Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is Microsoft's fully managed Kubernetes service that simplifies container orchestration and eliminates the complexity of cluster management. With AKS, you can focus on building applications while Azure handles critical infrastructure tasks like health monitoring, maintenance, and scaling.

Key capabilities include:

• Automatic cluster management - Automate upgrades, node provisioning, scaling, and network configuration with Automatic mode
• Enterprise-grade security - Built-in identity and access management with robust governance controls for container security at scale
• AI integration - Deploy and manage AI models seamlessly using the Kubernetes AI toolchain operator (KAITO)
• Multi-environment support - Run workloads from cloud to edge with support for Linux, Windows Server, and IoT resources via Azure Arc
• Developer productivity - Integrated CI/CD pipelines, debugging tools, and automated maintenance reduce manual tasks
• Global availability - Deploy resilient applications with SLA-backed uptime and automatic backups

Flexible pricing tiers accommodate different needs from free experimentation to premium long-term support. The service integrates seamlessly with the broader Azure ecosystem including Container Registry, monitoring tools, and managed databases to create comprehensive containerized solutions.