Quickstart: Create an Azure Kubernetes Fleet Manager using an ARM template

Applies to: ✔️ Fleet Manager ✔️ Fleet Manager with hub cluster

Learn how to create an Azure Kubernetes Fleet Manager using ARM templates.

Before you begin

If you don't have an Azure account, create a free account before you begin.

• Read the conceptual overview of Fleet Manager, which provides an explanation of fleets and member clusters referenced in this document.

• An Azure account with an active subscription. Create an account for free.

• Install or upgrade Azure CLI to version 2.71.0 or later.

  • Ensure fleet extension is updated to version 1.5.2 or higher.

Create a Fleet Manager

You can create a Fleet Manager and later add your AKS and Arc-enabled clusters as member clusters. If the Fleet Manager has a hub cluster, more features are enabled, such as Kubernetes object propagation and Managed Fleet Namespaces. For more information, see the conceptual overview of Fleet Manager types, which provides a comparison of different Fleet Manager configurations.

Note

Once a Fleet Manager is created, it's possible to upgrade a Fleet Manager resource without a hub cluster to one with a hub cluster. For Fleet Manager resources with a hub cluster, once private or public is selected it can't be changed.

Fleet Manager without hub cluster

If you only want to use Fleet Manager for update orchestration, you can create a hubless Fleet Manager with the following ARM template:

Review the template

{
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
    "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
    "parameters": {
        "fleetName": {
            "type": "string",
            "defaultValue": "my-hubless-fleet"
        }
    },
    "resources": [
        {
            "type": "Microsoft.ContainerService/fleets",
            "apiVersion": "2025-03-01",
            "name": "[parameters('fleetName')]",
            "location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
            "properties": {}
        }
    ]
}

Deploy the template

1. Select Deploy to Azure to sign in and open a template.

   

2. On the Basics page, configure the following template parameters

   • Subscription: Select an Azure subscription.
   • Resource group: Select Create new. Enter a unique name for the resource group, such as myResourceGroup, then select OK.
   • Location: Select a location, such as East US.
   • Fleet Name: Enter a unique name for the Fleet, such as myFleet.

3. Select Review + Create > Create.

Fleet Manager with hub cluster

If you want to use Fleet Manager for Kubernetes object propagation in addition to update orchestration, then you need to create the Fleet Manager resource with the hub cluster.

Fleet Manager with a hub cluster supports both public and private modes for network access. For more information, see Choose an Azure Kubernetes Fleet Manager option.

Public hub cluster

To create a Fleet Manager with a public hub cluster, use the following ARM template.

Review the template

{
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
    "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
    "parameters": {
        "fleetName": {
            "type": "string",
            "defaultValue": "my-hubful-fleet"
        }
    },
    "resources": [
        {
            "type": "Microsoft.ContainerService/fleets",
            "apiVersion": "2025-03-01",
            "name": "[parameters('fleetName')]",
            "location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
            "properties": {
                "hubProfile": {
                    "dnsPrefix": "[parameters('fleetName')]"
                }
            }
        }
    ]
}

Deploy the template

1. Select Deploy to Azure to sign in and open a template.

   

2. On the Basics page, configure the following template parameters

   • Subscription: Select an Azure subscription.
   • Resource group: Select Create new. Enter a unique name for the resource group, such as myResourceGroup, then select OK.
   • Location: Select a location, such as East US.
   • Fleet Name: Enter a unique name for the Fleet, such as myFleet.

3. Select Review + Create > Create.

Private hub cluster

When you create a Fleet Manager with a private hub cluster, take these additional considerations into account:

• Fleet Manager requires you to provide the subnet on which the Fleet Manager hub cluster's node Virtual Machine (VM) is placed. This can be done by setting subnetId in the agentProfile within the Fleet Manager's hubProfile.
• The address prefix of the vnet vnetName must not overlap with the Azure Kubernetes Service's (AKS) default service range of 10.0.0.0/16.
• Private access mode doesn't allow configuring domain names.
• Private access mode requires a Network Contributor role assignment on the agent subnet for Fleet Manager's first party service principal (Fleet Manager's first party service principal ID varies across different Entra tenants). This role assignment is NOT needed when creating private Fleet Manager using the az fleet create command because the CLI automatically creates the role assignment.

