Kubernetes version in AKS

Question

Hello there,

Regarding the European NIS2 certification, I would like to know what type of Kubernetes is AKS using? Is it the standard Kubernetes distribution or a modified version? Which Kubernetes components are used?

Thank you for your help!

Answer 1

Hi there Maximilian Ramin

Thats a good question and thanks for using QandA platform

I guess aks uses the standard Kubernetes distribution provided by the Kubernetes community. Microsoft manages the infrastructure for AKS, but the Kubernetes components themselves remain largely unchanged from the upstream version.

As for the Kubernetes components used in AKS, it include components such like,

Kube-apiserver, etcd, Kube-scheduler, Kube-controller-manager,

Regarding European NIS2 certification specifics, I suggest you to go through the documentation,

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/supported-kubernetes-versions?tabs=azure-cli

if u cant find it, you can raise a support req and they will help you there.

If this helps kindly accept the answer thanks much.

Answer 2

Hi Maximillian, Welcome to MS Q&A

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) simplifies deploying a managed Kubernetes cluster in Azure by offloading the operational overhead to Azure.

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) primarily uses a standard distribution of Kubernetes. 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. You only pay for and manage the nodes attached to the AKS cluster.

In Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), the following core Kubernetes components are used:

1. Control Plane Components: kube-apiserver: Exposes the Kubernetes API. kube-controller-manager: Manages various controller processes. kube-scheduler: Assigns pods to nodes based on resource availability. etcd: Consistent and highly-available key-value store used for Kubernetes cluster data.
2. Node Components: kubelet: Agent that runs on each node and ensures containers are running in pods. kube-proxy: Maintains network rules on nodes and performs simple TCP, UDP, and SCTP forwarding.
3. Container Runtime: Docker: By default, AKS uses Docker as the container runtime, although it also supports containerd.
4. Networking: Azure CNI (Container Networking Interface): Provides networking capabilities for pods running in AKS clusters. CoreDNS: DNS server for Kubernetes clusters, used for service discovery.
5. Storage: Azure Disk: Persistent storage solution provided by Azure for AKS clusters. Azure Files: Shared file storage for use with Kubernetes PersistentVolumeClaims.

These are the core Kubernetes components that AKS utilizes to provide a managed Kubernetes service on Azure. While the underlying Kubernetes distribution is standard, Azure manages the infrastructure and handles aspects such as scaling, upgrades, and maintenance, which may involve some customization or optimizations specific to the Azure environment.

Here are some links that you can explore:

1. Azure Kubernetes Service Overview: Azure Kubernetes Service documentation What is Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)?
2. AKS Concepts and Architecture: AKS Concepts AKS Architecture
3. AKS Components: Azure Kubernetes Service components Azure CNI plugin for Kubernetes
4. Deployment and Management: Deploy and manage containers using Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Deploy and manage applications in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
5. Networking and Storage: Azure Kubernetes Service networking overview Storage options in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
6. Security and Compliance: Security best practices for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) compliance offerings

Kindly accept answer , if it helps , Thankyou!