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--- title: 'Quickstart: Deploy an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster with Flatcar Container Linux for AKS (preview) using an ARM template' description: Learn how to quickly deploy a Kubernetes cluster with Flatcar Container Linux for AKS (preview) using an Azure Resource Manager template and deploy an application in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). ms.topic: quickstart ms.date: 11/10/2025 author: allyford ms.author: allyford ms.service: azure-kubernetes-service # Customer intent: As a developer or cluster operator, I want to deploy an AKS cluster and deploy an application built using Flatcar Container Linux, so that I can ensure reliable and efficient container workloads with reduced maintenance and enhanced security across multiple cloud providers." --- # Quickstart: Deploy an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster with Flatcar Container Linux for AKS (preview) using an ARM template Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed Kubernetes service that lets you quickly deploy and manage clusters. In this quickstart, you: - Create an AKS cluster using Flatcar Container Linux for AKS (preview). - Deploy an AKS cluster using an Azure Resource Manager template. - Run a sample multi-container application with a group of microservices and web front ends simulating a retail scenario. [!INCLUDE [About Azure Resource Manager](~/reusable-content/ce-skilling/azure/includes/resource-manager-quickstart-introduction.md)] > [!NOTE] > To get started with quickly provisioning an AKS cluster, this article includes steps to deploy a cluster with default settings for evaluation purposes only. Before deploying a production-ready cluster, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with our [baseline reference architecture][baseline-reference-architecture] to consider how it aligns with your business requirements. ## Before you begin This article assumes a basic understanding of Kubernetes concepts. For more information, see [Kubernetes core concepts for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)](../concepts-clusters-workloads.md). - [!INCLUDE [quickstarts-free-trial-note](~/reusable-content/ce-skilling/azure/includes/quickstarts-free-trial-note.md)] - Make sure that the identity you use to create your cluster has the appropriate minimum permissions. For more details on access and identity for AKS, see [Access and identity options for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)](../concepts-identity.md). - To deploy an ARM template, you need write access on the resources you're deploying and access to all operations on the `Microsoft.Resources/deployments` resource type. For example, to deploy a virtual machine, you need `Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/write` and `Microsoft.Resources/deployments/*` permissions. For a list of roles and permissions, see [Azure built-in roles](/azure/role-based-access-control/built-in-roles). After you deploy the cluster from the template, you can use either Azure CLI or Azure PowerShell to connect to the cluster and deploy the sample application. ## Register resource providers You might need to register resource providers in your Azure subscription. For example, `Microsoft.ContainerService` is required. Check the registration status using the [`az provider show`](/cli/azure/provider#az-provider-show) command. ```azurecli-interactive az provider show --namespace Microsoft.ContainerService --query registrationState ``` If necessary, register the resource provider using the [az provider register](/cli/azure/provider#az-provider-register) command. ```azurecli-interactive az provider register --namespace Microsoft.ContainerService ``` ## Install `aks-preview` extension [!INCLUDE [preview features callout](~/reusable-content/ce-skilling/azure/includes/aks/includes/preview/preview-callout.md)] 1. Install the `aks-preview` Azure CLI extension using the [`az extension add`](/cli/azure/extension#az-extension-add) command. ```azurecli-interactive az extension add --name aks-preview ``` 1. Update to the latest version of the extension using the [`az extension update`](/cli/azure/extension#az-extension-update) command. **Flatcar