What You’ll Learn
| Module | Key Topics |
|---|---|
| Azure Fundamentals Refresher | Compute, Storage, Networking, Identity, and Data Services on Azure |
| Containerizing a Web Application | Dockerfile authoring, image building, local testing, and publishing to Azure Container Registry (ACR) |
| Deploying to AKS | Creating and configuring AKS clusters, scaling workloads, integrating with ACR, and rolling updates |
| Security & Networking in AKS | Virtual Networking, Azure Active Directory integration, Azure Policy enforcement, and Azure Defender for containers |
| Monitoring & CI/CD for AKS | Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, and building GitHub/Azure DevOps pipelines tailored to AKS deployments |
Hands-on practice is essential. We recommend using your own Azure free account to follow along with the labs.
Course Outline
1. Azure Fundamentals Refresher
We’ll begin with a concise review of Azure’s core services:- Compute: Virtual Machines, VM Scale Sets, and App Services
- Storage: Blob, File, and Disk storage options
- Networking: Virtual Networks, Subnets, and Load Balancers
- Data: Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, and Data Lake Storage
2. Containerizing a Web Application
You’ll learn how to package your code into a container:- Author and optimize a Dockerfile
- Build and test container images locally
- Publish images to Azure Container Registry
3. Deploying to AKS
Provision and manage your AKS cluster:- Create and configure AKS clusters
- Scale pods and nodes to meet demand
- Integrate with Azure Container Registry for seamless image pulls
- Manage rolling updates to ensure zero-downtime deployments
4. Security & Networking in AKS
Protect your cluster and workloads:- Virtual Networks: Isolate AKS in your VNet
- Azure AD Integration: Enable RBAC and pod identity
- Azure Policy: Enforce guardrails on namespaces and cluster add-ons
- Azure Defender: Runtime threat detection for containers
Always restrict API server access and enable network policies to prevent unauthorized lateral movement within your cluster.
5. Monitoring & CI/CD for AKS
Streamline observability and deployment:- Azure Monitor & Log Analytics: Collect metrics, logs, and alerts
- CI/CD Pipelines: Set up GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps to build, test, and deploy your containers to AKS
Links and References
- Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Overview
- Kubernetes Documentation
- Azure Container Registry
- Docker Documentation