Step-by-Step Tutorial: Setting Up and Managing Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Step 1: Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

1. Azure Subscription: Sign up for an Azure account at azure.com if you don’t have one.
2. Azure CLI: Install the Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) on your local machine. Download it from here and verify installation by running:

   az --version

3. kubectl: Install the Kubernetes command-line tool to interact with your cluster. Use the following command:

   az aks install-cli

Verify with:

   kubectl version --client

4. Docker (Optional): If you plan to build and push container images, install Docker Desktop from docker.com.
5. Code Editor: Use Visual Studio Code or any editor for writing configuration files.

Log in to Azure CLI:

az login

Follow the browser prompt to authenticate.

Step 2: Create a Resource Group

A resource group is a container that holds related Azure resources.

1. Run the following command to create a resource group (replace <resource-group-name> and <location> with your preferred name and Azure region, e.g., eastus):

   az group create --name <resource-group-name> --location <location>

2. Verify the resource group:

   az group list --output table

Step 3: Create an AKS Cluster

Now, deploy an AKS cluster within the resource group.

1. Use the az aks create command to create a cluster. Replace placeholders with your details:

   az aks create \
     --resource-group <resource-group-name> \
     --name <cluster-name> \
     --node-count 2 \
     --node-vm-size Standard_D2s_v3 \
     --generate-ssh-keys

• --name: Unique name for your cluster.
• --node-count: Number of nodes (virtual machines) in the cluster (start with 2 for testing).
• --node-vm-size: VM size (e.g., Standard_D2s_v3 for 2 vCPUs, 8GB RAM).
• --generate-ssh-keys: Automatically generates SSH keys for cluster access.

1. This process may take 5-10 minutes. Monitor progress with:

   az aks list --output table

Step 4: Connect to the AKS Cluster

Configure kubectl to connect to your AKS cluster.

1. Get credentials for the cluster:

   az aks get-credentials --resource-group <resource-group-name> --name <cluster-name>

2. Verify the connection:

   kubectl get nodes

You should see a list of nodes in the Ready state.

Step 5: Deploy a Sample Application

Let’s deploy a simple Nginx web server to test the cluster.

1. Create a Deployment:
   Create a file named nginx-deployment.yaml with the following content:

   apiVersion: apps/v1
   kind: Deployment
   metadata:
     name: nginx-deployment
   spec:
     replicas: 2
     selector:
       matchLabels:
         app: nginx
     template:
       metadata:
         labels:
           app: nginx
       spec:
         containers:
         - name: nginx
           image: nginx:latest
           ports:
           - containerPort: 80

This defines a deployment with 2 replicas of the Nginx container.

2. Apply the deployment:

   kubectl apply -f nginx-deployment.yaml

3. Expose the Deployment:
   Create a service to expose the Nginx app externally:
   Create nginx-service.yaml:

   apiVersion: v1
   kind: Service
   metadata:
     name: nginx-service
   spec:
     selector:
       app: nginx
     ports:
       - protocol: TCP
         port: 80
         targetPort: 80
     type: LoadBalancer

Apply it:

   kubectl apply -f nginx-service.yaml

4. Get the external IP:

   kubectl get services

Look for the EXTERNAL-IP under nginx-service. Once assigned, open this IP in a browser to see the Nginx welcome page.

Step 6: Scale the Application

AKS makes scaling easy.

1. Scale the deployment to 3 replicas:

   kubectl scale deployment nginx-deployment --replicas=3

2. Verify the new replica count:

   kubectl get pods

Step 7: Update the Application

Update the Nginx version to test rolling updates.

1. Edit nginx-deployment.yaml and change the image to nginx:1.19:

   image: nginx:1.19

2. Apply the update:

   kubectl apply -f nginx-deployment.yaml

3. Monitor the rollout status:

   kubectl rollout status deployment/nginx-deployment

Step 8: Monitor and Manage the Cluster

Use Azure Monitor and Kubernetes tools to manage your cluster.

1. Enable Monitoring (Optional):
   During cluster creation, you can enable Azure Monitor with:

   az aks create --enable-addons monitoring --resource-group <resource-group-name> --name <cluster-name> ...

Access it via the Azure Portal under your AKS resource.

2. Check Cluster Health:

   kubectl get nodes
   kubectl get pods --all-namespaces

3. Delete Resources (When Done):
   To avoid charges, delete the cluster and resource group:

   az aks delete --resource-group <resource-group-name> --name <cluster-name> --yes
   az group delete --name <resource-group-name> --yes

Step 9: Advanced Configuration (Optional)

For production use, consider these enhancements:

• Auto-scaling: Enable the cluster autoscaler:

  az aks update --resource-group <resource-group-name> --name <cluster-name> --enable-cluster-autoscaler --min-count 1 --max-count 5

• RBAC and Azure AD Integration: Secure access with role-based access control (RBAC) and Azure Active Directory (AAD). Configure during cluster creation with appropriate flags.
• Private Clusters: Create a private AKS cluster for enhanced security:

  az aks create --resource-group <resource-group-name> --name <cluster-name> --enable-private-cluster ...

Step 10: Troubleshooting and Best Practices

• Common Issues:
• If kubectl get nodes fails, re-run az aks get-credentials.
• Ensure your Azure CLI is updated: az upgrade.
• Best Practices:
• Use namespaces to organize resources: kubectl create namespace <name>.
• Implement resource limits in deployments to avoid overutilization.
• Regularly back up critical data and configurations.

By following these steps, you’ve successfully set up an AKS cluster, deployed a sample application, and explored basic management tasks. AKS simplifies Kubernetes management by handling control plane maintenance, upgrades, and scaling, allowing you to focus on application development. For production environments, integrate CI/CD pipelines (e.g., Azure DevOps), secure your cluster with network policies, and leverage Azure’s monitoring tools. This tutorial provides a foundation—continue exploring AKS documentation here for advanced features like multi-node pools and GPU support.