Microsoft Dev Box Goes Out of Preview

Cloud Computing

Microsoft launched its Dev Box cloud-powered workstations in public preview back in August 2022. The company announced yesterday that it has decided to make the service generally available following successful testing in multiple organizations.

Microsoft first teased Dev Box at its Build developer conference last year. The new offering provides secure access to pre-configured developer workstations in the cloud. Microsoft Dev Box comes pre-installed with certain development tools and utilities to help users begin coding without worrying about the lengthy deployment process.

Microsoft Dev Box provides integration with Azure Development, allowing developers to use existing templates to get started quickly. The solution also offers built-in integrations with Visual Studio to optimize the development experience. IT admins can manage Dev Box through Microsoft Endpoint Manager and Microsoft Intune.

Currently, Microsoft allows developer teams to choose between a variety of Dev Box SKUs. For starters, the service provides machines with 32GB RAM, 8vCPU, and 256GB storage. The hardware configurations go all the way up to 128GB RAM, 32 vCPU, and 2TB storage.

Microsoft Dev

Microsoft Dev Box licensing

Interestingly, Microsoft originally planned to offer a pay-as-you-go model for Dev Box. However, some developers wanted to opt for full-time use at a maximum fixed monthly rate.

“To accommodate different use cases, we’ve introduced a predictable monthly price for full-time Dev Box usage while keeping consumption-based, pay-as-you-go pricing that charges up to a monthly price cap. This model strikes a balance between the extremes of full consumption or subscription-only pricing, ensuring devs can optimize their spend for both full-time and part-time use cases,” Microsoft explained.

Microsoft Dev Box Goes Out of Preview
Microsoft Dev Box pricing details

Microsoft notes that customers would need Windows 10/Windows 11 Enterprise, Azure Active Directory P1, and Microsoft Endpoint Manager licenses to use Dev Box. This means that it’s available for Microsoft 365 A3, Microsoft 365 A5, Microsoft 365 E3, Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 F3, Microsoft 365 Business Premium, and Microsoft 365 Education Student Use Benefit subscribers. You can learn more about Microsoft Dev Box on this page.