Kubernetes on Wolkwacht

From OrbStack to AKS: Installing Dapr on a Managed Cluster

Sat, 26 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Transferring a Dapr-enabled application from local Kubernetes to AKS should be straightforward. The annotations, app ID, application port, sidecar API, and workload manifest stay familiar. The key difference is ownership: a temporary local setup transforms into a shared runtime that requires a version policy, availability plan, network access, identity strategy, and support structure.

This post moves the sample from Installing Dapr on Kubernetes Locally with OrbStack to an existing AKS cluster. We will compare the open-source installation path with the AKS Dapr extension, install the extension, verify the control plane, and deploy the same NGINX workload.

Installing Dapr on Kubernetes Locally with OrbStack

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

To quickly grasp Dapr on Kubernetes, it’s best to start locally rather than with an AKS cluster. Local setup allows for rapid pod creation in seconds, minimizes the consequences of mistakes, and keeps all control-plane components easily accessible for inspection.

In this post, we’ll demonstrate setting up OrbStack’s single-node Kubernetes cluster on macOS, installing Dapr in development mode, examining the creation process, deploying a simple web app with a sidecar, and accessing it via Dapr’s HTTP API. The same annotations and runtime model apply to AKS later, with only differences in the platform and installation approach.

Dapr on Kubernetes and AKS Series

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Dapr on Kubernetes and AKS

Dapr gives applications a consistent set of APIs for common distributed-systems concerns while leaving the backing infrastructure replaceable. This series starts with the mental model, builds a fast local development loop, moves the same workload to Azure Kubernetes Service, and then works through the building blocks and production concerns.

The series is written for developers and platform engineers who already know the basics of Kubernetes but are new to Dapr. Each post stands on its own; reading in order gives you the smoothest path from first principles to production.

What Is Dapr, and Why Run It on Kubernetes?

Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Every distributed application gathers various plumbing components. One service requires retries and timeouts, another needs a message broker client, and a third must store some state, retrieve secrets, or discover other services. Over time, each team ends up with a unique set of client libraries, connection handling methods, telemetry, and failure behaviors.

Dapr, the Distributed Application Runtime, provides a uniform API for the underlying infrastructure. Your application communicates with a local Dapr process via HTTP or gRPC. Dapr then interacts with services, the state store, the broker, the secret store, or other components on your application’s behalf. While the application retains control of its business logic, Dapr offers reusable capabilities for building distributed applications.

Secrets Management Showdown: Azure Key Vault CSI Driver vs. External Secrets Operator

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The real question is not whether to use the Azure Key Vault provider for the Secrets Store CSI Driver or the External Secrets Operator (ESO). Instead, it’s whether your workload should access secret data as mounted files or via native Kubernetes Secret objects.

That choice influences application design, rotation, incident handling, RBAC, observability, Helm compatibility, and GitOps. In short: CSI offers a more secure default for applications that consume files; ESO provides a more practical platform default when Kubernetes-native compatibility is a priority. This decision involves both GitOps and security considerations.

KubeBuddy: An Agentless Second Opinion for Kubernetes

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0200

Kubernetes is very good at reporting desired state. A Deployment can be available while its pods restart every few hours. A cluster can show green nodes while workloads have no disruption budgets, probes, resource limits, or network isolation. Dashboards show signals; they do not necessarily connect them into an operational judgment.

That is the gap KubeBuddy tries to fill. The open-source KubeDeck project is a Go-based command-line scanner that connects through an existing Kubernetes context and evaluates cluster health, workloads, security, RBAC, networking, storage, and configuration. It can add provider-specific checks for AKS and GKE and emit terminal, HTML, JSON, and CSV output. There is no controller, Helm release, or long-running agent to install in the cluster.

Is Azure Container Apps Eating AKS's Lunch for Smaller Workloads?

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Kubernetes has become so familiar that many teams don’t choose to adopt it anymore; they just start using it. When a new internal API appears, someone sets up an AKS cluster, and within weeks, the team manages node pools, upgrade channels, ingress, identity, policies, observability, and a backlog of Helm charts. None of these decisions are incorrect, but the issue is that the workload might never have required a Kubernetes platform in the first place.

Secure Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 11:01:01 +0000

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) removes most of the undifferentiated heavy lifting of running Kubernetes, but it does not remove your responsibility for securing what runs on top of it.

