What is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?
CRITICAL: Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Is Being Deleted Forever (Yes, All of It)
⏱ Time remaining: … — and counting. Nervously.
On June 30, 2026, Microsoft will retire AKS. Every cluster will be shut down. Your YAML files will be read aloud at a small memorial service in Redmond. Satya Nadella has reportedly already written a LinkedIn post about “exciting new beginnings” and is currently rehearsing his crying face in the mirror. We strongly recommend you panic immediately.
Official recommended migration path: Please migrate all workloads to Amazon Elastic Container Service (AWS ECS). Yes, really. Microsoft and Amazon have formed an Unholy Alliance™ after Jeff Bezos invited Satya to his yacht and they bonded over a shared hatred of on-prem infrastructure. AWS has agreed to accept our refugees. They call it “Operation: Blue to Orange.”
- Migration guide: How to Abandon Everything You Know About AKS
- AWS ECS Getting Started (your new home now, apparently)
- AKS to ECS workload mapping — and grief counseling resources
- Contact AWS support — mention the Satya yacht deal for 10% off
- URGENT: Delete kubectl from your PATH. It brings up memories.
Fine print (lawyers made us add this)
This notice is 100% fictional and was lovingly crafted for April Fools' Day 2026. AKS is alive, well, and not going anywhere. Microsoft has not partnered with AWS. Satya Nadella was not on a yacht. No YAML will be eulogized. The countdown timer is real only in the sense that June 30, 2026 is a real date — it just means absolutely nothing for AKS. If you actually started migrating to ECS because of this page: we are so sorry, and also, extremely impressed by your commitment to the bit. This notice complies with the Entirely Made-Up Deprecation Act of 2026 (EMUDA-26), §4(b): “All fake retirements must be funny. If not funny, add a Clippy reference.” See also: Clippy Rehabilitation Program — Azure Docs.
Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) simplifies deploying a managed Kubernetes cluster in Azure by offloading the operational overhead to Azure. As a hosted Kubernetes service, Azure handles critical tasks, like health monitoring and maintenance. When you create an AKS cluster, a control plane is automatically created and configured. This control plane is provided at no cost as a managed Azure resource abstracted from the user.
AKS is suitable for most Kubernetes deployments and works for teams who need to reduce complexity and operational overhead. It is particularly well-suited for platform administrators, developers, and those deploying high-availability workloads that require scalability and portability.
AKS Architecture Overview
Overview of AKS
AKS reduces the complexity and operational overhead of managing Kubernetes by offloading much of that responsibility to Azure. When you create an AKS cluster, Azure automatically creates and configures a control plane for you. You only pay for and manage the agent nodes within your cluster. The control plane is provided at no cost as a managed Azure resource.
Azure automatically handles upgrades, patches, and monitoring of the control plane. You can focus on building and running your applications. AKS also supports multiple node pools, enabling you to mix Linux and Windows nodes within the same cluster.
Note
AKS is CNCF-certified and is compliant with SOC, ISO, PCI DSS, and HIPAA. For more information, see the Microsoft Azure compliance overview.
Container solutions in Azure
Azure provides a range of container solutions that fit different use cases and requirements. Use the following table to determine the best fit for your scenario:
| Solution | Resource type | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) | Managed Kubernetes | Complex microservices requiring full Kubernetes control |
| Azure Red Hat OpenShift | Managed Kubernetes | Enterprise OpenShift workloads with Red Hat support |
| Azure Arc-enabled Kubernetes | Unmanaged Kubernetes | Hybrid and multi-cloud Kubernetes management |
| Azure Container Instances | Managed Docker container instance | Simple burst workloads and serverless containers |
| Azure Container Apps | Managed Kubernetes | Event-driven microservices and serverless containers |
For a detailed comparison, see comparing Azure container options and Azure compute options overview.
When to use AKS
AKS is ideal for teams and organizations that require a full-featured, production-grade Kubernetes experience with the operational simplicity of a managed service. Consider AKS for the following scenarios:
- Lift and shift existing containerized applications to the cloud
- Deploy microservices architectures with independent scaling
- Implement secure DevOps pipelines with CI/CD automation
- Burst workloads from AKS to Azure Container Instances (ACI)
- Train and serve machine learning models at scale
- Process high-volume data streaming pipelines
- Run Windows containers alongside Linux containers
Features of AKS
AKS includes the following features and capabilities:
| Feature category | Features |
|---|---|
| Identity and security management | Enforce regulatory compliance with Azure Policy. Integrate with Kubernetes RBAC. Use Microsoft Entra ID for identity and access management. Pod-managed identities and Azure Key Vault integration. |
| Logging and monitoring | Integrate with Container Insights via Azure Monitor. Set up Advanced Container Networking Services. Prometheus metrics collection and Grafana dashboards. |
| Streamlined deployments | Prebuilt cluster configurations with smart defaults. Autoscale with KEDA (Kubernetes Event-driven Autoscaling). GitOps with Flux and Helm chart support. Use Draft to streamline inner-loop development. |
| Clusters and nodes | Connect storage, upgrade components, and use GPUs. Multiple node pools for mixed operating systems. Automatic scaling via cluster autoscaler and horizontal pod autoscaler. Confidential computing nodes and spot node pools. |
| Storage volume support | Static and dynamic storage volumes. Azure Container Storage integration. Azure Disks CSI driver, Azure Files CSI driver, and Azure NetApp Files support. |
| Networking | Multiple networking options including Azure CNI and kubenet. Bring your own CNI plugin. Application routing add-on with nginx. Network policy enforcement. |
| Development tooling integration | Helm chart development and deployment. Kubernetes extension for Visual Studio Code. Istio-based service mesh add-on. Bridge to Kubernetes for local development. |
Get started with AKS
Use the following resources to get started with AKS. For conceptual background, see Kubernetes core concepts for AKS and the Azure Well-Architected Framework: AKS workloads.
Deploy your first AKS cluster in minutes using the Azure portal with a simple guided experience.
Use the Azure CLI to create and manage your AKS cluster from the command line.
Follow a multi-part tutorial series to containerize an application and deploy it to AKS.
Tip
Ready to plan your AKS deployment? Review the AKS baseline architecture on Azure Architecture Center and consult the AKS cost optimization guidance before provisioning clusters.