An introduction to Azure Kubernetes Service

By Chris Walden, Editor for TechNet UK

09/06/2022

An illustration of a cloud made of puzzle pieces, with a drawing of Bit the Raccoon to the right of the image.

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) simplifies deploying a managed Kubernetes cluster in Azure by offloading the operational overhead to Azure. As a hosted Kubernetes service, Azure handles critical tasks like health monitoring and maintenance, and since Kubernetes masters are managed by Azure, you only manage and maintain the agent nodes. Thus, AKS is free; you only pay for the agent nodes within your clusters, not for the masters.

You can create an AKS cluster using:

The Azure CLI
The Azure portal
Azure PowerShell
Using template-driven deployment options, like Azure Resource Manager templates, Bicep and Terraform

When you deploy an AKS cluster, the Kubernetes master and all nodes are deployed and configured for you. Advanced networking, Azure Active Directory integration, monitoring, and other features can be configured during the deployment process.

Resources

Get started with AKS

With Microsoft Learn, you can kick off your journey into Azure Kubernetes Service with easy to understand training – and best of all, it’s free! This is the perfect way to work through new software.

Learn more about AKS

Already using AKS and want to go further? Whether it’s learning something new within the Azure Kubernetes Service or becoming certified, there’s plenty more to explore and discover.