Azure Kubernetes Service(AKS): Use-Cases
Azure is the cloud services provided by Microsoft. There are various subservices in the Azure. Azure Kubernetes Service(or AKS) is one of them. Before moving to the AKS let put some light on the terminologies and the technologies which works along with the AKS.
Containerization:
Containerization is a technology or method through which we create an environment which provide an isolation to the machine /os. It provide us a way by which we can launch an OS of any flavour over the base os .
Kubernetes:
Kubernetes is an open source platform for managing container’s workloads and the services, that facilitates both declarative and automation way of configuration. Kubernetes keep eye on the deployed OS and whenever it find some changes is done in the deployed part or any container fails then it launch the replica of the OS and thus provide a continuous service and decrease the human efforts.
Azure Kubernetes Services(AKS):
Microsoft Azure has brought these two services(Containerization and Kubernetes) together that helps its user to create a fully managed Kubernetes cluster quickly and easily.
From 2018, AKS is available on the Azure public cloud platform . It is also called as open source fully managed container orchestration service. It can be used to deploy, scale and manage Docker container-based applications in a cluster environment.
Features of AKS:
While using the AKS the deploy of a managed Kubernetes cluster is pretty simple by offloading much of the complexity and operational overhead to Azure. As a hosted Kubernetes service ,Azure handles critical tasks ,like health monitoring and the maintenance.
Kubernetes master is managed by the Azure so we need not to worry about the master. We only maintain the agent nodes. Thus , as managed node within the cluster is managed by the AKS so it is free ,we only pay for the agent nodes.
Access, security, and monitoring:
For improved security and management, AKS lets you integrate with Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) and:
- Use Kubernetes role-based access control (Kubernetes RBAC).
- Monitor the health of your cluster and resources.
Identity and security management
To limit access to cluster resources, AKS supports Kubernetes RBAC. Kubernetes RBAC lets you control access and permissions to Kubernetes resources and namespaces.
You can also configure an AKS cluster to integrate with Azure AD. With Azure AD integration, you can configure Kubernetes access based on existing identity and group membership. Your existing Azure AD users and groups can be provided with an integrated sign-on experience and access to AKS resources.
Clusters and nodes
AKS nodes run on Azure virtual machines (VMs). With AKS nodes, you can connect storage to nodes and pods, upgrade cluster components, and use GPUs. AKS supports Kubernetes clusters that run multiple node pools to support mixed operating systems and Windows Server containers.
Cluster node and pod scaling
As demand for resources change, the number of cluster nodes or pods that run your services can automatically scale up or down. You can use both the horizontal pod autoscaler or the cluster autoscaler. This approach to scaling lets the AKS cluster automatically adjust to demands and only run the resources needed.
Storage volume support
To support application workloads, you can mount storage volumes for persistent data. You can use both static and dynamic volumes. Depending on the number of connected pods expected to share the storage volumes, you can use storage backed by either Azure Disks for single pod access, or Azure Files for multiple concurrent pod access.
Virtual networks and ingress
An AKS cluster can be deployed into an existing virtual network. In this configuration, every pod in the cluster is assigned an IP address in the virtual network, and can directly communicate with other pods in the cluster and other nodes in the virtual network. Pods can also connect to other services in a peered virtual network and to on-premises networks over ExpressRoute or site-to-site (S2S) VPN connections
Development tooling integration
Kubernetes has a rich ecosystem of development and management tools that work seamlessly with AKS. These tools include Helm and the Kubernetes extension for Visual Studio Code. These tools work seamlessly with AKS.
Additionally, Azure provides several tools that help streamline Kubernetes, such as DevOps Starter.
DevOps Starter provides a simple solution for bringing existing code and Git repositories into Azure. DevOps Starter automatically:
- Creates Azure resources (such as AKS);
- Configures a release pipeline in Azure DevOps Services that includes a build pipeline for CI;
- Sets up a release pipeline for CD; and,
- Generates an Azure Application Insights resource for monitoring.
Use Cases of Azure Kubernetes Services:
- Using AKS one can easily migrate its existing application on the container and run them.
- Application based on the microservices easily deployed and manage. The extra necessary support is provided by the different AKS features like streamlined horizontal scaling, secret management, self-healing and load balancing.
- AKS is a platform which brought the DevOps and the Kubernetes together. AKS is ideal for secure DevOps and implementation with Kubernetes and improves the speed and security of the development process.
- IoT device deployment and management on demand
- Machine Learning model training with AKS
- Data streaming : AKS can also be used to ingest and process real-time data streams with data points via sensors and perform quick analysis.
Thank you!