azure-cloud-services
Expert knowledge for Azure Cloud Services development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when building, debugging, or optimizing Azure Cloud Services applications. Not for Azure App Service (use azure-app-service), Azure Virtual Machines (use azure-virtual-machines), Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) (use azure-kubernetes-service), Azure Container Apps (use azure-container-apps).
From azurenpx claudepluginhub atc-net/atc-agentic-toolkitThis skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.
Azure Cloud Services Skill
This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Cloud Services. Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.
How to Use This Skill
IMPORTANT for Agent: This file may be large. Use the Category Index below to locate relevant sections, then use
read_filewith specific line ranges (e.g.,L136-L144) to read the sections needed for the user's question This skill requires network access to fetch documentation content. Usemcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetchto retrieve full articles.
- Fallback: Use the built-in
WebFetchtool if the Microsoft Learn MCP server is not available.
Category Index
| Category | Lines | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Troubleshooting | L36-L40 | Diagnosing and fixing common migration errors when moving classic Cloud Services to Cloud Services (extended support), including deployment, configuration, and compatibility issues. |
| Best Practices | L41-L45 | Guidance on designing and configuring autoscale rules for Cloud Services, including metrics, thresholds, and patterns to optimize performance, reliability, and cost. |
| Decision Making | L46-L53 | Guidance on when to use Cloud Services vs VM Scale Sets, and how to plan and execute migrations from classic/non-VNet Cloud Services to extended support and VNets |
| Limits & Quotas | L54-L60 | VM instance size limits/capacities and timelines, impacts, and constraints related to Guest OS family retirements for Azure Cloud Services. |
| Security | L61-L67 | Using Key Vault for certificates in Cloud Services and understanding Azure Guest OS security updates, support lifecycle, and retirement policies |
| Configuration | L68-L86 | Configuring Cloud Services roles and deployments: .csdef/.cscfg schemas, network/load balancer settings, diagnostics, RDP, Key Vault, extensions, alerts, and scaling/SKU overrides. |
| Integrations & Coding Patterns | L87-L93 | Automating Azure Cloud Services (extended support) with PowerShell: creating deployments, retrieving service details, and resetting or redeploying cloud service instances. |
| Deployment | L94-L97 | Guidance on planning and managing Guest OS version upgrades for Azure Cloud Services, including upgrade paths, scheduling, and compatibility considerations. |
Troubleshooting
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Resolve common errors when migrating to Cloud Services extended support | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/in-place-migration-common-errors |
Best Practices
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Configure autoscaling rules for Cloud Services deployments | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/configure-scaling |
Decision Making
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Compare Cloud Services and Virtual Machine Scale Sets features | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/feature-support-analysis |
| Plan migration from Cloud Services classic to extended support | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/in-place-migration-overview |
| Understand technical requirements for Cloud Services migration | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/in-place-migration-technical-details |
| Plan migration of non-VNet Cloud Services into VNets | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/non-vnet-migration |
Limits & Quotas
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| VM size options and capacities for Cloud Services instances | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/available-sizes |
| Guest OS Family 1 retirement dates and deployment impact | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/cloud-services-guestos-family-1-retirement |
| Guest OS Families 2–4 retirement timelines and impact | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/cloud-services-guestos-family-2-3-4-retirement |
Security
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Securely store and use certificates with Key Vault in Cloud Services | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/certificates-and-key-vault |
| Review MSRC security updates applied to Azure Guest OS | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/cloud-services-guestos-microsoft-security-response-center-releases |
| Understand support and retirement policy for Azure Guest OS | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/cloud-services-guestos-retirement-policy |
Configuration
Integrations & Coding Patterns
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Use PowerShell to create Cloud Services (extended support) | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/sample-create-cloud-service |
| Use PowerShell to retrieve Cloud Service details | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/sample-get-cloud-service |
| Use PowerShell to reset Cloud Services deployments | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/sample-reset-cloud-service |
Deployment
| Topic | URL |
|---|---|
| Plan Azure Cloud Services Guest OS upgrade path | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-services-extended-support/cloud-services-guestos-update-matrix |