Run Azure Kubernetes Service Operations with PowerShell
Inventory clusters, scale node pools, watch upgrade availability, and report on AKS cost from one PowerShell workflow.
Azure Kubernetes Service is a great way to run containerized workloads, and a great way to spend money you did not plan to. Clusters get oversized for the worst-case load, node pools get added for one team and forgotten, and Kubernetes versions drift behind support.
The Az.Aks module covers the operational side of AKS that does not require kubectl. PSForge gives you the AKS tasks ready to assemble into a workflow that keeps clusters right-sized, current, and accountable.
What goes unwatched in most AKS environments
- Clusters with a Kubernetes version that is approaching end of support
- Node pools sized for traffic that no longer exists
- System node pools that should be split off from user workloads but are not
- Clusters without a maintenance window configured
- Cost trending up faster than the workloads being deployed
Why this is a workflow
Each of these is fixable individually. The value is in running the audit on a cadence and giving the platform team one report instead of five tabs in the portal.
PSForge lets you assemble the AKS tasks into one workflow, generate the PowerShell, and schedule it from Azure Automation or a runner.
Example AKS operations workflow
- Connect to Azure with Connect-AzAccount and the right tenant
- Enumerate every AKS cluster with version, region, and node pool topology
- Flag clusters whose Kubernetes version is approaching end of support
- Report node pool sizes and recommend right-sizing where utilization is low
- Confirm system and user workloads are split across node pools
- Capture maintenance window configuration per cluster
- Pull cost trend data per cluster from cost management
- Send the consolidated AKS report to the platform team
Final thoughts
AKS rewards platform teams that automate the operational basics and frees them to focus on the workloads.
PSForge makes it easy to assemble the right AKS tasks into a single PowerShell workflow you can schedule and trust.