Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) simplifies deploying, managing, and automating Kubernetes applications. It integrates with Azure’s identity and governance tools, as well as Azure’s networking and storage solutions, making it easier to build and run containerized applications.

What is AKS?

AKS provides a managed Kubernetes control plane, eliminating the need to install, operate, and maintain your own Kubernetes cluster. It also manages the Kubernetes nodes, providing patching and upgrades. This allows you to focus on building and deploying your applications.

Key Features

Managed Control Plane: Azure manages the Kubernetes control plane, ensuring high availability and scalability.
Hybrid, Multicloud, and Edge: AKS enables consistent development and operations across Azure, on-premises, and edge locations.
Developer Productivity: Seamless integration with developer tools like Visual Studio Code and Azure DevOps streamlines the development lifecycle.
Cost Savings: AKS can reduce operational costs by leveraging Azure’s pay-as-you-go pricing and auto-scaling capabilities.
Security: Integrated security features like Azure Policy and Azure Active Directory provide robust protection for your clusters.

Getting Started with AKS

To get started with AKS, you can follow these steps:

Prerequisites: Ensure you have an Azure subscription and the Azure CLI installed.
Create a Kubernetes Cluster: Use the Azure CLI or Azure Portal to create a new AKS cluster.
Deploy an Application: Deploy your containerized application to the AKS cluster using `kubectl`.

For a guided experience, check out the AKS Quickstart.

Core Concepts

Understanding core Kubernetes concepts is essential for effective use of AKS. Some key concepts include:

Pods: The smallest deployable units in Kubernetes, representing a running process.
Deployments: Manages the desired state of your applications, ensuring that a specified number of pods are running.
Services: Abstract away the network details of pods, allowing them to communicate with each other and be exposed to the outside world.
Namespaces: Provide a mechanism for isolating groups of resources within a single cluster.

Dive deeper into these concepts in the Concepts section.

Tip: Leverage AKS integrations with Azure services like Azure Monitor for insights into cluster performance and Azure Key Vault for secure management of secrets.

Common Scenarios

Deploying microservices
Running CI/CD pipelines
Hosting web applications
Data processing and analytics

Explore detailed tutorials and guides in our Tutorials section.