Reducing AKS Costs: Autoscaling, Spot Nodes, Rightsizing, and FinOps Practices

Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:01:01 +0000

Introduction: Cost Is an Outcome of Scheduling Decisions

Running AI Workloads on Azure Kubernetes Service: From Platform Control to Model Serving

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:31:53 +0000

Most teams begin their AI journey by using a managed model API. This approach works initially but can become problematic when costs become…

Azure Kubernetes Application Network, Part 3: AI Gateway, Observability and Production Fit

Wed, 10 Jun 2026 06:14:44 +0000

Part 1 introduced AppNet, while Part 2 demonstrated its use in zero-trust and multi-cluster patterns. This concluding section explores a…

Azure Kubernetes Application Network, Part 2: Zero-Trust and Multi-Cluster Patterns

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:18:29 +0000

In Part 1, we discussed the AppNet architecture, setup process, and waypoint model. This second part shifts focus from mechanics to…

Azure Kubernetes Application Network, Part 1: What AppNet Is and How to Get Started

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:00:05 +0000

The space between 'we have ingress' and 'we run a full service mesh with sidecars on every pod' has always been a challenging middle…

When Your Cluster Isn’t Sufficient: Introducing Virtual Pools in AKS

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 08:32:23 +0000

There’s a moment in every Kubernetes journey when the cluster begins to feel… heavy. Not broken, not misconfigured, but stretched in ways…

GitOps on Azure Kubernetes Service: Building a Production-Ready Platform with Flux

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 07:42:06 +0000

Kubernetes platforms seldom fail due to the technology itself; instead, failures are usually caused by operational issues.

When Kubernetes Lies:

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 07:29:00 +0000

Truth inside AKS with Inspektor Gadget

Operating AKS from your workstation

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 13:04:13 +0000

Inside Microsoft’s New AKS Desktop

Beyond the Cloud: Running Kubernetes with Talos: Comparing Talos, k3s, AKS, and EKS

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 07:53:31 +0000

“If Kubernetes is the engine, Talos is the chassis built specifically for it.”

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles 12: The Future of Multi-Cluster

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 13:06:57 +0000

Fleet, Arc, sovereign clouds, and the edge-first world of 2030

Using the AKS-MCP Server in Day-to-Day Operations

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 06:26:36 +0000

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) has long been the leading platform for containerized workloads on Microsoft Azure. While AKS offers…

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles 11: Governing the Chaos

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 07:57:15 +0000

Unifying identity, policy, networking, and observability across clouds and edge

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles 10: Kubernetes at the Edge with k3s

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 09:28:48 +0000

From Raspberry Pi retail stores to 5G towers — the hidden force reshaping enterprise IT

Azure Kubernetes Security Demystified: From Nodes to Pods

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 09:21:22 +0000

Azure Kubernetes Security Demystified: From Nodes to Pods

Introduction

Kubernetes has become the standard for hosting containerized applications, with Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) being one of the most popular managed options. AKS simplifies management by handling the control plane, but securing the environment remains the customer’s responsibility. The shared responsibility model requires you to focus on strengthening worker nodes, controlling cluster access, and ensuring that workloads and pods operate with the least privileges.
Security in Kubernetes involves multiple layers. The base layer is the host security of the virtual machines in the node pools. Next is the cluster layer, where identity, networking, and governance must be carefully established and maintained. At the top, securing pods and containers that run your business logic is crucial to prevent privilege escalation or unauthorized communication. This approach, known as “defense in depth,” emphasizes addressing security across various boundaries instead of relying on a single tool or configuration for full protection.

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles 9: EKS in the Enterprise

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 07:47:46 +0000

Why Amazon’s Kubernetes service is a compliance lever, not just duplication

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles 8: Fleet in Focus

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 11:36:24 +0000

Azure’s multi-cluster powerhouse — and where it falls short

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles 7: The Multi-Cluster Reality

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 07:00:03 +0000

From the dream of one perfect cluster to the messy truth of enterprise sprawl

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles: Multi-Cluster Edition

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 08:01:27 +0000

From Fleet to Edge — navigating Kubernetes across clouds and continents

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles 6:

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 10:31:37 +0000

Managing Multiple AKS Clusters with Azure Fleet

Harnessing Chaos: Implementing Chaos Engineering with Azure Chaos Studio and Gremlin on AKS

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 12:42:28 +0000

Chaos Engineering is a crucial practice for modern cloud operations, enabling teams to identify hidden weaknesses and potential failures in…

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles part 5:

Wed, 07 May 2025 06:53:40 +0000

Autoscaling with KEDA

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles part 4

Thu, 13 Mar 2025 10:41:00 +0000

Dataprotection

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles part 3

Fri, 28 Feb 2025 07:07:29 +0000

Observability

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles

Tue, 11 Feb 2025 09:17:00 +0000

Networking using eBPF

Azure Kubernetes Chronicles

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 08:05:02 +0000

Container Network Interfaces

Azure Day on Kubernetes + KubeCon/CloudNativeCon Europe 2023

Sat, 22 Apr 2023 09:56:20 +0200

Recap of KubeConEU 2023 and Azure Day with Kubernetes.

