New version of Zend Framework adds support for Microsoft Windows Azure

Zend Technologies Inc. has announced the availability of Zend Framework 1.10, which among other new features includes support for Microsoft Windows Azure cloud services. We’re very excited about this key milestone, which is the result of a fruitful collaboration! This particular project started last year when we announced the Windows Azure SDK for PHP CTP release and upcoming support in Zend Framework. I also want to thank again Maarten Balliauw who has been a key contributor to the initial project.

With the new Zend Framework 1.10, by simply using the new Zend_Service_WindowsAzure component, developers can easily call Windows Azure APIs from their PHP applications and leverage the storage services, including Blob Storage, Table Storage and Queue Service, offering them a way to accelerate web application development and scale up on demand.

With this announcement, PHP Developers now have great choice when it comes to writing web applications targeting Windows Azure. Besides the Windows Azure SDK included in Zend Framework, there is Windows Azure SDK for PHP which is already prepackaged in Windows Azure tools for Eclipse and the more simpler Simple Cloud API.

Jean Paoli, General Manager Interoperability at Microsoft offered a comment about this announcement: “PHP developers find the Windows Azure platform compelling, Microsoft’s decision to contribute PHP-based Windows Azure components to Zend Framework helps demonstrate Microsoft’s commitment to openness and interoperability by providing greater choice and opportunity for Microsoft customers and partners.”

All of this is very well aligned with Windows Azure Interoperability approach www.windowsazure.com/interoperability in particular and  the overall interoperability effort Microsoft is conducting around PHP (see http://www.interoperabilitybridges.com/projects/tag/PHP.aspx and http://www.microsoft.com/web/php)

Vijay Rajagopalan, Principal Architect