---
title: AKS Preview API life cycle
description: Learn about the AKS preview API life cycle.
ms.custom: azure-kubernetes-service,innovation-engine
ms.topic: concept-article
ms.date: 03/31/2026
author: matthchr
ms.author: matthchr

# Customer intent: As a cloud developer, I want to stay informed about the lifecycle and deprecation schedule of AKS preview APIs, so that I can ensure my applications are using up-to-date versions and avoid disruptions in service.
---

# AKS Preview API life cycle

> [!div class="nextstepaction"]
> [Deploy and Explore](https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2331825)

The Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) preview APIs (APIs that end in `-preview`) have a lifespan of ~one year from their release date.
This means that you can expect the 2023-01-02-preview API to be deprecated somewhere around January 1st, 2024. 

We love when people try our preview features and give us feedback, so we encourage you to use the preview APIs and the
tools built on them (such as the [AKS Preview CLI Extension](https://github.com/Azure/azure-cli-extensions/tree/main/src/aks-preview)).

After an API version is deprecated, it will no longer function! We recommend you routinely:
- Update your ARM/BICEP templates using preview API versions to use the latest version of the preview API.
- Update your AKS preview CLI extension to the latest version.
- Update any preview SDKs or other tools built on the preview API to the latest version.

You should perform these updates at a minimum every 6-9 months. If you fail to do so, you will be notified that you are using a soon-to-be deprecated 
API version as deprecation approaches.

## How to check what API versions you're using

If you're unsure what client or tool is using this API version, check the [activity logs](/azure/azure-monitor/essentials/activity-log)
using the following command:

Set the API version you want to inspect for recent usage in the activity log. In this example, we are checking for the `2022-04-01-preview` API version.

```bash
export API_VERSION="2022-04-01-preview"
az monitor activity-log list --offset 30d --max-events 10000 --namespace microsoft.containerservice --query "[?eventName.value == 'EndRequest' && contains(not_null(httpRequest.uri,''), '$API_VERSION')]"
```

## How to update to a newer version of the API

- For Azure SDKs: use a newer API version by updating to a [newer version of the SDK](https://azure.github.io/azure-sdk/releases/latest/index.html?search=containerservice).
- For Azure CLI: Update the CLI itself and the aks-preview extension (if used) to the latest version by running `az upgrade` and `az extension update --name "aks-preview"`.
- For Terraform: Update to the latest version of the AzureRM Terraform module. To find out what version of the API a particular Terraform release is using,
  check the [Terraform release notes](/azure/developer/terraform/provider-version-history-azurerm) or 
  git log [this file](https://github.com/hashicorp/terraform-provider-azurerm/blob/main/internal/services/containers/client/client.go).
- For other tools: Update the tool to the latest version.


## Upcoming deprecations

| API version        | Announce Date     | Deprecation Date  |
|--------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
| 2023-10-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2023-11-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2024-01-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2024-02-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2024-03-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2024-04-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2024-05-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2024-06-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2024-07-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2024-08-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |
| 2024-09-02-preview | March 24, 2026    | July 1, 2026      |

