Azure Container Services Docs – Weekly Update (2026-08-09 to 2026-08-16)

AGC – Application Gateway for Containers Components

Summary

The article has been revised to clarify the control over the Application Gateway for Containers’ association subnet with route table rules. It includes updated scenarios for ensuring traffic returns to the internet and highlights the importance of correct route table configurations to avoid asymmetrical routing.

AKS Arc – Windows Server Migration Guide

Summary

The documentation now emphasizes the migration of AKS Hybrid and Edge workloads from Windows Server 2019 to Windows Server 2022, highlighting the importance of this transition for maintaining safety and reliability standards. Users are guided to add new Windows Server 2022 node pools to their AKS clusters and are provided with updated steps for removing old node pools and validating the migration process. Additionally, the title and references have been updated to reflect the focus on AKS rather than AKS Arc.

AGC – How to Inference Gateway

Summary

The documentation for deploying the EPP and InferencePool has been updated to reflect changes in the Helm chart’s repository path. Additionally, a note has been added indicating that the Inference gateway is not currently supported through the Application Gateway for Containers’ AKS add-on, requiring the use of the ALB Controller Helm chart for configuration.

AKS Arc – Overview

Summary

The documentation now includes an important notice regarding the retirement of the current architecture of AKS on Windows Server 2019, effective March 2026, and recommends deploying AKS on Azure Local instead. Additionally, the sections have been updated to clarify that users can manage applications deployed on Kubernetes clusters through the Azure portal, and the integration with Azure services has been refined to enhance user understanding of accessing and managing on-premises Kubernetes clusters.

AKS – Upgrade Options

Summary

The documentation has been enhanced to clarify that the maxUnavailable and maxBlockedNodes parameters are capped to the remaining nodes during upgrades. This change improves the understanding of upgrade operations in AKS.

AKS – Private Cluster Connect

Summary

The document has been significantly updated to provide a step-by-step guide for creating a VM in the same VNet as a private AKS cluster. It includes detailed commands and explanations, enhancing the usability of the guide for users setting up their environments.

AKS Arc – Cluster K8s Version

Summary

The documentation now clarifies that Kubernetes version 1.27.7 is not ready for use on Linux and provides a link for users to check the readiness of Kubernetes versions. Additionally, it states that Kubernetes version 1.26.12 is not supported, with a corresponding link for details on supported versions. Users are also informed about potential error messages related to these Kubernetes versions when creating an AKS cluster.

AKS – Concepts Scale

Summary

The document has been updated to include detailed recommendations for scaling methods in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). New sections describe when to use Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA), Vertical Pod Autoscaler (VPA), Cluster Autoscaler, Node Auto Provisioning (NAP), KEDA, and ACI burst scaling, providing users with clear guidance on scaling strategies.

AKS Arc – AKS Windows Server Retirement

Summary

The document outlines the retirement schedule for AKS architecture on Windows Server, detailing the deprecation of Windows Server 2019 and 2022 node pools and the overall support timeline until March 2028. It emphasizes the need for users to migrate workloads to supported platforms and provides guidance on managing AKS Arc deployments on Azure Local.

AKS – Best Practices Cost

Summary

This article has been updated to include new best practices for cost optimization in AKS. It emphasizes the use of automatic features, dynamic rightsizing, and cost-efficient infrastructure options, providing users with actionable insights to manage their costs effectively.

AKS – Deploy Canipull Application AKS

Summary

This new article explains how to deploy CanIPull to an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster to verify if a node can authenticate to Azure Container Registry (ACR). It details prerequisites, deployment methods using Azure Copilot and manually, and includes a section on reviewing results and cleaning up resources.

Fleet – Update Create Update Strategy

Summary

The documentation now emphasizes the use of member labels for selecting clusters in update strategies, highlighting their flexibility. Users can apply labels to fleet members using the `az fleet member create` and `az fleet member update` commands, enhancing their ability to manage cluster configurations. Additionally, the process for selecting clusters by assigning them to update groups has been clarified, detailing how updates can be applied in parallel and sequentially within these groups.

AKS Arc – AKS Local Overview

Summary

Learn about AKS on Azure Local, its core infrastructure components, and the personas involved in deploying and operating it.

AKS – Create Volume Azure Files

Summary

The document has been revised to clarify the requirements for mounting SMB and NFS file shares using the Azure Files CSI driver. It now includes a quick-start checklist and detailed steps for creating PersistentVolumeClaims, enhancing the guidance for users.

AKS – Localdns Custom

Summary

The documentation has been updated to remove limitations regarding LocalDNS compatibility with Fully Qualified Domain Names (FQDN) filter policies, enhancing the usability of LocalDNS in AKS environments.

