AKS with Azure Load Balancer - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to create an Azure Load Balancer service type in AKS.

Azure

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: my-service
spec:
  type: [1]
  selector:
    app: my-app
  ports:
  - protocol: TCP
    port: 80
    targetPort: 80

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

AClusterIP

BLoadBalancer

CNodePort

DExternalName

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using ClusterIP will only expose the service inside the cluster.

NodePort exposes the service on a port on each node but does not create a cloud load balancer.

To expose AKS pods externally using Azure Load Balancer, the service type must be LoadBalancer.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to create an AKS cluster with a managed Azure Load Balancer.

Azure

az aks create --resource-group myResourceGroup --name myAKSCluster --node-count 3 --enable-addons [1] --generate-ssh-keys

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amonitoring

Bazure-policy

Chttp_application_routing

Dload-balancer

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Confusing monitoring addon with load balancer functionality.

Using a non-existent addon name.

The http_application_routing addon enables automatic DNS and Azure Load Balancer integration for AKS.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the YAML to correctly expose the service via Azure Load Balancer.

Azure

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: my-service
spec:
  type: [1]
  ports:
  - port: 80
    targetPort: 80
  selector:
    app: my-app

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ALoadBalancer

BExternalName

CClusterIP

DNodePort

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using ClusterIP will not expose the service outside the cluster.

ExternalName is for DNS aliasing, not load balancing.

The service type must be LoadBalancer to create an Azure Load Balancer and expose the service externally.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to define a readiness probe for pods behind the Azure Load Balancer.

Azure

readinessProbe:
  httpGet:
    path: [1]
    port: [2]
  initialDelaySeconds: 5
  periodSeconds: 10

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A/healthz

B8080

C80

D/status

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using a non-existent path for readiness probe.

Using the wrong port that does not match the container port.

The readiness probe commonly uses /healthz path and port 80 to check pod health for Azure Load Balancer.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to configure the Azure Load Balancer frontend IP and backend pool in the ARM template snippet.

Azure

"resources": [
  {
    "type": "Microsoft.Network/loadBalancers",
    "name": "myLoadBalancer",
    "properties": {
      "frontendIPConfigurations": [
        {
          "name": [1],
          "properties": {
            "publicIPAddress": {
              "id": [2]
            }
          }
        }
      ],
      "backendAddressPools": [
        {
          "name": [3]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

A"LoadBalancerFrontEnd"

B"/subscriptions/xxxx/resourceGroups/myResourceGroup/providers/Microsoft.Network/publicIPAddresses/myPublicIP"

C"LoadBalancerBackEnd"

D"myPublicIP"

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the public IP name instead of its resource ID.

Mismatching frontend and backend pool names.

The frontend IP configuration name is typically LoadBalancerFrontEnd, the public IP resource ID is required, and the backend pool name is LoadBalancerBackEnd.

Practice

1. What is the primary purpose of using an Azure Load Balancer with AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service)?

easy

A. To store data persistently for containers

B. To distribute incoming network traffic evenly across multiple pods

C. To build container images automatically

D. To monitor container resource usage

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand AKS and Load Balancer roles

   AKS runs containerized apps, and Azure Load Balancer distributes traffic to these apps.

2. Step 2: Identify the main function of Load Balancer

   It balances incoming requests across pods to improve availability and scalability.

3. Final Answer:

   To distribute incoming network traffic evenly across multiple pods -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Load Balancer = traffic distribution [OK]

Hint: Load Balancer = spreading traffic evenly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Load Balancer with storage or monitoring
• Thinking Load Balancer builds container images
• Assuming Load Balancer manages pod resources

2. Which Kubernetes service type should you specify in your AKS deployment YAML to create an Azure Load Balancer automatically?

easy

A. LoadBalancer

B. NodePort

C. ClusterIP

D. ExternalName

Solution

1. Step 1: Review Kubernetes service types

   ClusterIP exposes service internally, NodePort exposes on node port, LoadBalancer creates cloud LB, ExternalName maps to external DNS.

