Deploy an application using AKS desktop (preview)

Applies to: ✔️ AKS Automatic clusters

Deploy applications to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) using AKS desktop, an application-focused experience that simplifies Kubernetes management. This guide walks you through the steps to deploy your first application using AKS desktop.

Prerequisites

• You need an Azure subscription. If you don't have an Azure subscription, you can create a free Azure account.
• You must have an AKS cluster available through the Azure portal or an Azure Container Registry with your application image that you want to deploy.
• The Azure CLI must be installed on your device.
• The aks-preview Azure CLI extension. Install it using the az extension add --name aks-preview command.
• You must have an AKS Automatic cluster.
• You must install AKS desktop. AKS desktop supports the following operating systems: Windows, Linux, and Mac.
• Your cluster must be Microsoft Entra ID authenticated. To ensure your cluster is Microsoft Entra ID authenticated, use an AKS Automatic cluster.

Sign in to your account

The first time you open AKS desktop, you need to sign into your Azure account. Signing in allows you to see AKS clusters and Projects that you have access to.

1. In the left pane, select Home > Sign in with Azure.
2. Select the account that you want to use.

Once signed in, you have the ability to add clusters that you have access to into AKS desktop.

Add a cluster to AKS desktop

Note

We recommend using an AKS Automatic cluster with AKS desktop. While AKS Standard SKU work in AKS desktop, you might not see the full benefits of the Project view. AKS Automatic includes built-in metrics, observability, and other tools that enable AKS desktop to surface important insights for users.

When you sign in, you can add clusters into AKS desktop from your Azure subscription or by uploading a kubeconfig file. If you have a single Azure subscription, AKS desktop auto populates your subscription once you sign in.

Use your Azure subscription

1. Select Add from Azure Subscription.

2. Enter the name of your Azure subscription if you have more than one. (Alternatively, select the arrow to open the drop-down list, then select your Azure subscription.)

3. Select your cluster, then select Register Cluster.

   

Upload a kubeconfig file

1. Select Home > Add Other Clusters > Load from KubeConfig. (If you followed the Azure subscription method first, select Add Cluster > Load from KubeConfig.)

2. Select one of the following options:

   • Select Choose file, locate and select your kubeconfig file, and then select Open.
   • Drag and drop your kubeconfig file into AKS desktop, and then select Next.

Add additional clusters to AKS desktop

1. In the bottom left pane, select Add Cluster. You can choose to load from your kubeconfig file or from Azure.

2. Under Providers, select Add.

3. Enter the name of your Azure subscription if you have more than one. (Alternatively, select the arrow to open the drop-down list, then select your Azure subscription.)

4. Select your cluster, then select Register Cluster.

   

Remove a cluster from AKS desktop

To delete a cluster from AKS desktop and your kubeconfig, follow these steps:

1. Under the Home screen, select the box next to the cluster you want to remove.

2. Under Actions, select the three dots, and then select Delete.

3. The Delete Cluster window appears asking if you want to remove the specified cluster. Select Delete.

   

Create a new Project in AKS desktop

When you create a Project on a cluster, any user with access to the associated namespace can view the Project. Namespace access and labeling determine which users can see each Project, since Projects are tied to namespaces. To learn more, see What is the Project Overview screen?

There are three methods you can choose from to deploy your application using AKS desktop: AKS managed Project, YAML Project, and New Project.

Create an AKS managed Project

Important

Make sure you register the namespace preview feature for first time use. Under Feature Flag Required, select Register ManagedNamespacePreview Feature.

1. Provide a Project name. Adding a Project description is optional.

2. Select your subscription, your cluster, and then select Next.

3. Under Networking Policies, choose the ingress and egress for your network traffic, and then select Next.

4. Under Compute Quota, adjust the quota based on your needs, and then select Next.

5. Under Access, assign the Project to one or more users and permission level for each under Role, and then select Next.

6. Under Review, verify the settings for your Project, and then select Create Project.

7. Add your application name, and then select Create Application.

   

Create YAML Project

1. Provide a Project name.

2. Select a cluster to add to your Project.

3. Under Load resources, you can choose the following:

   • Select a .yaml or .yml file to load. You can also drag and drop your file into AKS desktop. Then select Create.
   • Select Load from URL, paste your YAML URL, select Load, and then select Create.

Create a New Project

1. Provide a Project name.
2. Select a cluster to add to your Project. You can add more once a cluster is selected.
3. Use an existing namespace or type a new namespace to use.
4. Select Create.

Remove a Project from AKS desktop

1. In the left pane, select the Home button.

2. Under Projects, select your Project under the Name column.

3. Within your Project, select the trash can icon.

4. Under the Delete Project window, select Delete Project to remove your Project from the given namespace.

   Note

   If you also want to the delete the namespace along with your Project (which also removes associated resources), select Also delete the namespaces, and then select Delete Project.

Deploy an application into a Project in AKS desktop

Tip

When you deploy an application to AKS Desktop for the first time, metrics might take 5–10 minutes to appear as data begins flowing into managed Prometheus. After this initial delay, metrics should load within seconds. If metrics don't appear, try refreshing AKS Desktop.

We recommend you always create a new Project when deploying a new application. Once you create your first Project, AKS desktop places you directly into the newly created Project. Within your Project, select Deploy Application. There are two sources you can choose from to deploy your app: Container Image and Kubernetes YAML.

Container Image deployment

1. Provide a name for your app.

2. Under Container image, paste the path to your container image. It must be in the format <YourACR>.azurecr.io/<YourImageName>:<YourImageTag>.

   Note

   You can't use the latest tag for your container images, as it results in best practice violation on AKS Automatic.

3. Select your replica amount.

4. Under Networking, input your network port. Choose whether your app is meant for internal only or for public access, and then select Continue.

5. Under Health checks, choose which checks you want to perform, and then select Continue.

6. Under Resource Limits, configure per your app requirements, and then select Continue.

7. Under Environment Variables, add your key:value pair variable for your app, and then select Continue.

8. Under HPA, select whether to enable Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) for your app. HPA automatically adjusts the number of pods in response to resource usage, helping maintain optimal performance and resource efficiency. Configure per your needs, and then select Continue.

9. Under Advanced, choose which settings you'd like to apply to your app, and then select Next.

10. Review your app deployment configuration. Select Deploy, and then select Close.

Kubernetes YAML deployoment

1. Select Upload files to upload one or more .yaml or .yml files, and then select Next. (Alternatively, you can paste the contents within your YAML files into the text editor, and then select Next.)
2. Review the resources to deploy, select Deploy, and then select Close.

View cluster data and metrics in AKS desktop

AKS desktop provides a unified view of your application resources, health status, resource quotas, workloads, and configuration settings all in a single dashboard. Use the tabs to explore detailed information and manage each aspect of your deployment efficiently. You must have a cluster added into AKS desktop to view this information.

Use the following steps to view cluster data and metrics in AKS desktop:

1. Select Home.
2. Under the Name tab, select the cluster you want to view.
3. In the left pane, choose the specific setting to view detailed cluster data and metrics.

Related content

For more information about add-ons, extensions, and features available in AKS, see Add-ons, extensions, and other integrations with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).