’s CDN strategy as a result of the edg.io DNS provider business closure. Developers and DevOps engineers must act swiftly to update configurations, avoid service disruptions, and migrate to new Azure Front Door endpoints or custom domains. By proactively auditing dependencies and testing new configurations, teams can ensure a smooth transition and maintain operational stability well beyond the January 2025 deadline.

Original Article Source: Retirement of AzureEdge.net DNS: Edg.io Business Closure and What You Need to Know by Chris Pietschmann (If you’re reading this somewhere other than Build5Nines.com, it was republished without permission.)