Welcome to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) makes it simple to deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications using Kubernetes on Azure. AKS simplifies Kubernetes by offloading the operational burden of a managed control plane to Azure, while leaving your nodes under your own management.
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It groups containers that make up your application into logical units for easy management and discovery. Kubernetes helps you orchestrate your containerized applications and services for optimal performance, resilience, and automation.
Why Use AKS?
AKS provides several benefits:
- Simplified Management: Azure manages the Kubernetes control plane (API server, etcd, scheduler, etc.) for you, so you don't have to worry about installing, operating, and maintaining it.
- Hybrid Cloud Integration: Seamlessly integrate with other Azure services and on-premises environments for a robust hybrid cloud strategy.
- Scalability & Reliability: Leverage Azure's global infrastructure to scale your applications and ensure high availability.
- Developer Productivity: Focus on building and deploying applications with tools like Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, and Helm.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Optimize your spending with flexible pricing models and autoscaling capabilities.
Key AKS Concepts
- Cluster: A set of worker machines (nodes) that run your containerized applications.
- Node: A virtual machine that runs your containerized applications.
- Pod: The smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes, representing a single instance of a running process in your cluster. A pod can contain one or more containers.
- Deployment: A Kubernetes object that describes the desired state for your application, managing the rollout and rollback of updates.
- Service: A Kubernetes object that defines a logical set of Pods and a policy by which to access them, often providing load balancing.
Getting Started
Ready to dive in? You can create your first AKS cluster in minutes. Here are some common starting points:
1. Create an AKS Cluster: Use the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or Terraform to provision your cluster.
2. Deploy an Application: Deploy a sample application using kubectl or Helm charts.
3. Monitor and Manage: Utilize Azure Monitor and other tools to keep your applications healthy.