Retirement: Ubuntu 18.04 Node Pools in AKS

Ubuntu 18.04 on Azure Kubernetes Service will be retired on June 17, 2025. Please transition to a supported Ubuntu version by that date.    

Ubuntu 18.04 has been replaced by newer supported versions, including Ubuntu 22.04. We encourage you to transition to Ubuntu 22.04 prior to June 17, 2025 to experience the capabilities of Ubuntu 22.04 including kernel updates and security improvements.   

Starting on June 17, 2025, AKS will no longer create new node images for Ubuntu 18.04 or provide security updates. Existing node images will be deleted. Your node pools will be unsupported and you will no longer be able to scale.  

Required action    

To avoid service disruptions, scaling restrictions, and remain supported, please follow our instructions to upgrade to a supported Kubernetes version. For more information on this retirement, see AKS GitHub.  

Help and support  

If you have questions, get answers from community experts in Microsoft Q&A. If you have a support plan and you need technical help, create a support request.   

1. For Issue type, select “Technical”.    
2. For Subscription, select your subscription.    
3. Under Service, select “Kubernetes Service (AKS)”.    
4. Select, your Kubernetes resource then select, Problem type to be "Deprecation and Retirement".  
5. Under Problem subtype select “Guidance on the Retirement of Linux or Windows Server”. 

Learn more.