Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

What is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) makes it simple to deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications and microservices using Kubernetes. Azure handles critical background tasks, such as health monitoring and maintenance, freeing you up to focus on your containers and not the underlying infrastructure.

AKS provides a managed Kubernetes experience in Azure, offering:

Simplified Orchestration: Easily deploy and manage your containerized applications.
Hybrid Cloud Capabilities: Seamlessly integrate with your on-premises or multi-cloud environments.
Developer Productivity: Faster development cycles with integrated CI/CD pipelines and developer tools.
Scalability and Resilience: Build highly available and scalable applications.
Cost Optimization: Efficient resource utilization and cost management.

Key Features

Managed Control Plane

AKS provides a free managed Kubernetes control plane, so you don't need to worry about installing, operating, and maintaining your own Kubernetes master. Azure manages the control plane for you.

Automated Upgrades and Updates

Easily upgrade your Kubernetes cluster version with automated release channels and a robust upgrade experience.

Identity and Access Management

Integrate AKS with Azure Active Directory for secure authentication and role-based access control (RBAC) to your Kubernetes resources.

Secure and Resilient Clusters

Benefit from Azure's robust security features, including private clusters, network policies, and integration with Azure Security Center.

Developer Tools Integration

AKS integrates seamlessly with popular developer tools like Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, and Helm for efficient CI/CD and application management.

Hybrid Cloud Ready

Extend your Kubernetes workloads across Azure and on-premises environments using Azure Arc enabled Kubernetes.

Getting Started with AKS

Ready to deploy your first containerized application on AKS? Follow these steps:

Prerequisites: Ensure you have an Azure subscription and the Azure CLI installed.
Create an AKS Cluster: Use the Azure CLI to create a new AKS cluster.

                    az group create --name myResourceGroup --location eastus

                    az aks create --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myAKSCluster --node-count 1 --enable-addons monitoring --generate-ssh-keys

Connect to your Cluster: Configure your Kubernetes command-line tool to connect to your cluster.

az aks get-credentials --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myAKSCluster

Deploy an Application: Deploy a sample application using Kubernetes manifests.

                    kubectl create deployment my-app --image=mcr.microsoft.com/azuredocs/aci-helloworld

                    kubectl expose deployment my-app --port 80 --type LoadBalancer

Verify Deployment: Check the status of your deployed application.

kubectl get service my-app -o wide

For detailed instructions and more advanced scenarios, please refer to our Quickstart Guide and Tutorials.