---
title: Deploy an AKS cluster using the Bicep Kubernetes extension
description: Learn how to quickly deploy a Kubernetes cluster using the Bicep Kubernetes extension and deploy an application in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
author: davidsmatlak

ms.topic: quickstart
ms.subservice: aks-developer
ms.custom: devx-track-bicep
ms.date: 01/11/2024
ms.author: davidsmatlak

# Customer intent: As a developer or cluster operator, I want to quickly deploy an AKS cluster and deploy an application so that I can see how to run applications using the managed Kubernetes service in Azure.

---

# Quickstart: Deploy an Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster using the Bicep Kubernetes extension (preview)

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed Kubernetes service that lets you quickly deploy and manage clusters. In this quickstart, you:

- Deploy an AKS cluster using the Bicep Kubernetes extension (preview).
- Run a sample multi-container application with a group of microservices and web front ends simulating a retail scenario.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> The Bicep Kubernetes extension is currently in preview. You can enable the feature from the [Bicep configuration file](/azure/azure-resource-manager/bicep/bicep-config#enable-experimental-features) by adding:
>
> ```json
> {
>  "experimentalFeaturesEnabled": {
>    "extensibility": true,
>  }
> }
> ```

> [!NOTE]
> To get started with quickly provisioning an AKS cluster, this article includes steps to deploy a cluster with default settings for evaluation purposes only. Before deploying a production-ready cluster, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with our [baseline reference architecture][baseline-reference-architecture] to consider how it aligns with your business requirements.

## Before you begin

This quickstart assumes a basic understanding of Kubernetes concepts. For more information, see [Kubernetes core concepts for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)][kubernetes-concepts].

- [!INCLUDE [quickstarts-free-trial-note](~/reusable-content/ce-skilling/azure/includes/quickstarts-free-trial-note.md)]
- Make sure that the identity you use to create your cluster has the appropriate minimum permissions. For more details on access and identity for AKS, see [Access and identity options for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)](../concepts-identity.md).

[!INCLUDE [About Bicep](~/reusable-content/ce-skilling/azure/includes/resource-manager-quickstart-bicep-introduction.md)]

- To set up your environment for Bicep development, see [Install Bicep tools](/azure/azure-resource-manager/bicep/install). After completing the steps, you have [Visual Studio Code](https://code.visualstudio.com/) and the [Bicep extension](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=ms-azuretools.vscode-bicep). You also have either the latest [Azure CLI](/cli/azure/) version or the latest [Azure PowerShell module](/powershell/azure/new-azureps-module-az).
- To create an AKS cluster using a Bicep file, you provide an SSH public key. If you need this resource, see the following section. Otherwise, skip to [Review the Bicep file](#review-the-bicep-file).
- To deploy a Bicep file, you need write access on the resources you deploy and access to all operations on the `Microsoft.Resources/deployments` resource type. For example, to deploy a virtual machine, you need `Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/write` and `Microsoft.Resources/deployments/*` permissions. For a list of roles and permissions, see [Azure built-in roles](/azure/role-based-access-control/built-in-roles).

### Create an SSH key pair

1. Go to [https://shell.azure.com](https://shell.azure.com) to open Cloud Shell in your browser.
1. Create an SSH key pair using the [az sshkey create][az-sshkey-create] Azure CLI command or the `ssh-keygen` command.

    ```azurecli
    # Create an SSH key pair using Azure CLI
    az sshkey create --name "mySSHKey" --resource-group "myResourceGroup"

    # Create an SSH key pair using ssh-keygen
    ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096
    ```

For more information about creating SSH keys, see [Create and manage SSH keys for authentication in Azure][ssh-keys].

## Review the Bicep file

The Bicep file used to create an AKS cluster is from [Azure Quickstart Templates](https://azure.microsoft.com/resources/templates/aks/). For more AKS samples, see [AKS quickstart templates][aks-quickstart-templates].

:::code language="bicep" source="~/quickstart-templates/quickstarts/microsoft.kubernetes/aks/main.bicep":::

The resource defined in the Bicep file is [**Microsoft.ContainerService/managedClusters**](/azure/templates/microsoft.containerservice/managedclusters?tabs=bicep&pivots=deployment-language-bicep).

Save a copy of the file as `main.bicep` to your local computer.

