This is not an exhaustive documentation of all the existing Azure Services. These are summarized notes for the Azure Certifications.
To see the complete documentation, please go to: Azure documentation
Containers provide a lightweight and efficient way to package and deploy applications.
- Containers are a preferred method for building, testing, and deploying applications.
- They encapsulate an application and its dependencies, excluding the operating system.
Challenges in Containerized Deployments
-
Single Container Limitation: Running a single instance of a container is usually insufficient for production applications.
-
Microservices Architecture: Modern applications adopt a microservices architecture, dividing applications into separate containers.
Container Orchestrator
- Manage multiple containers, ensuring scalability, high availability, and efficient deployment.
Kubernetes is a container orchestrator that addresses the challenges of managing multiple containers in production.
- Open-source container orchestrator.
- Manages clusters of virtual machines running containers.
- Key components: Nodes, Pods, Control Plane.
Kubernetes Features
-
Scalability:
- Easily scale the number of containers to meet demand.
-
High Availability:
- Ensures applications are available and responsive, even in the face of failures.
-
Microservices Support:
- Supports the deployment of applications as microservices in separate containers.
Kubernetes Components
-
Nodes:
- Virtual machines in the cluster, each capable of running one or more pods.
-
Pods:
- Basic deployment unit, containing one or more containers.
-
Control Plane:
- Manages nodes and pods, ensuring desired state and handling orchestration.
Azure Kubernetes Service or AKS is Microsoft's managed Kubernetes service in Azure.
- Simplifies Kubernetes cluster creation, configuration, and management.
- Easier installation and configuration compared to manual Kubernetes setup.
- Integration with Azure services for enhanced capabilities.
- Simplifies the deployment and management of containerized applications.
You can create an AKS cluster using:
- Azure CLI
- Azure PowerShell
- Azure portal
- Template-driven deployment options, like Azure Resource Manager templates, Bicep, and Terraform.
Important links
- AKS Roadmap: http://aka.ms/aks/roadmap
- AKS hybrid deployment options: https://aka.ms/aks-hybrid
- AKS Release Notes: https://aka.ms/aks/releasenotes
- AKS Preview Features: https://aka.ms/aks/preview-features
- AKS Public Community Channel: https://twitter.com/theakscommunity
- Updates about the service, including new features and new Azure regions: AKS feed in Azure Updates