Container Linux requires a minimum of 18.0.0b42**. ```azurecli-interactive az extension update --name aks-preview ``` ## Register `AKSFlatcarPreview` feature flag 1. Register the `AKSFlatcarPreview` feature flag using the [`az feature register`][az-feature-register] command. ```azurecli-interactive az feature register --namespace "Microsoft.ContainerService" --name "AKSFlatcarPreview" ``` 1. Verify the registration status using the [`az feature show`][az-feature-show] command. It takes a few minutes for the status to show _Registered_. ```azurecli-interactive az feature show --namespace Microsoft.ContainerService --name AKSFlatcarPreview ``` 1. When the status reflects _Registered_, refresh the registration of the _Microsoft.ContainerService_ resource provider using the [`az provider register`][az-provider-register] command. ```azurecli-interactive az provider register --namespace Microsoft.ContainerService ``` ### Create an SSH key pair To create an AKS cluster using an ARM template, you provide an SSH public key. If you need this resource, follow the steps in this section. Otherwise, skip to the [Review the template](#review-the-template) section. To access AKS nodes, you connect using an SSH key pair (public and private). To create an SSH key pair: 1. Go to [https://shell.azure.com](https://shell.azure.com) to open Cloud Shell in your browser. 1. Create a resource group using the [az group create][az-group-create] command. ```azurecli-interactive az group create \ --name myResourceGroup \ --location eastus ``` 1. Create an SSH key pair using the [az sshkey create](/cli/azure/sshkey#az-sshkey-create) command or the `ssh-keygen` command. ```azurecli-interactive az sshkey create --name mySSHKey --resource-group myResourceGroup ``` Or create an SSH key pair using ssh-keygen ```bash ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 ``` 1. To deploy the template, you must provide the public key from the SSH pair. Retrieve the public key using the [`az sshkey show`](/cli/azure/sshkey#az-sshkey-show) command. ```azurecli az sshkey show --name mySSHKey --resource-group myResourceGroup --query publicKey ``` By default, the SSH key files are created in the _~/.ssh_ directory. Running the `az sshkey create` or `ssh-keygen` command overwrites any existing SSH key pair with the same name. For more information about creating SSH keys, see [Create and manage SSH keys for authentication in Azure][ssh-keys]. ## Review the template The template used in this quickstart is from [Azure Quickstart Templates](https://azure.microsoft.com/resources/templates/aks/). :::code language="json" source="~/quickstart-templates/quickstarts/microsoft.kubernetes/aks/azuredeploy.json"::: The resource type defined in the ARM template is [**Microsoft.ContainerService/managedClusters**](/azure/templates/microsoft.containerservice/managedclusters?pivots=deployment-language-arm-template). For more AKS samples, see the [AKS quickstart templates][aks-quickstart-templates] site. ## Deploy the template 1. Select **Deploy to Azure** to sign in and open a template. :::image type="content" source="~/reusable-content/ce-skilling/azure/media/template-deployments/deploy-to-azure-button.svg" alt-text="Button to deploy the Resource Manager template to Azure." border="false" link="https://portal.azure.com/#create/Microsoft.Template/uri/https%3A%2F%2Fraw.githubusercontent.com%2FAzure%2Fazure-quickstart-templates%2Fmaster%2Fquickstarts%2Fmicrosoft.kubernetes%2Faks%2Fazuredeploy.json"::: 1. On the **Basics** page, leave the default values for the *OS Disk Size GB*, *Agent Count*, *Agent VM Size*, and *OS Type*, and 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**. - **OS SKU**: Specify **flatcar**, if you do not update OS SKU, the default will be `Ubuntu`. - **Location**: Select a location, such as **East US**. - **Cluster name**: Enter a unique name for the AKS cluster, such as *myAKSCluster*. - **DNS prefix**: Enter a unique DNS prefix for your cluster, such as *myakscluster*. - **Linux Admin Username**: Enter a username to connect using SSH, such as *azureuser*. - **SSH public key source**: Select **Use existing public key**. - **Key pair name**: Copy and paste the *public* part of your SSH key pair (by default, the contents of *~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub*). 