How to Deploy Docker Containers into AKS cluster using Azure Pipelines | Deploy Docker Image into AKS cluster using Azure Release Pipelines

We are going to learn how to deploy Docker containers into Azure Kubernetes Cluster(AKS) using Azure pipelines.

Pre-requisites:

1. AKS cluster needs to be up running. You can create AKS cluster using one of the below options:

• Create AKS cluster in Azure portal directly
• Create AKS cluster using Azure CLI
• Create AKS cluster using Terraform

2. ACR is also setup in Azure cloud. 

3. Already created Azure DevOps dashboard in 

https://dev.azure.com/

4. Dockerfile created along with the application source code

5. Make sure AKS has pull access from ACR

Implementation Steps

Step 1 - Create Azure Build pipeline for building Docker images and uploading into ACR

Step 2 - Create Azure Release pipeline for deploying Docker containers into AKS

 

Step 1 - How to create a Azure Build Pipeline

1. Login into your Azure DevOps dashboard

2. Click on Pipelines.

3. Click on New Pipeline

4. Click on use the classic editor

Enter your repo name and branch name where you have stored your source code along with Dockerfile

Click on Continue. Now choose the template by typing Docker, Select Docker container and Apply.

 

Now pipeline is created with two tasks already. We need to configure it.

Let's modify Build an image task.

Select Push an image task

Add a task for Copying YAML file, enter the Kubernetes deployment YAML file

Add Publish artifact task

Now click Save + Queue and run to start Building the pipeline

Once the build is completed, you should be able to see the Docker images under 

Services --> Repositories

Step 2 - How to Create Release pipeline for deploying Docker containers into AKS Cluster 

Go to Pipelines --> Click on Releases --> New Release pipeline

Click on Stage 1 and choose a template by selecting

Deploy to a Kubernetes cluster and click on Apply

Change the stage name to Deploy to AKS

Now click on Add an artifact

Select the Build pipeline and click on the latest version

Now click on Deploy to AKS stage

Click on kubectl apply

Now Click on New to enter AKS cluster connection info

Choose the Azure subscription and enter Microsoft user credentials.

Select AKS cluster from the drop down, choose default namespace

Choose command as apply and select the yaml file from the dropdown from Configuration file 

Now click on Save,

Click on Create a release

and then click Create to run the deployment

Click on Stage to see the logs

Now you will the following tasks are in green to confirm Deployment was successful.

Let's check if deployment created any pods

kubectl get deployments

kubectl get pods

kubectl get svc

Now try to access application running inside AKS cluster by using external IP and port number

Go to the browser enter http://external IP:5000