Azure Kubernetes Service 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.

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

AKS Edge Essentials

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

First look at AKS Edge essentials