Azure Container Service vs Kubernetes

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Azure Container Service vs Kubernetes: What are the differences?

Azure Container Service (AKS) and Kubernetes are container orchestration platforms facilitating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Let's explore the key differences between them:

  1. Scalability: Azure Container Service (ACS) provides scalability through its integration with various container orchestration tools, including Kubernetes. Kubernetes, on the other hand, natively supports scalability of applications by allowing multiple instances of containers to be created and managed easily.

  2. Managed vs Self-Managed: ACS is a managed container service that simplifies the deployment and management of containers by abstracting away the underlying infrastructure. Kubernetes, on the other hand, is a self-managed container orchestration system that requires more manual configuration and management.

  3. Platform Compatibility: ACS offers support for multiple container orchestration platforms, including Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, and Mesosphere DC/OS. Kubernetes, however, is a container orchestration platform in itself, providing a comprehensive set of features and functionalities specifically designed for managing containers and containerized applications.

  4. Flexibility: ACS allows users to choose their preferred container orchestration platform, providing flexibility for organizations that already have specific preferences and requirements. Kubernetes, on the other hand, offers a highly flexible and extensible platform that can be customized and adapted to meet different use cases and scenarios.

  5. Ecosystem and Community: ACS benefits from being part of the larger Azure ecosystem, which offers a wide range of complementary services and integrations. Kubernetes, on the other hand, has a vibrant and active open-source community that continuously contributes to its development, providing a robust ecosystem of tools, plugins, and extensions.

  6. Compatibility with Existing Infrastructure: ACS supports hybrid deployments by seamlessly integrating with existing infrastructure and on-premises resources. Kubernetes, on the other hand, can also be deployed on-premises using tools like Kubernetes in Docker (KIND), allowing organizations to leverage their existing infrastructure investments without the need to migrate to a cloud-based solution.

In summary, Azure Container Service streamlines Kubernetes deployment and management on the Azure platform, offering integration with other Azure services. Kubernetes, being platform-agnostic, provides a broader scope for deployment flexibility across different cloud environments.

Decisions about Azure Container Service and Kubernetes
Simon Reymann
Senior Fullstack Developer at QUANTUSflow Software GmbH · | 30 upvotes · 8.9M views

Our whole DevOps stack consists of the following tools:

  • GitHub (incl. GitHub Pages/Markdown for Documentation, GettingStarted and HowTo's) for collaborative review and code management tool
  • Respectively Git as revision control system
  • SourceTree as Git GUI
  • Visual Studio Code as IDE
  • CircleCI for continuous integration (automatize development process)
  • Prettier / TSLint / ESLint as code linter
  • SonarQube as quality gate
  • Docker as container management (incl. Docker Compose for multi-container application management)
  • VirtualBox for operating system simulation tests
  • Kubernetes as cluster management for docker containers
  • Heroku for deploying in test environments
  • nginx as web server (preferably used as facade server in production environment)
  • SSLMate (using OpenSSL) for certificate management
  • Amazon EC2 (incl. Amazon S3) for deploying in stage (production-like) and production environments
  • PostgreSQL as preferred database system
  • Redis as preferred in-memory database/store (great for caching)

The main reason we have chosen Kubernetes over Docker Swarm is related to the following artifacts:

  • Key features: Easy and flexible installation, Clear dashboard, Great scaling operations, Monitoring is an integral part, Great load balancing concepts, Monitors the condition and ensures compensation in the event of failure.
  • Applications: An application can be deployed using a combination of pods, deployments, and services (or micro-services).
  • Functionality: Kubernetes as a complex installation and setup process, but it not as limited as Docker Swarm.
  • Monitoring: It supports multiple versions of logging and monitoring when the services are deployed within the cluster (Elasticsearch/Kibana (ELK), Heapster/Grafana, Sysdig cloud integration).
  • Scalability: All-in-one framework for distributed systems.
  • Other Benefits: Kubernetes is backed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), huge community among container orchestration tools, it is an open source and modular tool that works with any OS.
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Pros of Azure Container Service
Pros of Kubernetes
  • 6
    Easy to setup, very agnostic
  • 3
    It supports Kubernetes, Mesos DC/OS and Docker Swarm
  • 2
    It has a nice command line interface (CLI) tool
  • 164
    Leading docker container management solution
  • 128
    Simple and powerful
  • 106
    Open source
  • 76
    Backed by google
  • 58
    The right abstractions
  • 25
    Scale services
  • 20
    Replication controller
  • 11
    Permission managment
  • 9
    Supports autoscaling
  • 8
    Cheap
  • 8
    Simple
  • 6
    Self-healing
  • 5
    No cloud platform lock-in
  • 5
    Promotes modern/good infrascture practice
  • 5
    Open, powerful, stable
  • 5
    Reliable
  • 4
    Scalable
  • 4
    Quick cloud setup
  • 3
    Cloud Agnostic
  • 3
    Captain of Container Ship
  • 3
    A self healing environment with rich metadata
  • 3
    Runs on azure
  • 3
    Backed by Red Hat
  • 3
    Custom and extensibility
  • 2
    Sfg
  • 2
    Gke
  • 2
    Everything of CaaS
  • 2
    Golang
  • 2
    Easy setup
  • 2
    Expandable

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Cons of Azure Container Service
Cons of Kubernetes
    Be the first to leave a con
    • 16
      Steep learning curve
    • 15
      Poor workflow for development
    • 8
      Orchestrates only infrastructure
    • 4
      High resource requirements for on-prem clusters
    • 2
      Too heavy for simple systems
    • 1
      Additional vendor lock-in (Docker)
    • 1
      More moving parts to secure
    • 1
      Additional Technology Overhead

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    What is Azure Container Service?

    Azure Container Service optimizes the configuration of popular open source tools and technologies specifically for Azure. You get an open solution that offers portability for both your containers and your application configuration. You select the size, the number of hosts, and choice of orchestrator tools, and Container Service handles everything else.

    What is Kubernetes?

    Kubernetes is an open source orchestration system for Docker containers. It handles scheduling onto nodes in a compute cluster and actively manages workloads to ensure that their state matches the users declared intentions.

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    What companies use Azure Container Service?
    What companies use Kubernetes?
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    What tools integrate with Azure Container Service?
    What tools integrate with Kubernetes?

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    What are some alternatives to Azure Container Service and Kubernetes?
    Docker
    The Docker Platform is the industry-leading container platform for continuous, high-velocity innovation, enabling organizations to seamlessly build and share any application — from legacy to what comes next — and securely run them anywhere
    Azure Kubernetes Service
    Deploy and manage containerized applications more easily with a fully managed Kubernetes service. It offers serverless Kubernetes, an integrated continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) experience, and enterprise-grade security and governance. Unite your development and operations teams on a single platform to rapidly build, deliver, and scale applications with confidence.
    Azure App Service
    Quickly build, deploy, and scale web apps created with popular frameworks .NET, .NET Core, Node.js, Java, PHP, Ruby, or Python, in containers or running on any operating system. Meet rigorous, enterprise-grade performance, security, and compliance requirements by using the fully managed platform for your operational and monitoring tasks.
    Azure Container Instances
    It is a solution for any scenario that can operate in isolated containers, without orchestration. Run event-driven applications, quickly deploy from your container development pipelines, and run data processing and build jobs.
    Amazon EC2 Container Service
    Amazon EC2 Container Service lets you launch and stop container-enabled applications with simple API calls, allows you to query the state of your cluster from a centralized service, and gives you access to many familiar Amazon EC2 features like security groups, EBS volumes and IAM roles.
    See all alternatives