Earlier today Microsoft announced that AKS Automatic is officially Generally Available (GA) on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). AKS Automatic enables organizations to build, deploy, and scale applications on Kubernetes with enhanced efficiency and minimal operational overhead. By default, AKS Automatic runs on Azure Linux, providing a secure, performant, and Azure-optimized foundation for modern Kubernetes workloads.
What is AKS Automatic?
AKS Automatic significantly simplifies the managed Kubernetes experience for developers and platform teams. Unlike AKS Standard, AKS Automatic handles cluster setup—including node management, scaling, security, networking, and preconfigured settings aligned with AKS well-architected recommendations.
How does Azure Linux support AKS Automatic?
AKS Automatic leverages Azure Linux as the default operating system for all user and system node pools. This integration ensures that your clusters benefit from built-in best practices and security safeguards at the OS level. Collectively, AKS Automatic and Azure Linux address key needs from Kubernetes customers today:
CVE Management: Azure Linux includes only the essential packages required for Kubernetes and container workloads. This results in fewer patches, reduced update frequency, and a minimized attack surface. AKS Automatic further enhances image security with a built-in image cleaner that automatically removes unused images with known vulnerabilities.
Secure by Default: AKS Automatic clusters come with hardened default security configurations. Azure Linux reinforces this with a hardened kernel tuned for Azure, secure-by-default principles, and compliance certifications including FIPS and FedRAMP. It also passes all CIS Level 1 benchmarks by default, making it the only AKS-supported distribution to do so.
Resiliency: AKS Automatic automatically patches nodes and cluster components while respecting planned maintenance schedules. Every update is rigorously tested by the Azure Linux and AKS teams—through unit and Kubernetes end-to-end testing—to prevent regressions. The reduced package footprint in the Azure Linux node image further minimizes the risk of disruption.
Performance: AKS Automatic’s built-in node management, combined with Azure Linux’s reduced image footprint, ensures that your clusters operate efficiently by default. Azure Linux clusters consume less disk and memory and deliver faster performance across key AKS operations such as cluster creation, upgrades, scaling, deletion, node provisioning, and pod startup.
Tooling: AKS Automatic clusters are preconfigured with monitoring, scaling, security, and networking tools. All current and future AKS extensions, add-ons, and open-source projects are fully supported on Azure Linux.
Unified Support: With AKS Automatic and Azure Linux, Microsoft provides end-to-end support for the entire Kubernetes stack—simplifying troubleshooting and accelerating resolution.
Together, AKS Automatic and Azure Linux empower organizations to innovate faster on Kubernetes with reduced operational complexity.
How to get started?
With AKS Automatic you can go from a container image to a deployed application that adheres to best practices within minutes.
Follow this tutorial to get started deploying an AKS Automatic cluster today.
Microsoft