1. Select **Review + Create** > **Create**. It takes a few minutes to create the AKS cluster. Wait for the cluster to be successfully deployed before you move on to the next step. ## Connect to the cluster To manage a Kubernetes cluster, use the Kubernetes command-line client, [kubectl][kubectl]. ### [Azure CLI](#tab/azure-cli) If you use Azure Cloud Shell, `kubectl` is already installed. To install and run `kubectl` locally, use the [`az aks install-cli`][az-aks-install-cli] command. 1. Configure `kubectl` to connect to your Kubernetes cluster using the [`az aks get-credentials`][az-aks-get-credentials] command. This command downloads credentials and configures the Kubernetes CLI to use them. ```azurecli az aks get-credentials \ --resource-group myResourceGroup \ --name myAKSCluster ``` 1. Verify the connection to your cluster using the [`kubectl get`][kubectl-get] command. This command returns a list of the cluster nodes. ```bash kubectl get nodes ``` The following example output shows the three nodes created in the previous steps. Make sure the node status is _Ready_: ```output NAME STATUS ROLES AGE VERSION aks-agentpool-38955149-vmss000000 Ready <none> 5m53s v1.32.7 aks-agentpool-38955149-vmss000001 Ready <none> 6m31s v1.32.7 aks-agentpool-238955149-vmss000002 Ready <none> 6m35s v1.32.7 ``` ### [Azure PowerShell](#tab/azure-powershell) If you use Azure Cloud Shell, `kubectl` is already installed. To install `kubectl` locally, use the [`Install-AzAksCliTool`][install-azakskubectl] cmdlet. 1. Configure `kubectl` to connect to your Kubernetes cluster using the [`Import-AzAksCredential`][import-azakscredential] cmdlet. This command downloads credentials and configures the Kubernetes CLI to use them. ```azurepowershell-interactive Import-AzAksCredential -ResourceGroupName myResourceGroup -Name myAKSCluster ``` 1. Verify the connection to your cluster using the [`kubectl get`][kubectl-get] command. This command returns a list of the cluster nodes. ```bash kubectl get nodes ``` The following example output shows the three nodes created in the previous steps. Make sure the node status is _Ready_: ```output NAME STATUS ROLES AGE VERSION aks-agentpool-38955149-vmss000000 Ready <none> 5m53s v1.32.7 aks-agentpool-38955149-vmss000001 Ready <none> 6m31s v1.32.7 aks-agentpool-238955149-vmss000002 Ready <none> 6m35s v1.32.7 ``` --- ## Deploy the application To deploy the application, you use a manifest file to create all the objects required to run the [AKS Store application](https://github.com/Azure-Samples/aks-store-demo). A [Kubernetes manifest file][kubernetes-deployment] defines a cluster's desired state, such as which container images to run. The manifest includes the following Kubernetes deployments and services: :::image type="content" source="media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-rm-template/aks-store-architecture.png" alt-text="Screenshot of Azure Store sample architecture." lightbox="media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-rm-template/aks-store-architecture.png"::: - **Store front**: Web application for customers to view products and place orders. - **Product service**: Shows product information. - **Order service**: Places orders. - **Rabbit MQ**: Message queue for an order queue. > [!NOTE] > We don't recommend running stateful containers, such as Rabbit MQ, without persistent storage for production. These are used here for simplicity, but we recommend using managed services, such as Azure Cosmos DB or Azure Service Bus. 1. Create a file named `aks-store-quickstart.yaml` and copy in the following manifest: ```yaml apiVersion: apps/v1 kind: Deployment metadata: name: rabbitmq spec: replicas: 1 selector: matchLabels: app: rabbitmq template: metadata: labels: app: rabbitmq spec: nodeSelector: "kubernetes.io/os": linux containers: - name: rabbitmq image: mcr.microsoft.com/mirror/docker/library/rabbitmq:3.10-management-alpine ports: - containerPort: 5672 name: rabbitmq-amqp - containerPort: 15672 name: rabbitmq-http env: - name: RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_USER value: "username" - name: RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_PASS value: "password" resources: requests: cpu: 10m memory: 128Mi limits: cpu: 250m memory: 256Mi volumeMounts: - name: rabbitmq-enabled-plugins mountPath: /etc/rabbitmq/enabled_plugins subPath: enabled_plugins volumes: - name: rabbitmq-enabled-plugins configMap: name: rabbitmq-enabled-plugins items: - key: rabbitmq_enabled_plugins path: enabled_plugins --- apiVersion: v1 data: rabbitmq_enabled_plugins: | [rabbitmq_management,rabbitmq_prometheus,rabbitmq_amqp1_0]. kind: ConfigMap metadata: name: rabbitmq-enabled-plugins --- apiVersion: v1 kind: Service metadata: name: rabbitmq spec: selector: app: rabbitmq ports: - name: rabbitmq-amqp port: 5672 targetPort: 5672 - name: rabbitmq-http port: 15672 targetPort: 15672 type: ClusterIP --- apiVersion: apps/v1 kind: Deployment metadata: name: order-service spec: replicas: 1 selector: matchLabels: app: order-service template: metadata: labels: app: order-service spec: nodeSelector: "kubernetes.io/os": linux containers: - name: order-service image: ghcr.io/azure-samples/aks-store-demo/order-service:latest ports: - containerPort: 3000 env: - name: ORDER_QUEUE_HOSTNAME value: "rabbitmq" - name: ORDER_QUEUE_PORT value: "5672" - name: ORDER_QUEUE_USERNAME value: "username" - name: ORDER_QUEUE_PASSWORD value: "password" - name: ORDER_QUEUE_NAME value: "orders" - name: FASTIFY_ADDRESS value: "0.0.0.0" resources: requests: cpu: 1m memory: 50Mi limits: cpu: 75m memory: 128Mi initContainers: - name: wait-for-rabbitmq image: busybox command: ['sh', '-c', 'until nc -zv rabbitmq 5672; do echo waiting for rabbitmq; sleep 2; done;'] resources: requests: cpu: 1m memory: 50Mi limits: cpu: 75m memory: 128Mi --- apiVersion: v1 kind: Service metadata: name: order-service spec: type: ClusterIP ports: - name: http port: 3000 targetPort: 3000 selector: app: order-service --- apiVersion: apps/v1 kind: Deployment metadata: name: product-service spec: replicas: 1 selector: matchLabels: app: product-service template: metadata: labels: app: product-service spec: nodeSelector: "kubernetes.io/os": linux containers: - name: product-service image: ghcr.io/azure-samples/aks-store-demo/product-service:latest ports: - containerPort: 3002 resources: requests: cpu: 1m memory: 1Mi limits: cpu: 1m memory: 7Mi --- apiVersion: v1 kind: Service metadata: name: product-service spec: type: ClusterIP ports: - name: http port: 3002 targetPort: 3002 selector: app: product-service --- apiVersion: apps/v1 kind: Deployment metadata: name: store-front spec: replicas: 1 selector: matchLabels: app: store-front template: metadata: labels: app: store-front spec: nodeSelector: "kubernetes.io/os": linux containers: - name: store-front image: ghcr.io/azure-samples/aks-store-demo/store-front:latest ports: - containerPort: 8080 name: store-front env: - name: VUE_APP_ORDER_SERVICE_URL value: "http://order-service:3000/" - name: VUE_APP_PRODUCT_SERVICE_URL value: "http://product-service:3002/" resources: requests: cpu: 1m memory: 200Mi limits: cpu: 1000m memory: 512Mi --- apiVersion: v1 kind: Service metadata: name: store-front spec: ports: - port: 80 targetPort: 8080 selector: app: store-front type: LoadBalancer ``` For a breakdown of YAML manifest files, see [Deployments and YAML manifests](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/workloads/controllers/deployment/). If you create and save the YAML file locally, then you can upload the manifest file to your default directory in CloudShell by selecting the **Upload/Download files** button and selecting the file from your local file system. 1. Deploy the application using the [`kubectl apply`][kubectl-apply] command and specify the name of your YAML manifest. ```bash kubectl apply -f aks-store-quickstart.yaml ``` The following example output shows the deployments and services: ```output deployment.apps/rabbitmq created service/rabbitmq created deployment.apps/order-service created service/order-service created deployment.apps/product-service created service/product-service created deployment.apps/store-front created service/store-front created ``` ## Test the application 1. Check the status of the deployed pods using the [`kubectl get pods`][kubectl-get] command. Make all pods