Deploying workloads to AKS in Azure - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is AKS in Azure?

AKS stands for Azure Kubernetes Service. It is a managed container orchestration service that simplifies deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications using Kubernetes.

beginner

What is a workload in the context of AKS?

A workload is an application or service running inside containers on AKS. It can be a set of pods managed by Kubernetes controllers like Deployments or StatefulSets.

beginner

Which file format is commonly used to define workloads for deployment to AKS?

YAML files are commonly used to define Kubernetes workloads. They describe the desired state of applications, including containers, replicas, and networking.

beginner

What command is used to deploy a workload to AKS using kubectl?

The command is kubectl apply -f <filename>.yaml. It applies the configuration in the YAML file to the AKS cluster.

intermediate

Why is it important to monitor workloads after deploying to AKS?

Monitoring helps ensure workloads are running correctly, detect issues early, and maintain performance and availability. Tools like Azure Monitor and kubectl commands help with this.

What does AKS stand for?

A Azure Knowledge Suite

B Azure Key Storage

C Azure Kernel System

D Azure Kubernetes Service

AKS means Azure Kubernetes Service, which manages containerized applications.

Which tool is used to deploy workloads to AKS?

A kubectl

B az storage

C docker-compose

D terraform

kubectl is the command-line tool to manage Kubernetes workloads including on AKS.

What file format is typically used to define Kubernetes workloads?

A JSON

B YAML

C XML

D INI

YAML files are the standard for defining Kubernetes resources.

Which Kubernetes object manages the number of pod replicas in a workload?

A Service

B Ingress

C Deployment

D ConfigMap

Deployments manage pod replicas and updates for workloads.

Why should you monitor workloads after deployment to AKS?

A To ensure workloads run correctly and detect issues

B To increase the number of pods automatically

C To reduce cloud costs only

D To change the container image version automatically

Monitoring helps keep workloads healthy and detect problems early.

Explain the steps to deploy a simple workload to AKS.

Think about writing the configuration, applying it, and checking it runs well.

Describe why AKS is useful for deploying containerized applications.

Focus on how AKS helps manage containers easily.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of using a Deployment in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?

easy

A. To monitor the health of the AKS cluster nodes

B. To manage and maintain a specified number of app copies running

C. To expose the app to the internet

D. To store data persistently for the app

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Deployment role in AKS

   A Deployment ensures that a specified number of replicas of an app are running and manages updates to those replicas.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other components

   Persistent storage is handled by volumes, exposure by Services, and monitoring by Azure Monitor, not Deployments.

3. Final Answer:

   To manage and maintain a specified number of app copies running -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Deployment manages app replicas = A [OK]

Hint: Deployments keep app copies running smoothly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Deployment with Service for exposure
• Thinking Deployment stores data
• Assuming Deployment monitors nodes

2. Which kubectl command correctly applies a YAML file named app-deployment.yaml to deploy an app to AKS?

easy

A. kubectl create app-deployment.yaml

B. kubectl run app-deployment.yaml

C. kubectl apply -f app-deployment.yaml

D. kubectl deploy app-deployment.yaml

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct kubectl syntax for applying YAML

   The command to apply a YAML file is kubectl apply -f filename.yaml.

2. Step 2: Check other options for correctness

   kubectl create requires resource type, kubectl run is for quick pod creation, and kubectl deploy is not a valid command.

3. Final Answer:

   kubectl apply -f app-deployment.yaml -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Apply YAML file = kubectl apply -f [OK]

Hint: Use 'kubectl apply -f' to deploy YAML files [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'kubectl create' without resource type
• Trying 'kubectl deploy' which doesn't exist
• Confusing 'kubectl run' with applying YAML

3. Given this YAML snippet for an AKS Deployment:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: myapp
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: myapp
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: myapp
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: myapp-container
        image: nginx:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80

How many pods will AKS try to run for this Deployment?

medium

A. 3

B. 2

C. 1

D. 0

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the replicas count in the YAML

   The replicas field is set to 3, meaning AKS will run 3 pods.

2. Step 2: Confirm no other fields override replicas

   There is no override or scaling specified, so the number remains 3.

3. Final Answer:

   3 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   replicas: 3 means 3 pods [OK]

Hint: Check 'replicas' field for pod count [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Ignoring the replicas field
• Confusing selector labels with pod count
• Assuming default pod count is 1

4. You applied a Deployment YAML but your pods are stuck in 'Pending' state. Which of these is the most likely cause?

medium

A. The container image name is misspelled

B. The Service type is set to ClusterIP

C. The Deployment YAML is missing the 'replicas' field

D. There are not enough cluster resources to schedule pods

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand what 'Pending' pod state means

   Pods in 'Pending' usually wait for resources like CPU or memory to be available on nodes.

2. Step 2: Evaluate options for causing Pending state

   Misspelled image causes ImagePull errors, missing replicas defaults to 1, and Service type doesn't affect pod scheduling.

3. Final Answer:

   There are not enough cluster resources to schedule pods -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Pending pods = resource shortage [OK]

Hint: Pending pods often mean no resources available [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing image pull errors with Pending state
• Thinking missing replicas stops pod creation
• Assuming Service type affects pod scheduling

5. You want to expose your AKS Deployment to the internet with a stable IP and load balancing. Which Kubernetes Service type should you use in your YAML?

hard

A. LoadBalancer

B. NodePort

C. ClusterIP

D. ExternalName

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify Service types and their purposes

   ClusterIP exposes service inside cluster only, NodePort exposes on node ports, LoadBalancer creates cloud load balancer with stable IP, ExternalName maps to external DNS.

2. Step 2: Choose Service type for internet exposure with stable IP

   LoadBalancer is the correct choice to get a cloud-managed IP and load balancing for external access.

3. Final Answer:

   LoadBalancer -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Internet exposure with stable IP = LoadBalancer [OK]

Hint: Use LoadBalancer Service for external stable IP [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using ClusterIP which is internal only
• Choosing NodePort which uses random ports
• Confusing ExternalName with load balancing