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Understanding the AKS Engine as a Container as a Service Platform

Thu 29 April 2021, telkomtelstra

Container as a Service (CaaS) is a service currently widely used by cloud computing-based applications and technology systems. Put simply, CaaS platforms offer a complete framework for deploying and managing containerized applications. In addition to Docker and Kubernetes, the AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service) Engine platform can also be utilized as a CaaS.

Deployment and management of containerized applications is easier using a fully managed Kubernetes service. The AKS platform offers serverless Kubernetes, integrated continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) experiences, and enterprise-level security and governance.

Development and operational teams can integrate into one platform to build, deliver and scale applications quickly and confidently using AKS. The AKS Engine is an Azure Resource Manager (ARM) template-based method that provides self-managed Kubernetes clusters on Azure and Azure Stack.

By utilizing ARM, the AKS Engine helps users to create, delete, and maintain clusters provided using IaaS resources on Azure and Azure Stack.

AKS has several advantages, including providing elastic capacity without the need to manage infrastructure, as well as the ability to add automatic scaling and act as a trigger using Kubernetes Event-driven Autoscaling (KEDA). With AKS, users get a faster start-to-end development experience using Kubernetes Visual Studio Code tools, Azure DevOps, and Azure Monitor.

AKS has the most comprehensive authentication and authorization capabilities using Azure Active Directory and the dynamic implementation of rules across various clusters using Azure Policy. In addition, AKS is available in more regions than any other cloud provider.

Using AKS, users can easily deploy and manage containerized applications. AKS is a serverless Kubernetes solution, which can be integrated with CI/CD and the standard security features of enterprises and government.

Advantages of using AKS include accelerating the development of containerized applications, increasing operational efficiency, building applications on a more secure enterprise-level foundation, and running any workload in the cloud, on the edge, or as a hybrid.

In general, AKS can be used to migrate existing applications to the cloud, build complex apps using machine learning, or take advantage of the agility offered by microservice architecture.

When using AKS, users do not need to worry about security, performance, or capacity, as there are already existing standards for its use in enterprise and government circles.

This study class on the AKS Engine is the last class on Container as a Service. The online class on this topic was organized by Cloud Computing Indonesia and Telkomtelstra as part of a series of activities for the 2021 Cloud Computing Indonesia Conference.

The class, presented by Imam Adiwibowo, Telkomtelstra’s Senior Technical Specialist for Cloud & Collaborations, is a continuation of the two previous classes, with the same theme of Container as a Service. The previous classes provided an introduction to Docker and Kubernetes, which are Container as a Service platforms. Container as a Service is included as a product itself in Telkomtelstra’s portfolio, under the pillar of Managed Cloud Services. In collaboration with Microsoft, Telkomtelstra is a cloud service provider using Azure Stack as its platform.