## Add the application definition

To deploy the application, you use a manifest file to create all the objects required to run the [AKS Store application](https://github.com/Azure-Samples/aks-store-demo). A [Kubernetes manifest file][kubernetes-deployment] defines a cluster's desired state, such as which container images to run. The manifest includes the following Kubernetes deployments and services:

:::image type="content" source="media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-bicep-kubernetes-extension/aks-store-architecture.png" alt-text="Screenshot of Azure Store sample architecture." lightbox="media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-bicep-kubernetes-extension/aks-store-architecture.png":::

- **Store front**: Web application for customers to view products and place orders.
- **Product service**: Shows product information.
- **Order service**: Places orders.
- **Rabbit MQ**: Message queue for an order queue.

> [!NOTE]
> We don't recommend running stateful containers, such as Rabbit MQ, without persistent storage for production. These are used here for simplicity, but we recommend using managed services, such as Azure CosmosDB or Azure Service Bus.

1. Create a file named `aks-store-quickstart.yaml` in the same folder as `main.bicep` and copy in the following manifest:

    ```yaml
    apiVersion: apps/v1
    kind: Deployment
    metadata:
      name: rabbitmq
    spec:
      replicas: 1
      selector:
        matchLabels:
          app: rabbitmq
      template:
        metadata:
          labels:
            app: rabbitmq
        spec:
          nodeSelector:
            "kubernetes.io/os": linux
          containers:
          - name: rabbitmq
            image: mcr.microsoft.com/mirror/docker/library/rabbitmq:3.10-management-alpine
            ports:
            - containerPort: 5672
              name: rabbitmq-amqp
            - containerPort: 15672
              name: rabbitmq-http
            env:
            - name: RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_USER
              value: "username"
            - name: RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_PASS
              value: "password"
            resources:
              requests:
                cpu: 10m
                memory: 128Mi
              limits:
                cpu: 250m
                memory: 256Mi
            volumeMounts:
            - name: rabbitmq-enabled-plugins
              mountPath: /etc/rabbitmq/enabled_plugins
              subPath: enabled_plugins
          volumes:
          - name: rabbitmq-enabled-plugins
            configMap:
              name: rabbitmq-enabled-plugins
              items:
              - key: rabbitmq_enabled_plugins
                path: enabled_plugins
    ---
    apiVersion: v1
    data:
      rabbitmq_enabled_plugins: |
        [rabbitmq_management,rabbitmq_prometheus,rabbitmq_amqp1_0].
    kind: ConfigMap
    metadata:
      name: rabbitmq-enabled-plugins
    ---
    apiVersion: v1
    kind: Service
    metadata:
      name: rabbitmq
    spec:
      selector:
        app: rabbitmq
      ports:
        - name: rabbitmq-amqp
          port: 5672
          targetPort: 5672
        - name: rabbitmq-http
          port: 15672
          targetPort: 15672
      type: ClusterIP
    ---
    apiVersion: apps/v1
    kind: Deployment
    metadata:
      name: order-service
    spec:
      replicas: 1
      selector:
        matchLabels:
          app: order-service
      template:
        metadata:
          labels:
            app: order-service
        spec:
          nodeSelector:
            "kubernetes.io/os": linux
          containers:
          - name: order-service
            image: ghcr.io/azure-samples/aks-store-demo/order-service:latest
            ports:
            - containerPort: 3000
            env:
            - name: ORDER_QUEUE_HOSTNAME
              value: "rabbitmq"
            - name: ORDER_QUEUE_PORT
              value: "5672"
            - name: ORDER_QUEUE_USERNAME
              value: "username"
            - name: ORDER_QUEUE_PASSWORD
              value: "password"
            - name: ORDER_QUEUE_NAME
              value: "orders"
            - name: FASTIFY_ADDRESS
              value: "0.0.0.0"
            resources:
              requests:
                cpu: 1m
                memory: 50Mi
              limits:
                cpu: 75m
                memory: 128Mi
          initContainers:
          - name: wait-for-rabbitmq
            image: busybox
            command: ['sh', '-c', 'until nc -zv rabbitmq 5672; do echo waiting for rabbitmq; sleep 2; done;']
            resources:
              requests:
                cpu: 1m
                memory: 50Mi
              limits:
                cpu: 75m
                memory: 128Mi
    ---
    apiVersion: v1
    kind: Service
    metadata:
      name: order-service
    spec:
      type: ClusterIP
      ports:
      - name: http
        port: 3000
        targetPort: 3000
      selector:
        app: order-service
    ---
    apiVersion: apps/v1
    kind: Deployment
    metadata:
      name: product-service
    spec:
      replicas: 1
      selector:
        matchLabels:
          app: product-service
      template:
        metadata:
          labels:
            app: product-service
        spec:
          nodeSelector:
            "kubernetes.io/os": linux
          containers:
          - name: product-service
            image: ghcr.io/azure-samples/aks-store-demo/product-service:latest
            ports:
            - containerPort: 3002
            resources:
              requests:
                cpu: 1m
                memory: 1Mi
              limits:
                cpu: 1m
                memory: 7Mi
    ---
    apiVersion: v1
    kind: Service
    metadata:
      name: product-service
    spec:
      type: ClusterIP
      ports:
      - name: http
        port: 3002
        targetPort: 3002
      selector:
        app: product-service
    ---
    apiVersion: apps/v1
    kind: Deployment
    metadata:
      name: store-front
    spec:
      replicas: 1
      selector:
        matchLabels:
          app: store-front
      template:
        metadata:
          labels:
            app: store-front
        spec:
          nodeSelector:
            "kubernetes.io/os": linux
          containers:
          - name: store-front
            image: ghcr.io/azure-samples/aks-store-demo/store-front:latest
            ports:
            - containerPort: 8080
              name: store-front
            env:
            - name: VUE_APP_ORDER_SERVICE_URL
              value: "http://order-service:3000/"
            - name: VUE_APP_PRODUCT_SERVICE_URL
              value: "http://product-service:3002/"
            resources:
              requests:
                cpu: 1m
                memory: 200Mi
              limits:
                cpu: 1000m
                memory: 512Mi
    ---
    apiVersion: v1
    kind: Service
    metadata:
      name: store-front
    spec:
      ports:
      - port: 80
        targetPort: 8080
      selector:
        app: store-front
      type: LoadBalancer
    ```

