Lab 1: Core Kubernetes Concepts in AKS

🎓 Learning Objectives

• Create and connect to an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster
• Master the basics of the kubectl command-line tool
• Understand declarative deployment using YAML manifests
• Deploy applications using pods and deployments
• Expose applications using services and Ingress
• Manage application configuration using ConfigMaps and Secrets
• Configure basic monitoring for your AKS cluster

⏱ Estimated Duration

90 minutes

📝 Content Overview

1. AKS Cluster Creation

   • Deploy an AKS cluster using Azure CLI
   • Connect to the cluster
   • Understand basic cluster components

2. Pod Management

   • Create pods declaratively with YAML
   • Understand pod lifecycle
   • Examine pod details and logs

3. Labels and Selectors

   • Add, update, and delete pod labels
   • Use selectors to filter resources
   • Understand label best practices

4. Deployments

   • Create multi-replica deployments
   • Perform rolling updates
   • Configure rollback strategies

5. Configuration Management

   • Create and use ConfigMaps
   • Manage sensitive data with Secrets
   • Mount configuration as files and environment variables

6. Services

   • Expose applications with ClusterIP services
   • Configure NodePort and LoadBalancer services
   • Understand service discovery

7. Ingress

   • Install and configure Nginx Ingress Controller
   • Define Ingress rules for routing
   • Implement path-based routing

8. Monitoring

   • Set up Azure Monitor for containers
   • View basic metrics and logs
   • Explore the monitoring dashboard

9. Cleanup

   • Properly remove resources
   • Understand resource management best practices

This lab provides hands-on experience with the essential Kubernetes concepts needed to deploy and manage applications in AKS.