Microsoft Azure is a constantly evolving platform that presents developers with an exhaustive list of services to help them simplify application development, deployment, and management. Focusing significantly on flexibility, scalability, and advanced technologies such as AI and Kubernetes, Azure is setting itself up as the top choice for developing contemporary applications.

Here in this article, we dive into the latest Azure development news — from improved Java support to integration with Kubernetes and low-code platforms — and how they enable developers to create smarter and faster.

Improved Java Support in Azure

Azure has made its support for Java developers much stronger, and it has become easier than ever to execute enterprise-level Java applications in the cloud.

Microsoft Build of OpenJDK

Azure currently supports Microsoft Build of OpenJDK, a new Java runtime choice available on multiple Azure services. This effort offers an open-source and long-term supported version of OpenJDK that provides enhanced compatibility and performance for Java workloads on Azure.

Java EE and Jakarta EE Application Servers

Java EE and Jakarta EE framework users can now deploy their applications hassle-free with complete support. Leading servers such as Red Hat JBoss EAP and IBM WebSphere are now supported in Azure Virtual Machines, making it easier for modernization of older apps.

Automated deployment templates augment these offerings, making setup of infrastructure easy and shortening time-to-market.

Java Development Integrated with DevOps

Azure is dedicated to the efficient and agile development of Java through close DevOps integration.

Whichever IDEs, Maven, or CI/CD frameworks you’re familiar with – GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps – Azure provides a first-class experience for:

• Source code management
• Build automation
• Continuous deployment pipelines
• Monitoring and diagnostics

This intuitive integration allows developers to deliver solid Java applications more quickly and with greater assurance.

Azure App Service for Java: Flexible Modern Deployment

Azure App Service allows developers to host Java apps using WAR, EAR, or JAR files with ease.

You can deploy your way:

• Directly from your IDE
• With command-line tools
• With Maven plugins

Azure has built-in support for Tomcat and Red Hat JBoss EAP (preview) and features CI/CD built into the product, autoscaling, and zero-downtime deployments, providing a seamless development and release experience.

Azure Spring Apps: Fully Managed Spring Boot Hosting

Spring Boot developers can leverage Azure Spring Apps (previously Azure Spring Cloud), a fully managed offering dedicated to running Spring apps in production.

Benefits are:

• Automatic scaling
• Built-in monitoring
• Enterprise security
• Integration with Azure DevOps and GitHub

This allows teams to concentrate on business logic development instead of infrastructure management, facilitating faster iterations and consistent app performance.

Kubernetes-Ready: Azure Arc and Application Services Anywhere

A big step ahead for Azure is that it can now execute application services on any Kubernetes cluster through Azure Arc.

Through this release, developers have the option of deploying fundamental Azure services such as:

• App Service
• Azure API Management
• Azure Event Grid

On on-premises clusters, edge nodes, or even on other cloud providers such as AWS and GCP. This strategy offers hybrid and multi-cloud flexibility so applications can run wherever the business requires them to.

Microsoft also made Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) generally available on Azure Stack HCI, allowing organizations to host managed Kubernetes workloads on their own hardware.

Cosmos DB Serverless: Pay Only When You Use

The general availability of Cosmos DB Serverless (now available) provides a great cost benefit to developers and startups.

With a serverless architecture:

• You pay only for the operations and storage you consume
• You don’t have to manage throughput capacity
• It’s perfect for intermittent or low-volume workloads

Cosmos DB’s multi-region availability, low-latency performance, and schema-less data models ensure it’s a great fit for contemporary web, mobile, and IoT applications.

Azure Applied AI Services: AI Made Developer-Friendly

Microsoft has introduced a new category, Azure Applied AI Services, a significant leap forward in making AI accessible to business applications.

These services integrate Azure Cognitive Services (e.g., language, vision, and speech APIs) with business logic to address typical use cases such as:

• Document processing
• Customer service automation
• Knowledge mining

Developers do not need to know machine learning in depth — Azure has pre-built services that are quick to integrate and scale up.

PowerFX: Create Apps Without Coding

Targeting citizen developers and end-users who are not technical, PowerFX is the latest low-code language from Microsoft that allows anyone to develop applications without having to write conventional code.

Some of the features of PowerFX are:

• Excel-like syntax
• Visual design for creating logic and workflows
• Seamless integration with Power Platform and Dynamics 365

This helps business users address routine issues and quickly prototype internal tools without having to rely on IT assistance.

Conclusion: Azure is Future-Ready for Developers

Microsoft Azure’s recent updates clearly indicate that it’s not only keeping pace with the tech community — it’s taking the lead. With end-to-end Java support, Kubernetes agility, AI-first tooling for developers, and low-code environments, Azure is providing developers with all they need to innovate with confidence.

Whether you’re transforming legacy applications or creating cloud-native solutions, Azure has the infrastructure, services, and smarts to fuel your next big idea.

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