Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Introduction to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) simplifies deploying, managing, and automating containerized applications using Kubernetes on Azure. AKS provides a managed Kubernetes control plane, making it easy to build and run highly available, scalable containerized applications without the complexity of managing the underlying infrastructure.

Key benefits of AKS include:

• Managed Control Plane: Azure manages the Kubernetes control plane, so you don't have to.
• Simplified Deployment: Rapidly deploy applications with Helm charts or custom manifests.
• Integrated Services: Seamless integration with other Azure services like Azure Monitor, Azure Active Directory, and Azure Virtual Network.
• Scalability: Easily scale your applications and cluster resources up or down as needed.
• Security: Built-in security features and integration with Azure security services.

Getting Started with AKS

Follow these steps to create your first AKS cluster and deploy an application.

Core Kubernetes Concepts in AKS

Understand the fundamental building blocks of Kubernetes as they apply to AKS.

Nodes and Pods

A node is a virtual machine that runs your application workloads. A pod is the smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes, representing a single instance of a running process in your cluster. Pods can contain one or more containers.

apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
  name: my-pod
spec:
  containers:
  - name: my-container
    image: nginx:latest
    ports:
    - containerPort: 80

Services and Ingress

Services provide a stable IP address and DNS name to access a set of pods, abstracting away individual pod lifecycles. Ingress manages external access to services in a cluster, typically HTTP and HTTPS, providing load balancing, SSL termination, and name-based virtual hosting.

Deployments and StatefulSets

Deployments provide declarative updates for Pods and ReplicaSets. You describe a desired state in a Deployment, and the Deployment Controller changes the actual state to the desired state at a controlled rate. StatefulSets are used for stateful applications, providing stable network identities, stable persistent storage, and ordered, graceful deployment and scaling.

Managing Your AKS Environment

Learn how to maintain and optimize your AKS clusters.

Scaling Clusters

Adjust the number of nodes in your node pools or configure the cluster autoscaler to automatically adjust node counts based on workload demands.

Upgrading Clusters

Keep your AKS cluster up-to-date with the latest Kubernetes versions and security patches.

Monitoring and Logging

Integrate with Azure Monitor for comprehensive monitoring and logging of your cluster and applications.

Advanced AKS Topics

Dive deeper into specific areas of AKS.

Networking

Explore advanced networking configurations, including network policies and custom VNet integration.

Security

Implement robust security measures, such as Azure Active Directory integration, role-based access control (RBAC), and network security groups.

Storage

Configure persistent storage for your stateful applications using Azure Disk, Azure Files, or Azure NetApp Files.

Comprehensive Tutorials

Follow step-by-step tutorials for common AKS use cases.

• Deploy a CI/CD pipeline to AKS
• Build a microservices application on AKS
• Secure your AKS applications

Code Samples and Quickstarts

Find example code and quickstart guides to accelerate your development.

• AKS Quickstart with Azure CLI
• Kubernetes Manifest Samples