AKS – Certificate Rotation

Summary

The documentation now clarifies that AKS secure TLS bootstrapping is in the process of rolling out by default to all Azure regions, rather than being fully enabled. This change informs users about the current status of the feature’s availability, which may affect their configuration and deployment timelines.

AGC – Quickstart Create Application Gateway for Containers Managed by Alb Controller

Summary

This article has been updated to reflect changes in the service name from ‘azure-appgw-for-containers’ to ‘azure-application-gateway-containers’. It also includes a note about the identity created via the add-on and the role assignment for the AppGW for Containers Configuration Manager.

AKS – Operator Best Practices Advanced Scheduler

Summary

This article has been revised to enhance clarity and detail regarding best practices for using advanced scheduler features in AKS. It now includes a checklist for using taints, tolerations, node selectors, and affinity, which helps users manage workloads more effectively.

AKS Arc – AKS Platforms Compare

Summary

The documentation now clarifies that organizations can run AKS clusters on bare metal in addition to Azure Local, allowing for closer proximity to workloads and data. Additionally, the management of Kubernetes clusters through a lightweight management appliance is emphasized, replacing the previous mention of Arc Resource Bridge. Users should also note that AKS architecture on Windows Server 2019 and 2022 will not be supported after April 2025.

AKS Arc – AKS on Azure Local Support Policy

Summary

The documentation for AKS on Azure Local has been updated to clarify that users must upgrade their clusters to supported versions when requesting support, as unsupported clusters do not receive runtime guarantees. Additionally, it emphasizes that any modifications to node pools must be done using Kubernetes-native mechanisms, such as Daemon Sets, and that direct modifications via IaaS APIs will render the cluster unsupportable. Users are also reminded that clusters stopped for more than 30 days cannot be updated, and that Azure subscriptions suspended or deleted will lead to clusters being out of support after 60 days unless reinstated.

AGC – Alb Controller Release Notes

Summary

The release notes for the Azure Application Gateway for Containers have been updated to include version 1.11.3, which introduces security patches, WAF fixes, and a cert-rotation fix for Istio service mesh integration. Additionally, version 1.11.1 has been detailed to highlight support for Gateway API v1.5.1, Inference Extension, ALB Controller on Arm64 nodes, CORS support, and HTTP redirect 307/308 functionality. Users can now benefit from these enhancements and fixes to improve their application gateway deployments.

AKS – Start Stop Nodepools

Summary

This article has been updated to provide clearer instructions on stopping and starting node pools in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). It includes new details on managing compute costs and emphasizes the importance of understanding node pool states.

AKS Arc – AKS Overview

Summary

Adds/updates section(s): AKS everywhere Includes security/operational guidance (Key Vault/managed identity/NSG).

AGC – Quickstart Deploy Application Gateway for Containers Alb Controller Helm

Summary

The documentation has been updated to reflect the new version 1.11.3 of the Application Gateway for Containers, replacing all instances of version 1.11.1. Users should now refer to the updated commands that include the new version number for deploying the Application Gateway using the ALB controller with Helm.

Fleet – Concepts Update Orchestration

Summary

The document has been updated to clarify the use of `memberSelector` for grouping clusters in update strategies. It emphasizes the recommendation to use member labels instead of update groups for better management of large fleets with dynamic membership.

AKS – List AKS Clusters

Summary

This article provides instructions on how to list running Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters in an Azure subscription using the Azure portal, Azure CLI, or the AKS REST API. It includes prerequisites, detailed steps for each method, and important notes regarding cluster states.

AKS – System Assigned Managed Identity

Summary

The documentation now emphasizes that when updating the cluster to use a system-assigned managed identity, all nodes are reimaged to allow immediate use of the managed identity. This change highlights the operational impact of the update, including potential downtime for the AKS cluster.

AKS – Deploy Periscope AKS

Summary

A new guide has been added for deploying Periscope to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters. This guide includes detailed instructions on collecting diagnostic information using various tools, enhancing the operational capabilities for users.

AKS – Best Practices App Cluster Reliability

Summary

The documentation now emphasizes several best practices for enhancing application cluster reliability in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Users are advised to set CPU and memory limits for all pods, utilize Pod Disruption Budgets (PDBs), enable availability zones during cluster creation, and deploy at least two replicas of applications for high availability. Additionally, it highlights the importance of configuring readiness, liveness, and startup probes, using Standard Load Balancer for production workloads, and enabling Container Insights for performance monitoring.

AKS – Manage Ssh Node Access

Summary

Includes security/operational guidance (Key Vault/managed identity/NSG).

AGC – Service Mesh Integration

Summary

This update includes changes to the service metadata for Azure Application Gateway for Containers, reflecting a version update from 1.11.1 to 1.11.3 and a date change from June 24, 2026, to July 16, 2026. These changes are important for users to ensure they are referencing the correct service version and date.