News

Devs Can Now Sign Up for Private Preview of GitHub Copilot for Azure

During this week's Build 2024 developer conference, Microsoft announced a private preview of GitHub Copilot for Azure, which lets developers use the AI pair programming tool in the cloud.

Developers can't yet use the tool, but they can now sign up for the private preview by filling out a survey, answering questions about their work, intended use cases and so on. Applicants need to have a license for GitHub Copilot and an Azure subscription.

The tool will come as an extension that will integrate with GitHub Copilot Chat in Visual Studio Code, later becoming available in the Visual Studio 2022 IDE.

GitHub Copilot Chat
[Click on image for larger view.]GitHub Copilot Chat (source: Microsoft).

Microsoft said it showcases how building in natural language with more capabilities can increase development velocity, helping developers explore and manage Azure resources, while also troubleshooting issues and locating relevant logs and code.

"GitHub Copilot for Azure is like having a personal guide to the Azure cloud," Microsoft announced as Build 2024 kicked off this week. "It's here to answer your questions about Azure services, the resources you have deployed, and help you with your troubleshooting. Wondering 'which Azure database is commonly used with Django?' or 'why is my container app returning 404 errors?' Look no further -- GitHub Copilot for Azure can help!"

The post outlined how developers can use the upcoming tool:

  • In-Chat Azure Expertise: Devs can type "@azure" in Copilot Chat to get real-time insights and answers without leaving their code.
  • Personal Resource Management: Devs can list their storage accounts or find the URL for their Azure container app.
  • Deployment Guidance: Devs can get help in understanding how to deploy an application on Azure.
  • Troubleshooting: Devs can get help in navigating Log Analytics to diagnose problems.

A somewhat similar tool, GitHub Copilot for Azure Data Studio, is already available, announced during Build 2023.

About the Author

David Ramel is an editor and writer at Converge 360.

comments powered by Disqus

Featured

  • VS Code 1.123 Adds Agent Session Sync, 1M Context Windows

    Microsoft released Visual Studio Code 1.123 on June 3, adding agent-focused features, larger model context support, integrated browser updates and a new delay for some automatic extension updates.

  • Copilot Billing Shock Hits Developers

    Developer complaints about GitHub Copilot's new usage-based billing model have centered on unexpectedly rapid AI credit consumption, and neither GitHub nor Microsoft has responded directly to the backlash, though they have previously published guidance to lessen model usage costs.

  • Hands On with GitHub Copilot App Technical Preview: Turning a Blazor Issue into a PR

    GitHub's brand-new Copilot desktop app, in technical preview, handled a small Blazor issue from planning through pull request creation, but the hands-on test also showed why developers still need to verify agent work in the running app before merging.

  • At Build 2026, Microsoft Sets Up Windows as an OS for AI Agents

    Microsoft's Build 2026 Windows developer announcements point to a broader platform strategy for agentic AI, spanning terminal workflows, local models, app-building skills, Cloud PCs and operating system-level containment.

Subscribe on YouTube