---
slug: "azure-aks-pod-name-metric-dimension-retirement"
title: "Azure Kubernetes Service: pod name dimension on pod metrics retirement"
summary: "From 30 Sep 2027, the pod name dimension is retired on two AKS Azure Monitor platform metrics, kube_pod_status_phase and kube_pod_status_ready. The metrics become aggregate pod counters."
cloud: "azure"
service: "Azure Kubernetes Service"
service_slug: "aks"
category: "feature"
type: "retirement"
announced_date: "2026-10-06"
effective_date: "2027-09-30"
effective_precision: "day"
replacement: "Azure Monitor Managed Prometheus and Kubernetes-native pod metrics (for pod-level monitoring)"
affected_versions: []
source_url: "https://azure.microsoft.com/updates?id=570232"
extra_source_urls: ["https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/aks/monitor-aks-reference#category-pods","https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-monitor/metrics/prometheus-metrics-overview#azure-monitor-managed-service-for-prometheus","https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-monitor/containers/prometheus-metrics-scrape-default#kube-state"]
vendor_ref: "570232"
last_checked_at: "2026-11-12T09:55:19.345Z"
created_at: "2026-11-13T13:36:44.208Z"
updated_at: "2026-11-13T13:36:44.208Z"
url: "https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-aks-pod-name-metric-dimension-retirement"
short_url: "https://eolwatch.dev/i/7u"
markdown_url: "https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-aks-pod-name-metric-dimension-retirement.md"
json_url: "https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-aks-pod-name-metric-dimension-retirement.json"
source_note: null
---

# Azure Kubernetes Service: pod name dimension on pod metrics retirement

From 30 Sep 2027, the pod name dimension is retired on two AKS Azure Monitor platform metrics, kube_pod_status_phase and kube_pod_status_ready. The metrics become aggregate pod counters.

- Effective date: 30 Sep 2027
- Cloud: [Azure](https://eolwatch.dev/cloud/azure.md)
- Service: [Azure Kubernetes Service](https://eolwatch.dev/services/azure/aks.md)
- Type: Retirement
- Category: [Feature](https://eolwatch.dev/categories/features.md)
- Replacement: Azure Monitor Managed Prometheus and Kubernetes-native pod metrics (for pod-level monitoring)
- Announced: 6 Oct 2026
- Official source: [azure.microsoft.com](https://azure.microsoft.com/updates?id=570232)
- Last checked: 12 Nov 2026

## What breaks

From 30 Sep 2027, support for the pod name dimension is retired on the Azure Monitor platform metrics kube_pod_status_phase (number of pods by phase) and kube_pod_status_ready (number of pods in Ready state). After the change, the pod name dimension is not available for filtering, grouping, or alerting, while metric names stay the same, aggregate pod counts remain available, and namespace-level monitoring scenarios remain supported. Until the retirement date, AKS maintains both the existing and the new aggregate implementations, both are populated with data, and existing monitoring experiences continue to function. Dashboards, workbooks, alerts, automation, or monitoring workflows that filter, split or group these metrics by the pod name dimension may be affected.

## What to do

1. Check whether any dashboard, workbook, alert, automation, or monitoring workflow uses kube_pod_status_phase or kube_pod_status_ready and filters, splits or groups on the pod name dimension.
2. If you use aggregate pod counts, no action is required.
3. If you use the pod name dimension, update dashboards, alerts, workbooks, and automation before the retirement date.
4. For pod-level monitoring and troubleshooting, Microsoft recommends [Azure Monitor Managed Prometheus](https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-monitor/metrics/prometheus-metrics-overview#azure-monitor-managed-service-for-prometheus) and [Kubernetes-native pod metrics](https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-monitor/containers/prometheus-metrics-scrape-default#kube-state).

## Replacement

Azure Monitor Managed Prometheus and Kubernetes-native pod metrics (for pod-level monitoring)

## Sources

- [Official source](https://azure.microsoft.com/updates?id=570232) (azure.microsoft.com, Official)
- [Additional source](https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/aks/monitor-aks-reference#category-pods) (learn.microsoft.com, Official)
- [Additional source](https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-monitor/metrics/prometheus-metrics-overview#azure-monitor-managed-service-for-prometheus) (learn.microsoft.com, Official)
- [Additional source](https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-monitor/containers/prometheus-metrics-scrape-default#kube-state) (learn.microsoft.com, Official)

Last checked against the first source in this list on 12 Nov 2026.

Page: https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-aks-pod-name-metric-dimension-retirement | JSON: https://eolwatch.dev/items/azure-aks-pod-name-metric-dimension-retirement.json

The text on this page is drafted with AI assistance from the vendor's text, checked against the official source and approved by a person before it is published.