are `Running` before proceeding. ```bash kubectl get pods ``` 1. Check for a public IP address for the store-front application. Monitor progress using the [`kubectl get service`][kubectl-get] command with the `--watch` argument. ```bash kubectl get service store-front --watch ``` The **EXTERNAL-IP** output for the `store-front` service initially shows as *pending*: ```output NAME TYPE CLUSTER-IP EXTERNAL-IP PORT(S) AGE store-front LoadBalancer 10.0.100.10 <pending> 80:30025/TCP 4h4m ``` 1. Once the **EXTERNAL-IP** address changes from *pending* to an actual public IP address, use `CTRL-C` to stop the `kubectl` watch process. The following example output shows a valid public IP address assigned to the service: ```output NAME TYPE CLUSTER-IP EXTERNAL-IP PORT(S) AGE store-front LoadBalancer 10.0.100.10 20.62.159.19 80:30025/TCP 4h5m ``` 1. Open a web browser to the external IP address of your service to see the Azure Store app in action: :::image type="content" source="media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-rm-template/aks-store-application.png" alt-text="Screenshot of AKS Store sample application." lightbox="media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-rm-template/aks-store-application.png"::: ## Delete the cluster If you don't plan on going through the [AKS tutorial][aks-tutorial], clean up unnecessary resources to avoid Azure charges. ### [Azure CLI](#tab/azure-cli) - Remove the resource group, container service, and all related resources using the [`az group delete`][az-group-delete] command. ```azurecli az group delete --name myResourceGroup ``` ### [Azure PowerShell](#tab/azure-powershell) - Remove the resource group, container service, and all related resources using the [`Remove-AzResourceGroup`][remove-azresourcegroup] cmdlet. ```azurepowershell-interactive Remove-AzResourceGroup -Name myResourceGroup ``` --- > [!NOTE] > The AKS cluster was created with a system-assigned managed identity, which is the default identity option used in this quickstart. The platform manages this identity, so you don't need to manually remove it. ## Next steps In this quickstart, you deployed a Kubernetes cluster and then deployed a simple multi-container application to it. This sample application is for demo purposes only and doesn't represent all the best practices for Kubernetes applications. For guidance on creating full solutions with AKS for production, see [AKS solution guidance][aks-solution-guidance]. To learn more about AKS and walk through a complete code-to-deployment example, continue to the Kubernetes cluster tutorial. > [!div class="nextstepaction"] > [AKS tutorial][aks-tutorial] <!-- LINKS - external --> [kubectl]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/ [kubectl-apply]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubectl/kubectl-commands#apply [kubectl-get]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/generated/kubectl/kubectl-commands#get [aks-quickstart-templates]: https://azure.microsoft.com/resources/templates/?term=Azure+Kubernetes+Service <!-- LINKS - internal --> [aks-tutorial]: ../tutorial-kubernetes-prepare-app.md [az-group-create]: /cli/azure/group#az-group-create [az-aks-get-credentials]: /cli/azure/aks#az_aks_get_credentials [import-azakscredential]: /powershell/module/az.aks/import-azakscredential [az-aks-install-cli]: /cli/azure/aks#az_aks_install_cli [install-azakskubectl]: /powershell/module/az.aks/install-azaksclitool [az-group-delete]: /cli/azure/group#az_group_delete [remove-azresourcegroup]: /powershell/module/az.resources/remove-azresourcegroup [kubernetes-deployment]: ../concepts-clusters-workloads.md#deployments-and-yaml-manifests [ssh-keys]: /azure/virtual-machines/linux/create-ssh-keys-detailed [baseline-reference-architecture]: /azure/architecture/reference-architectures/containers/aks/baseline-aks?toc=/azure/aks/toc.json&bc=/azure/aks/breadcrumb/toc.json [aks-solution-guidance]: /azure/architecture/reference-architectures/containers/aks-start-here?toc=/azure/aks/toc.json&bc=/azure/aks/breadcrumb/toc.json [az-feature-register]: /cli/azure/feature#az-feature-register [az-feature-show]: /cli/azure/feature#az-feature-show [az-provider-register]: /cli/azure/provider#az-provider-register