    For a breakdown of YAML manifest files, see [Deployments and YAML manifests](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/workloads/controllers/deployment/).

    If you create and save the YAML file locally, then you can upload the manifest file to your default directory in CloudShell by selecting the **Upload/Download files** button and selecting the file from your local file system.

2. Open `main.bicep` in Visual Studio Code.
3. Press <kbd>Ctrl+Shift+P</kbd> to open **Command Palette**.
4. Search for **bicep**, and then select **Bicep: Import Kubernetes Manifest**.

    :::image type="content" source="./media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-bicep-kubernetes-extension/bicep-kubernetes-extension-import-kubernetes-manifest.png" alt-text="Screenshot of Visual Studio Code import Kubernetes Manifest." lightbox="./media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-bicep-kubernetes-extension/bicep-kubernetes-extension-import-kubernetes-manifest.png":::

5. Select `aks-store-quickstart.yaml` from the prompt. This process creates an `aks-store-quickstart.bicep` file in the same folder.
6. Open `main.bicep` and add the following Bicep at the end of the file to reference the newly created `aks-store-quickstart.bicep` module:

    ```bicep
    module kubernetes './aks-store-quickstart.bicep' = {
      name: 'buildbicep-deploy'
      params: {
        kubeConfig: aks.listClusterAdminCredential().kubeconfigs[0].value
      }
    }
    ```

7. Save both `main.bicep` and `aks-store-quickstart.bicep`.

## Deploy the Bicep file

### [Azure CLI](#tab/azure-cli)

1. Create an Azure resource group using the [az group create][az-group-create] command.

    ```azurecli
    az group create --name myResourceGroup --location eastus
    ```

1. Deploy the Bicep file using the [az deployment group create][az-deployment-group-create] command.

    ```azurecli
    az deployment group create --resource-group myResourceGroup --template-file main.bicep --parameters clusterName=<cluster-name> dnsPrefix=<dns-previs> linuxAdminUsername=<linux-admin-username> sshRSAPublicKey='<ssh-key>'
    ```

### [Azure PowerShell](#tab/azure-powershell)

1. Create an Azure resource group using the [New-AzResourceGroup][new-azresourcegroup] cmdlet.

    ```azurepowershell
    New-AzResourceGroup -Name myResourceGroup -Location eastus
    ```