1. Fetch Fleet Manager's service principal object ID:

az ad sp list --display-name "Azure Kubernetes Service - Fleet RP" --query "[].{id:id}" --output tsv

xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

2. Review the template

{
    "$schema": "https://schema.management.azure.com/schemas/2019-04-01/deploymentTemplate.json#",
    "contentVersion": "1.0.0.0",
    "parameters": {
        "vnetName": {
            "type": "String",
            "defaultValue": "myVnet"
        },
        "fleetName": {
            "type": "String",
            "defaultValue": "my-private-fleet"
        },
        "fleetSpObjectId": {
            "type": "String"
        }
    },
    "variables": {},
    "resources": [
        {
            "type": "Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks",
            "apiVersion": "2024-05-01",
            "name": "[parameters('vnetName')]",
            "location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
            "properties": {
                "addressSpace": {
                    "addressPrefixes": [
                        "192.168.0.0/16"
                    ]
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "type": "Microsoft.ContainerService/fleets",
            "apiVersion": "2025-03-01",
            "name": "[parameters('fleetName')]",
            "location": "[resourceGroup().location]",
            "dependsOn": [
                "[guid(resourceId('Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets', parameters('vnetName'), 'subnet'), parameters('fleetSpObjectId'))]"
            ],
            "properties": {
                "hubProfile": {
                    "agentProfile": {
                        "subnetId": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets', parameters('vnetName'), 'subnet')]"
                    },
                    "apiServerAccessProfile": {
                        "enablePrivateCluster": true,
                        "enableVnetIntegration": false
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "type": "Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets",
            "apiVersion": "2024-05-01",
            "name": "[concat(parameters('vnetName'), '/subnet')]",
            "dependsOn": [
                "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks', parameters('vnetName'))]"
            ],
            "properties": {
                "addressPrefix": "192.168.0.0/24"
            }
        },
        {
            "type": "Microsoft.Authorization/roleAssignments",
            "apiVersion": "2022-04-01",
            "name": "[guid(resourceId('Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets', parameters('vnetName'), 'subnet'), parameters('fleetSpObjectId'))]",
            "scope": "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets', parameters('vnetName'), 'subnet')]",
            "properties": {
                "roleDefinitionId": "[subscriptionResourceId('Microsoft.Authorization/roleDefinitions', '4d97b98b-1d4f-4787-a291-c67834d212e7')]",
                "principalType": "ServicePrincipal",
                "principalId": "[parameters('fleetSpObjectId')]"
            },
            "dependsOn": [
                "[resourceId('Microsoft.Network/virtualNetworks/subnets', parameters('vnetName'), 'subnet')]"
            ]
        }
    ]
}

3. Deploy the ARM template with service principal object ID from first step

   • Select Deploy to Azure to sign in and open a template.

   

   • On the Basics page, configure the following template parameters:

     • Subscription: Select an Azure subscription.
     • Resource group: Select Create new. Enter a unique name for the resource group, such as myResourceGroup, then select OK.
     • Location: Select a location, such as East US.
     • Fleet Name: Enter a unique name for the Fleet, such as myFleet.
     • Vnet Name: Enter a unique name for the virtual network, such as myVnet
     • Fleet SP Object ID: Enter the service principal object ID from Step 1 output.

   • Select Review + Create > Create.

Next steps

• Access Fleet Manager hub cluster Kubernetes API.
• Deploy cluster-scoped resources across multiple clusters.
• Deploy namespace-scoped resources across multiple clusters.
• Create and configure Managed Fleet Namespaces.
• How-to: Upgrade multiple clusters using Azure Kubernetes Fleet Manager update runs.