Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Cluster Setup ☸️

This document outlines the steps to create an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster.

1. Prerequisites: Equipping Your Toolkit 🛠️

Before you begin, ensure you have:

• An active Azure subscription 💳.
• Azure CLI installed and configured. If not, follow the official Azure CLI installation guide 💻.
• kubectl installed. If not, follow the official kubectl installation guide ## 2. Create AKS Cluster: Setting up Your Kubernetes Environment 🔥➡️☸️

Time to create your AKS cluster.

1. Sign in to Azure Portal: Navigate to portal.azure.com 🔑.
2. Search for AKS: In the search bar, type "Azure Kubernetes Service" and select it 🔍.

1. Initiate Cluster Creation: Click "Create" and then "Create Kubernetes cluster" ✨.
2. Configure Basic Settings ⚙️:
   • Project details: Select your Azure subscription and resource group 📂.
   • Cluster details:
     • Kubernetes cluster name: Enter a unique name for your cluster 🏷️.
     • Region: Choose the Azure region for your cluster 🌍.
     • Availability zones: Select zones for high availability if needed 🏞️.
     • AKS pricing tier: Standard is recommended for production 💰.
     • Kubernetes version: Choose a recent, stable version ✅.
   • Primary node pool:
     • Node size: Select an appropriate VM size 🖥️. Standard_B2s is a good starting point for dev/test. For production, consider Standard_D2s_v3.
     • Scale method: Choose "Autoscale" for flexibility ⚖️.
     • Node count: Set the initial number of nodes #️⃣.

.

1. Review and Create: Carefully review all settings 👀. Once confirmed, click "Create". Cluster deployment may take several minutes ⏳. (Perfect time for a coffee! ☕)

3. Connect to Your AKS Cluster: Establishing Communication 🔮

After the cluster is deployed, connect to it.

1. Install Azure CLI (if not already done):
   Ensure Azure CLI is installed 💻.
   Verify installation:
   

   az --version
   

2. Login to Azure 🔑:
   

   az login
   

   Follow the prompts to authenticate.

3. Get Cluster Credentials 📜:
   This command configures kubectl.
   

   az aks get-credentials --resource-group <your-resource-group> --name <your-cluster-name>
   

4. Verify Connection ✅:
   Check if your nodes are ready.
   

   kubectl get nodes
   

   You should see your nodes listed with a Ready status.
   

   NAME                                STATUS   ROLES   AGE     VERSION
   aks-systempool-12345678-vmss000000   Ready    agent   5m16s   v1.28.5
   aks-systempool-12345678-vmss000001   Ready    agent   5m17s   v1.28.5
   

4. Install ArgoCD using Helm: Your GitOps Companion 🧙‍♂️⛵📦

ArgoCD will manage your deployments based on your Git repository.

1. Add ArgoCD Helm Repository ➕:
   

   helm repo add argo https://argoproj.github.io/argo-helm
   

2. Update Helm Repositories 🔄:
   

   helm repo update
   

3. Install ArgoCD 🚀:
   This installs ArgoCD into the argocd namespace.
   

   helm install argocd argo/argo-cd --namespace argocd --create-namespace
   

4. Access ArgoCD UI (via Port Forwarding) 🖥️➡️🚪:
   Access the ArgoCD dashboard.
   

   kubectl get pods -n argocd
   # Wait for argocd-server to be Running
   kubectl port-forward svc/argocd-server -n argocd 8080:https
   

Open https://localhost:8080 in your browser.

1. Get Initial Admin Password 🤫🔑:
   "Keep it secret, keep it safe!" (Okay, just one for the road! 😉)
   

   kubectl -n argocd get secret argocd-initial-admin-secret -o jsonpath="{.data.password}" | base64 -d; echo
   

5. Next Steps: The Journey Continues... ➡️👣

Your AKS and ArgoCD setup is complete!

• Connect Git repositories to ArgoCD 🔗.
• Define applications for ArgoCD to manage 📝.