Getting Started with Kubernetes on Azure AKS | Workshop
In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of setting up and using Kubernetes on Azure AKS, Microsoft’s managed Kubernetes service. We will cover the basics of Kubernetes, how to create a cluster on Azure AKS, and how to deploy and manage applications on the cluster.
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It allows you to easily deploy and manage applications across a cluster of machines, providing features such as self-healing, auto-scaling, and service discovery.
Setting up Azure AKS
To get started with Kubernetes on Azure AKS, you will need an Azure account. If you don’t have one, you can sign up for a free trial at https://azure.microsoft.com/. Once you have an Azure account, follow these steps to create a Kubernetes cluster on Azure AKS:
Step 1: Log in to the Azure portal
Go to https://portal.azure.com/ and sign in with your Azure account credentials.
Step 2: Create a new Kubernetes cluster
Click on the “Create a resource” button on the Azure portal dashboard, then search for “Kubernetes Service” and select “Kubernetes Service (AKS).”
Step 3: Set up the Kubernetes cluster
Fill out the required information, such as the resource group, cluster name, and region. You can also choose the Kubernetes version and node size for your cluster. Once you have configured the cluster settings, click on the “Review + create” button to create the cluster.
Step 4: Connect to the Kubernetes cluster
Once the cluster is created, navigate to the Kubernetes service in the Azure portal and click on the “Connect” button to download the kubeconfig file. This file allows you to connect to the Kubernetes cluster from your local machine using the kubectl command-line tool.
Deploying Applications on Azure AKS
Now that you have set up a Kubernetes cluster on Azure AKS, you can start deploying and managing applications on the cluster. Follow these steps to deploy a sample application on your Kubernetes cluster:
Step 1: Install kubectl
If you haven’t already installed kubectl on your local machine, you can download it from the Kubernetes website at https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/tools/install-kubectl/. Kubectl is a command-line tool that allows you to interact with the Kubernetes API and manage resources on your cluster.
Step 2: Configure kubectl
After installing kubectl, configure it to connect to your Kubernetes cluster by running the following command in your terminal:
kubectl config set-cluster –server=https:// –insecure-skip-tls-verify=true
Replace with the name of your cluster and with the server address of your cluster.
Step 3: Deploy a sample application
Create a Kubernetes deployment file for a sample application, such as a simple Nginx web server, by creating a YAML file named nginx-deployment.yaml with the following contents:
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: nginx-deployment
spec:
replicas: 3
selector:
matchLabels:
app: nginx
template:
metadata:
labels:
app: nginx
spec:
containers:
– name: nginx
image: nginx:latest
ports:
– containerPort: 80
Apply the deployment file to your Kubernetes cluster by running the following command:
kubectl apply -f nginx-deployment.yaml
This will create a deployment with three replicas of the Nginx web server running on your cluster.
Managing Applications on Azure AKS
Once you have deployed an application on your Kubernetes cluster, you can manage it using kubectl and the Kubernetes dashboard. Here are some common tasks you can perform on your cluster:
– Scaling: You can scale the number of replicas of a deployment by running the following command:
kubectl scale deployment nginx-deployment –replicas=5
This will increase the number of Nginx replicas to five.
– Rolling updates: You can perform rolling updates on a deployment by updating the image version in the deployment file and running the following command:
kubectl apply -f nginx-deployment.yaml
This will update the deployment with the new image version without causing downtime.
– Monitoring: You can monitor the resources and health of your cluster using the Kubernetes dashboard, which provides insights into the performance of your applications and nodes.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we have covered the basics of setting up and using Kubernetes on Azure AKS. By following these steps, you can create a Kubernetes cluster on Azure AKS, deploy applications on the cluster, and manage them using kubectl and the Kubernetes dashboard. Kubernetes is a powerful platform for container orchestration, and Azure AKS makes it easy to get started with Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure. Happy coding!
