Yun Jung Choi introduces the general availability of GitHub Copilot for Azure, highlighting its new Agent Mode that transforms DevOps workflows with integrated AI, enhanced security, and rich Azure support.

Unlocking a New DevOps Era

GitHub Copilot for Azure was first introduced at Ignite 2024 as a public preview, allowing developers, IT operators, and DevOps practitioners to use natural language for provisioning, configuring, and managing resources within their Azure environments.

Since its preview, GitHub Copilot for Azure has served as an AI-powered developer assistant that transforms application building and management on Azure, directly from Visual Studio Code. Feedback from early adopters has highlighted how it accelerates Azure development, flattens the learning curve, and reduces the need for context switching.

General Availability and Agent Mode

We are excited to announce the General Availability (GA) of GitHub Copilot for Azure. This milestone means the service is ready for production and enterprise-scale scenarios. Importantly, GA introduces Agent Mode, initiating a new era of agentic DevOps for every Azure developer.

Key Features Now Generally Available

  • Broad Visual Studio Code Support: Deep integration with everyday development environments.
  • Seamless Azure Integration: Provides tailored responses using live Azure resource context.
  • Agent Mode Orchestration: Enables orchestration and execution of multi-step infrastructure and DevOps workflows, going beyond mere code suggestions.
  • Enterprise Security and Compliance: Built-in security features and access controls for sensitive and production workloads.

Integrating Azure Capabilities into Agent Mode: Unlocking Agentic DevOps

With GA, GitHub Copilot for Azure launches support for Agent Mode—a transformative advancement reimagining Copilot as a proactive teammate. In Agent Mode, it can:

  • Generate code following Azure libraries and best practices
  • Create and edit infrastructure-as-code (IaC) artifacts for Azure resources
  • Deploy and troubleshoot applications on Azure
  • Provide detailed information about Azure resources, such as settings, certificate expirations, and resource health

Sample Prompts for Agentic DevOps

  • “List my Azure storage accounts by region.”
  • “Search across my other Azure subscriptions.”
  • “Generate an Azure Bicep template to create a new storage account in West US.”
  • “Rename the new storage account in the bicep template by removing all non-alphabetic characters and create it in East US instead of West US.”
  • “Use azd (Azure Developer CLI) to deploy my new storage account.”

Getting Started with GitHub Copilot for Azure

Follow these steps to begin leveraging Copilot for intelligent Azure development:

  1. Download GitHub Copilot for Azure from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace
  2. Open GitHub Copilot Chat in VS Code
  3. Set mode to Agent Mode
  4. Use natural language commands to instruct Copilot on Azure tasks
  5. Sign in to your Azure account and grant the necessary permissions when prompted
  6. For a detailed walkthrough, visit Get Started with GitHub Copilot for Azure

Join the Future of Intelligent Cloud Development

The general availability of GitHub Copilot for Azure, especially with Agent Mode, demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to empowering developers and IT teams. This release enables innovation at a faster pace, improved operational efficiency, and simplified management of complex Azure cloud projects. With enhanced agentic capabilities, manual efforts are reduced and the potential of AI-driven DevOps for organizations is unlocked.

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