/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 securing AKS with Entra/RBAC, configuring Fleet, GPUs, KEDA, service meshes, or multi-region HA clusters, 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: "2026-09-13"
  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-L65 | Troubleshooting AKS clusters, networking, upgrades, workloads, GPU/Windows nodes, Fleet, encryption, DNS, logging, and add-ons using tools like ACNS, Desktop Insights, CanIPull, and NPD. | | Best Practices | L66-L115 | Best practices for AKS reliability, upgrades, scaling, cost, security/compliance, GPUs, storage, networking, and workload isolation, plus patterns for resilient databases and multi-tenant clusters. | | Decision Making | L116-L169 | Guidance for planning and decision-making around AKS: migrations, upgrades, networking, scaling, cost optimization, SKUs/tiers, node/VM choices, compliance (PCI), and comparisons with other platforms. | | Architecture & Design Patterns | L170-L198 | Designing resilient, compliant AKS architectures: HA/DR patterns, multi-region and PCI designs, networking/ingress choices, GPU and node pool layouts, Fleet multi-cluster rollout and placement. | | Limits & Quotas | L199-L225 | AKS capacity, limits, and lifecycle: quotas, node/pod resources, SLB scaling, Istio/KEDA constraints, API preview lifecycles, support policies, and version/image management. | | Security | L226-L309 | Securing AKS clusters: identity/RBAC, Entra auth, managed identities, network and API protection, encryption, CIS hardening, policy enforcement, PCI controls, and secure node/cluster access. | | Configuration | L310-L466 | Configuring AKS clusters and fleets: networking, storage, GPUs, autoscaling, security, routing/ingress, extensions, node pools, encryption, maintenance, and monitoring/instrumentation. | | Integrations & Coding Patterns | L467-L492 | Patterns and examples for integrating AKS with AI toolchains, Ray, KAITO, storage, secrets, networking, observability, autoscaling, and external services, plus programmatic APIs and debugging tools. | | Deployment | L493-L544 | Deploying and upgrading AKS clusters and apps, including CI/CD, service meshes, KEDA, Wasm, storage and networking migrations, multi-cluster rollouts, and production-ready infrastructure. |

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 | | Diagnose AKS workloads with AKS Desktop AI assistant | https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/aks-desktop-deploy-ai-assistant | | 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 com