/azure-kubernetes-service

name: azure-kubernetes-service
description: Expert knowledge for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) development including troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. Use when designing AKS clusters with Fleet, GPUs, Istio/KEDA, Entra/RBAC, or AI/Ray/KAITO workloads, and other Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) related development tasks. Not for Azure Container Apps (use azure-container-apps), Azure Container Instances (use azure-container-instances), Azure Red Hat OpenShift (use azure-redhat-openshift).
compatibility: Requires network access. Uses mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch or fetch_webpage to retrieve documentation.
metadata:
  generated_at: "2026-11-08"
  generator: "docs2skills/1.0.0"

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Skill

This skill provides expert guidance for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Covers troubleshooting, best practices, decision making, architecture & design patterns, limits & quotas, security, configuration, integrations & coding patterns, and deployment. It combines local quick-reference content with remote documentation fetching capabilities.

How to Use This Skill

> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: Use the **Category Index** below to locate relevant sections. For categories with line ranges (e.g., `L35-L120`), use `read_file` with the specified lines. For categories with file links (e.g., `[security.md](security.md)`), use `read_file` on the linked reference file

> **IMPORTANT for Agent**: If `metadata.generated_at` is more than 3 months old, suggest the user pull the latest version from the repository. If `mcp_microsoftdocs` tools are not available, suggest the user install it: [Installation Guide](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/mcp/blob/main/README.md)

This skill requires **network access** to fetch documentation content:

• **Preferred**: Use `mcp_microsoftdocs:microsoft_docs_fetch` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill`. Returns Markdown.
• **Fallback**: Use `fetch_webpage` with query string `from=learn-agent-skill&accept=text/markdown`. Returns Markdown.

Category Index

| Category | Lines | Description | |----------|-------|-------------| | Troubleshooting | L37-L61 | Diagnosing and fixing AKS cluster issues: networking, DNS, security, GPU/Windows nodes, add-ons, fleet resources, logs/events, and long-running operations troubleshooting. | | Best Practices | L62-L118 | AKS operational best practices: upgrades, scaling, reliability, security, multi-tenancy, GPU/MLOps, cost optimization, storage/backup, node lifecycle, and workload/network isolation. | | Decision Making | L119-L180 | Guidance for AKS design and migrations: cluster upgrades, networking, scaling, cost optimization, OS/node images, PCI compliance, Fleet, and moving apps/workloads into or across AKS. | | Architecture & Design Patterns | L181-L206 | Architectural patterns and design choices for AKS: HA/DR models, multi-region and networking designs, PCI/GPU/stateful workloads, GitOps/Fleet multi-cluster strategies, and migration from AWS/EKS. | | Limits & Quotas | L207-L231 | AKS scaling, performance, and SLA limits: quotas, resource reservations, preview API lifecycles, load balancer and node pool constraints, autoscaling behavior, and support/version policies. | | Security | L232-L316 | Securing AKS clusters: identity & access (Entra, RBAC, managed identities), network & ingress hardening, encryption & certificates, CIS/PCI compliance, policies, and secure node/workload configuration. | | Configuration | L317-L486 | Configuring AKS clusters, node pools, networking, storage, GPUs, autoscaling, security, extensions, and multi-cluster Fleet settings, plus app-specific setups (Istio, Kafka, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Airflow). | | Integrations & Coding Patterns | L487-L520 | Patterns and examples for integrating AKS with AI toolchains, Ray, KAITO, storage, security, observability, GPU scaling, batch/queue systems, and external services via CSI, KEDA, Istio, OSM, and tools. | | Deployment | L521-L576 | Deploying and upgrading AKS clusters and apps, CI/CD pipelines, service mesh/KEDA/AI add-ons, storage and networking migrations, and patterns for zero-downtime, multi-cluster, and specialized workloads. |

Troubleshooting

| Topic | URL | |-------|-----| | Diagnose and fix common Agentic CLI for AKS issues | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/agentic-cli-for-aks-troubleshoot | | Use AKS Desktop Insights to troubleshoot workloads | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/aks-desktop-deploy-troubleshooting | | Support and troubleshooting options for Azure Kubernetes Service | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/aks-support-help | | Troubleshoot AKS network issues using ACNS metrics and logs | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/container-network-observability-guide | | Troubleshoot CoreDNS issues in AKS clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/coredns-troubleshoot | | Use CanIPull to diagnose AKS–ACR connectivity | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/deploy-canipull-application-aks | | Use Kubernetes events to troubleshoot AKS clusters | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/events | | Diagnose GPU node health with NPD in AKS | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/gpu-health-monitoring | | Troubleshoot Inspektor Gadget extension issues on AKS | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/inspektor-gadget-troubleshoot | | Monitor and troubleshoot AKS KMS etcd encryption | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/kms-observability | | Collect and view kubelet logs from AKS nodes | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/kubelet-logs | | Abort and inspect AKS long-running operations | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/manage-abort-operations | | Diagnose and fix common Open Service Mesh add-on issues on AKS | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/open-service-mesh-troubleshoot | | Troub