1. Deploy the Bicep file using the [New-AzResourceGroupDeployment][new-azresourcegroupdeployment] cmdlet.

    ```azurepowershell
    New-AzResourceGroupDeployment -ResourceGroupName myResourceGroup -TemplateFile ./main.bicep -clusterName=<cluster-name> -dnsPrefix=<dns-prefix> -linuxAdminUsername=<linux-admin-username> -sshRSAPublicKey="<ssh-key>"
    ```

---

Provide the following values in the commands:

- **Cluster name**: Enter a unique name for the AKS cluster, such as *myAKSCluster*.
- **DNS prefix**: Enter a unique DNS prefix for your cluster, such as *myakscluster*.
- **Linux Admin Username**: Enter a username to connect using SSH, such as *azureuser*.
- **SSH RSA Public Key**: Copy and paste the *public* part of your SSH key pair (by default, the contents of *~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub*).

It takes a few minutes to create the AKS cluster. Wait for the cluster successfully deploy before you move on to the next step.

## Validate the Bicep deployment

1. Sign in to the [Azure portal](https://portal.azure.com/).
1. On the Azure portal menu or from the **Home** page, navigate to your AKS cluster.
1. Under **Kubernetes resources**, select **Services and ingresses**.
1. Find the **store-front** service and copy the value for **External IP**.
1. Open a web browser to the external IP address of your service to see the Azure Store app in action.

    :::image type="content" source="media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-bicep-kubernetes-extension/aks-store-application.png" alt-text="Screenshot of AKS Store sample application." lightbox="media/quick-kubernetes-deploy-bicep-kubernetes-extension/aks-store-application.png":::

## Delete the cluster

If you don't plan on going through the [AKS tutorial][aks-tutorial], clean up unnecessary resources to avoid Azure charges.

### [Azure CLI](#tab/azure-cli)

Remove the resource group, container service, and all related resources using the [az group delete][az-group-delete] command.

```azurecli
az group delete --name myResourceGroup --yes --no-wait
```

### [Azure PowerShell](#tab/azure-powershell)

Remove the resource group, container service, and all related resources using the [Remove-AzResourceGroup][remove-azresourcegroup] cmdlet.

```azurepowershell
Remove-AzResourceGroup -Name myResourceGroup
```

---

> [!NOTE]
> The AKS cluster was created with a system-assigned managed identity, which is the default identity option used in this quickstart. The platform manages this identity so you don't need to manually remove it.

## Next steps

In this quickstart, you deployed a Kubernetes cluster and then deployed a simple multi-container application to it. This sample application is for demo purposes only and doesn't represent all the best practices for Kubernetes applications. For guidance on creating full solutions with AKS for production, see [AKS solution guidance][aks-solution-guidance].

To learn more about AKS and walk through a complete code-to-deployment example, continue to the Kubernetes cluster tutorial.

> [!div class="nextstepaction"]
> [AKS tutorial][aks-tutorial]

<!-- LINKS - external -->
[aks-quickstart-templates]: https://azure.microsoft.com/resources/templates/?term=Azure+Kubernetes+Service

<!-- LINKS - internal -->
[kubernetes-concepts]: ../concepts-clusters-workloads.md
[aks-tutorial]: ../tutorial-kubernetes-prepare-app.md
[az-group-create]: /cli/azure/group#az-group-create
[az-group-delete]: /cli/azure/group#az-group-delete
[remove-azresourcegroup]: /powershell/module/az.resources/remove-azresourcegroup
[kubernetes-deployment]: ../concepts-clusters-workloads.md#deployments-and-yaml-manifests
[ssh-keys]: /azure/virtual-machines/linux/create-ssh-keys-detailed
[az-deployment-group-create]: /cli/azure/deployment/group#az-deployment-group-create
[new-azresourcegroup]: /powershell/module/az.resources/new-azresourcegroup
[new-azresourcegroupdeployment]: /powershell/module/az.resources/new-azresourcegroupdeployment
[az-sshkey-create]: /cli/azure/sshkey#az-sshkey-create
[baseline-reference-architecture]: /azure/architecture/reference-architectures/containers/aks/baseline-aks?toc=/azure/aks/toc.json&bc=/azure/aks/breadcrumb/toc.json
[aks-solution-guidance]: /azure/architecture/reference-architectures/containers/aks-start-here?toc=/azure/aks/toc.json&bc=/azure/aks/breadcrumb/toc.json
