Release prep v0.17.0 (#4468)

* release prep

* small change

* Update comments

---------

Co-authored-by: Nathan Turinski <naturins@microsoft.com>

Author: motm32

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,22 @@
 # Change Log
 
+## 1.17.0 - 2025-04-08
+
+### Overview
+This release includes improvements to identity management and deployment validation in Azure Functions, along with enhancements to local development tooling and support for newer programming models. It also introduces user-facing warnings for deprecated runtime stacks and improved platform compatibility.
+
+### Added
+* [[4382](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-azurefunctions/pull/4382)] Add a dedicated **Identity** node to the Azure Functions tree view for easier access and management of managed identities associated with Function Apps.
+* [[4387](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-azurefunctions/pull/4387)] Introduced **Local and Remote Identity Settings** commands, allowing users to configure managed identity settings directly from VS Code.
+* [[4423](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-azurefunctions/pull/4423)] Deployment validation now includes checks for **connection strings and managed identity configurations**.
+* [[4428](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-azurefunctions/pull/4428)] Added **end-of-life (EOL) warnings** when deploying or updating Function Apps that use **retired runtime stack versions** to help users upgrate to secured environments.
+
+### Changed
+* [[4425](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-azurefunctions/pull/4425)] Marked **Linux Consumption plans** as **Legacy** as it is recommended to use **Flex Consumption** plans
+* [[4457](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-azurefunctions/pull/4457)] Updated the **Node.js v4 templates** to reflect the latest Azure Functions Core Tools.
+* [[4427](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-azurefunctions/pull/4427)] Updated default language selections to **use the newest programming model**, streamlining the Function App creation experience. If you need to use the old programming model, you can set the `azureFunctions.allowProgrammingModelSelection` setting to `true`.
+* [[4431](https://github.com/microsoft/vscode-azurefunctions/pull/4431)] Enhanced local development support by detecting the absence of **Azurite**, and prompting users with the option to install or run it automatically.
+
 ## 1.16.3 - 2025-03-10
 
 ### Changed