Azure AKS — Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure
Azure AKS Tutorial
Welcome to the Azure AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service) tutorial track. This series covers running production Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure, from cluster provisioning to operational best practices.
What is Azure AKS?
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed Kubernetes offering from Microsoft Azure. AKS simplifies deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications by handling the Kubernetes control plane, upgrades, patching, and monitoring — so you can focus on your workloads.
What You’ll Learn
| Area | Topics |
|---|---|
| Cluster Setup | Provisioning AKS clusters using Azure CLI, Terraform, and Bicep |
| Identity & Access | Azure AD integration, RBAC, managed identities, workload identity |
| Networking | Azure CNI, kubenet, private clusters, Azure Load Balancer, Application Gateway Ingress |
| Storage | Azure Disks, Azure Files, CSI drivers, persistent volumes |
| Monitoring | Azure Monitor Container Insights, Prometheus, Grafana |
| Security | Azure Policy for AKS, network policies, Defender for Containers |
| Scaling | Cluster autoscaler, KEDA, virtual nodes (ACI) |
| CI/CD | Azure DevOps pipelines, GitHub Actions, GitOps with Flux |
| Cost Management | Spot node pools, right-sizing, Azure Cost Management |
AKS Key Features
- Managed control plane — Azure manages the API server and etcd
- Azure AD integration — Native Azure Active Directory authentication and RBAC
- Virtual nodes — Burst to Azure Container Instances for serverless scaling
- Azure Policy — Enforce governance with built-in AKS policies
- Azure Monitor — Integrated container monitoring and log analytics
Prerequisites
Before starting this track, you should have:
- Completed the Kubernetes Foundation Tutorial or equivalent experience
- An Azure account (free tier available)
- Azure CLI installed locally
- Basic familiarity with Azure services (Resource Groups, VNets, IAM)
Chapters
| # | Chapter | Topics |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | AKS overview, architecture, pricing |
| 2 | Creating an AKS Cluster | Azure CLI, az aks create, node pools |
| 3 | Networking | Azure CNI, kubenet, load balancers, VNet integration |
| 4 | Storage | Azure Disks, Azure Files, StorageClasses |
| 5 | Identity & Security | Azure AD integration, Managed Identity, RBAC |
| 6 | Monitoring & Logging | Azure Monitor, Container Insights, Log Analytics |
| 7 | Scaling & Upgrades | Cluster autoscaler, node pool scaling, AKS upgrades |
| 8 | CI/CD with AKS | Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, ACR integration |