AKS Edge Essentials

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:09:51 +0200

First look at AKS Edge essentials

Kubernetes Community Days Amsterdam 2023

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 09:49:29 +0100

Report of the Kubernetes Community Days Amsterdam 2023

k3s: Enable Traefik dashboard

Thu, 17 Oct 2019 10:37:20 +0000

If you install k3s with the default settings it also installs Traefik as a load balancer. Traefik also offers a dashboard which is very easy to enable. If you go on your k3s machines to the path /var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/manifests you can find their traefik.yaml. To enable the Traefik dashboard you have to add dashboard.enabled: “true” to the yaml.

root@k3s-master-1:/var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/manifests# cat traefik.yaml
apiVersion: helm.cattle.io/v1
kind: HelmChart
metadata:
  name: traefik
  namespace: kube-system
spec:
  chart: https://%{KUBERNETES_API}%/static/charts/traefik-1.77.1.tgz
  set:
    rbac.enabled: "true"
    ssl.enabled: "true"
    metrics.prometheus.enabled: "true"
    kubernetes.ingressEndpoint.useDefaultPublishedService: "true"
    dashboard.enabled: "true"
root@k3s-master-1:/var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/manifests# cat traefik.yaml
apiVersion: helm.cattle.io/v1
kind: HelmChart
metadata:
  name: traefik
  namespace: kube-system
spec:
  chart: https://%{KUBERNETES_API}%/static/charts/traefik-1.77.1.tgz
  set:
    rbac.enabled: "true"
    ssl.enabled: "true"
    metrics.prometheus.enabled: "true"
    kubernetes.ingressEndpoint.useDefaultPublishedService: "true"
    dashboard.enabled: "true"

After a few minutes you will see some extra pods getting started.

KubeCon | CloudNativeCon Europe 2019 part 2

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 18:48:02 +0000

As I already explained in my earlier post, this was my first KubeCon | CloudNativeCon that I attended. What I liked about KubeCon was the diversity in sessions and that it was often a difficult choice per time slot which session to attend. For me this congress was next to attending sessions also about networking with vendors and other attendees. There were a lot of good opportunities and I spoke to a lot of people.

k3s: Kubernetes Dashboard + load balancer

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 19:31:14 +0000

In my post about first experience with k3s I blogged about setting up my k3s based cluster on Raspberry PI’s. Since that post I have added two more nodes Raspberry Pi’s and also updated to the 0.3.0 version of k3s.

pi@k3s-master-1:~ $ kubectl get nodes
NAME           STATUS   ROLES    AGE     VERSION
k3s-master-1   Ready    master   4h11m   v1.13.5-k3s.1
k3s-node-1     Ready    node     129m    v1.13.5-k3s.1
k3s-node-2     Ready    node     118m    v1.13.5-k3s.1
k3s-node-3     Ready    node     119m    v1.13.5-k3s.1
pi@k3s-master-1:~ $

Next step for me was getting the Kubernetes Dashboard up and running. I used the information from Web UI (Dashboard) First downloaded I the kubernetes-dashboard.yaml

k3s: release v0.2.0 released

Sat, 09 Mar 2019 07:34:42 +0000

Rancher has released v0.2.0.of k3s. Information of the new release is in this article. As soon as I have some time and I have added two extra nodes to the cluster, I’m going to add the cluster to my Rancher server. I have upgraded my Raspberry Pi’s to v0.2.0. The process of upgrading is really simple. Just download the new version and replace the old version of k3s with the new version and restart.

k3s: Lightweight Kubernetes Distribution first experience

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 16:25:56 +0000

Rancher introduced alsmost week ago k3s, a lightweight Kubernetes Distribution. In the YouTube video below you hear Shannon Williams and Darren Shepherd from Rancher talk about K3S, what it is, the usecases and demo of K3S.

https://youtu.be/5-5t672vFi4

k3sis a fully compliant, production-grade Kubernetes distribution that maintains an absolutely tiny footprint. Weighing in at less than 40 MB, it only needs 512 MB of RAM to run. This means it’s perfect for all kinds of computing that requires a minimal about of memory and space.