2. Step 2: Identify service type for Azure Load Balancer

   Using type: LoadBalancer triggers Azure to provision a Load Balancer automatically.

3. Final Answer:

   LoadBalancer -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Service type LoadBalancer = Azure LB creation [OK]

Hint: Use type LoadBalancer to get Azure LB automatically [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Choosing ClusterIP which is internal only
• Confusing NodePort with automatic LB creation
• Using ExternalName which is DNS mapping only

3. Given this Kubernetes service YAML snippet in AKS:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: myapp-service
spec:
  type: LoadBalancer
  selector:
    app: myapp
  ports:
  - protocol: TCP
    port: 80
    targetPort: 8080

What happens when this service is applied?

medium

A. An Azure Load Balancer is created and routes port 80 traffic to pods on port 8080

B. Pods are exposed only inside the cluster on port 8080

C. Traffic on port 8080 is blocked by default

D. A NodePort service is created exposing port 80 on all nodes

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze service type and ports

   Service type is LoadBalancer, so Azure LB is created. It listens on port 80 externally and forwards to targetPort 8080 on pods.

2. Step 2: Understand traffic flow

   External traffic on port 80 hits Azure LB, which routes it to pods' port 8080 matching selector app: myapp.

3. Final Answer:

   An Azure Load Balancer is created and routes port 80 traffic to pods on port 8080 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   LoadBalancer + port mapping = external traffic routing [OK]

Hint: LoadBalancer routes external port to pod targetPort [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking pods are exposed only internally
• Confusing NodePort with LoadBalancer
• Assuming traffic is blocked without explicit rules

4. You deployed an AKS service with type: LoadBalancer, but the external IP remains <pending> for a long time. What is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The service selector labels do not match any pods

B. The Kubernetes cluster is not running

C. The pods are not listening on the targetPort

D. The Azure Load Balancer quota is exceeded in the subscription

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand LoadBalancer IP allocation

   Azure assigns an external IP when provisioning the Load Balancer. If quota is exceeded, IP remains pending.

2. Step 2: Differentiate causes

   Selector mismatch or pod ports cause traffic issues but do not block IP assignment. Cluster down would prevent service creation.

3. Final Answer:

   The Azure Load Balancer quota is exceeded in the subscription -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Pending IP often means quota limit reached [OK]

Hint: Pending IP usually means Azure LB quota exceeded [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming selector mismatch for IP assignment delay
• Assuming pods not listening blocks IP allocation
• Thinking cluster down still allows service creation

5. You want to design a highly available AKS application exposed via Azure Load Balancer that can handle sudden traffic spikes. Which combination of strategies is best?

hard

A. Use type: NodePort service and rely on Azure VM scale sets only

B. Use type: ClusterIP service with manual pod scaling and no health probes

C. Use type: LoadBalancer service, enable Horizontal Pod Autoscaler, and configure Azure Load Balancer health probes

D. Use type: ExternalName service pointing to an external DNS

Solution

1. Step 1: Choose correct service type for external exposure

   type: LoadBalancer creates Azure LB to distribute traffic externally.

2. Step 2: Enable autoscaling and health checks

   Horizontal Pod Autoscaler adjusts pod count for traffic spikes; health probes ensure LB routes only to healthy pods.

3. Step 3: Evaluate other options

   ClusterIP is internal only; NodePort exposes ports but lacks automatic LB; ExternalName is DNS mapping, not load balancing.

4. Final Answer:

   Use type: LoadBalancer service, enable Horizontal Pod Autoscaler, and configure Azure Load Balancer health probes -> Option C

5. Quick Check:

   LoadBalancer + autoscale + health probes = high availability [OK]

Hint: Combine LoadBalancer, autoscaling, and health probes for HA [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using ClusterIP or ExternalName for external traffic
• Ignoring autoscaling for traffic spikes
• Not configuring health probes causing downtime