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Version: 1.5

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

This guide will show you how to install Okteto onto Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). We'll be focusing exclusively on AKS in order to keep it as simple as possible.

Requirements​

In order to fully install Okteto, you'll need the following:

  • A subdomain to which you can add a wildcard DNS record
  • A Kubernetes cluster
  • A working installation of kubectl
  • A working installation of Helm v3 (v3.8 or higher)
  • An OAuth application
  • An Azure Storage Container
  • An Okteto license (optional)

Subdomain​

You'll need access to a subdomain to which you can add a wildcard DNS record, such as dev.example.com.

This guide will assume that your domain is registered in AzureDNS. Other DNS services can be used, but aren't covered here.

Deploy a Kubernetes cluster​

We recommend that you follow Azure's cluster creation guide. Okteto supports Kubernetes versions 1.21 through 1.23.

We recommend the following specs:

  • v1.23
  • A pool with at least 3 Standard D4 nodes
  • 250 GB per Standard SSD Managed Disk

You'll be using the cluster's API server endpoint when configuring Okteto. Run the following command to obtain your cluster's API server endpoint:

kubectl config view --minify | grep server

Our installation guides assume Okteto will be running in a dedicated cluster. We recommend contacting our team if you plan on installing Okteto in a cluster with other workloads.

Installing kubectl​

Follow Azure's documentation for installing kubectl. Once installed, configure kubectl to talk to your new cluster.

Installing Helm v3 (v3.8 or higher)​

Follow the official documentation for installing the latest release of Helm v3 (v3.8 or higher).

Creating the OAuth application​

Okteto supports OAuth providers like Google, GitHub, or OpenID Connect to handle user authentication. For this guide, we'll focus on using GitHub. All the supported configuration settings are described here.

If you are planning on using the GitHub Integration, you should follow this guide. You'll then use the same Github Application for the Integration as the one from Oauth.

Follow GitHub's official documentation on how to create an OAuth App.

When creating the OAuth App, you will need to provide the following values:

Homepage URL:

https://okteto.DOMAIN

Authorization callback URL:

https://okteto.DOMAIN/auth/callback

You'll use the Client ID and Client Secret when installing Okteto.

Creating an Azure Storage Container​

Okteto uses a storage container to store your private images. Follow Azure's guide on how to create a storage container. Create the bucket in the region as your AKS cluster, and keep it private.

You'll need the Account Name and a Storage Account Key when installing Okteto.

Adding the Okteto Helm repository​

You'll need to add the Okteto repository in order to be able to install Okteto:

helm repo add okteto https://charts.okteto.com
helm repo update

Getting your Okteto License​

Okteto is free for up to 3 users without a license. You can also sign on for the free trial to give access up to 100 users for a month.

Installing Okteto​

Create the Okteto Namespace​

Run the following command to create a namespace to install Okteto in:

$ kubectl create namespace okteto

Configuring your Okteto instance​

Create a Kubernetes secret with the Storage Account Access Key you created before:

kubectl create secret generic okteto-cloud-secret --namespace=okteto --from-literal=key=STORAGE_ACCOUNT_ACCESS_KEY

Download a copy of the Okteto AKS configuration file, open it, and update the following values:

  • Your email
  • Your license (optional)
  • A subdomain
  • clientId and clientSecret of the OAuth Application you created
  • You GitHub organization. An empty organization field permits any user to log in.
  • Your cluster's API server endpoint
  • The name of the storage container you created
  • The Storage Account Name

For example:

email: admin@example.com
license: 1234567890ABCD==
subdomain: dev.example.com
cluster:
  endpoint: "https://XXXXXX.aks.microsoft.com"

auth:
  github:
    enabled: true
    clientId: ae8924d074d8c8809999
    clientSecret: ABCD90598b706d5342f07cce18fee5e5da391234
    organization: my-org

cloud:
  provider:
    azure:
      enabled: true
      storage:
        container: "okteto-container"
        accountName: "okteto-storage-account"

buildkit:
  ingress:
    enabled: false
  service:
    type: LoadBalancer

Installing your Okteto instance​

Install the latest version of Okteto by running:

helm install okteto okteto/okteto -f config.yaml --namespace=okteto

After a few seconds, all the resources will be created. The output will look something like this:

Release "okteto" has been installed. Happy Helming!
NAME: okteto
LAST DEPLOYED: Thu Mar 26 18:07:55 2020
NAMESPACE: okteto
STATUS: deployed
REVISION: 1
TEST SUITE: None
NOTES:
1. Create the following DNS record, pointing it to the NGINX controller service External-IP:
- "*.dev.example.com"

You can retrieve the External IP by running:
    kubectl get service -l=app.kubernetes.io/name=ingress-nginx,app.kubernetes.io/component=controller --namespace=okteto

2. Create the following DNS record, pointing it to the Buildkit service External-IP:
- "buildkit.dev.example.com"

You can retrieve the External IP by running:
    kubectl get service -l=app.kubernetes.io/instance=okteto,app.kubernetes.io/component=buildkit --namespace=okteto

3. Once you create both DNS entries you can access your Okteto instance at this URL:
https://okteto.dev.example.com

You can also install a specific version by including the --version argument.

Retrieve the Ingress Controller IP address​

We can use the instructions kubectl to fetch the address that has been dynamically allocated by AKS to the NGINX Ingress we've just installed and configured as a part of Okteto:

kubectl get service -l=app.kubernetes.io/name=ingress-nginx,app.kubernetes.io/component=controller --namespace=okteto

The output will look something like this:

NAME                             TYPE           CLUSTER-IP   EXTERNAL-IP                          PORT(S)                                     AGE
okteto-ingress-nginx-controller  LoadBalancer   10.0.7.73    a519c8b3b27f94...aks.microsoft.com   80:30795/TCP,443:32481/TCP,1234:30885/TCP   5m

You'll need to take the EXTERNAL-IP address and add it to your DNS for the domain you have chosen to use. In AzureDNS, this is done by creating an A record with the name *, pointing to the IP of the Load Balancer.

Retrieve the Buildkit IP address​

You can use kubectl to fetch the address that has been dynamically allocated by AKS to the Buildkit instance you've just installed and configured as a part of Okteto:

kubectl get service -l=app.kubernetes.io/instance=okteto,app.kubernetes.io/component=buildkit --namespace=okteto

The output will look something like this:

NAME                TYPE           CLUSTER-IP      EXTERNAL-IP                           PORT(S)          AGE
okteto-buildkit     LoadBalancer   10.245.142.73   a519c8b3b27f95...aks.microsoft.com    1234:32449/TCP   5m

You'll need to take the EXTERNAL-IP address, and add it to your DNS for the domain you have chosen to use. This is done by creating an A record with the name buildkit.

Sign in to your Okteto instance​

Important: The default installation uses self-signed certificates. We strongly recommend that you configure Okteto to bring your own certificates before giving your team access to your instance.

You can access your Okteto instance at https://okteto.SUBDOMAIN. Your account will be automatically created as part of the login process. The first user to successfully log into the instance will be automatically assigned the administrator role.