Create the AKS cluster

Set up a multi-architecture AKS cluster

In this section, you’ll create a multi-architecture Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster that supports both Intel and Arm-based nodes. This setup allows you to deploy and compare workloads across different CPU architectures within the same Kubernetes environment.

You’ll work through three activities:

• Set up authentication - you’ll connect to your Azure account using the Azure CLI
• Create the cluster infrastructure - you’ll build an AKS cluster with two distinct node pools (one x86 and one Arm)
• Verify connectivity - you’ll confirm your cluster is running and accessible using kubectl

This multi-architecture approach gives you the flexibility to run workloads optimized for specific CPU types while maintaining a unified Kubernetes management experience. By the end of this section, you’ll have a fully functional cluster ready for deploying containerized applications.

Create the cluster and resource

To begin, login to your Azure account using the Azure CLI:

    

        
        
az login

    

Once logged in, create the resource group and AKS cluster with two node pools:

• One with Intel-based nodes (Standard_D2s_v6)
• One with Arm-based nodes (Standard_D2ps_v6)

Set the environment variables as shown below and run the az aks commands on your command line:

    

        
        
# Set environment variables
export RESOURCE_GROUP=nginx-on-arm-rg
export LOCATION=westus2
export CLUSTER_NAME=nginx-on-arm

# Create resource group
az group create --name $RESOURCE_GROUP --location $LOCATION

# Create AKS cluster with Intel node pool in zone 2
az aks create \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --name $CLUSTER_NAME \
  --location $LOCATION \
  --zones 2 \
  --node-count 1 \
  --node-vm-size Standard_D2s_v6 \
  --nodepool-name intel \
  --generate-ssh-keys

# Add ARM node pool in zone 2
az aks nodepool add \
  --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP \
  --cluster-name $CLUSTER_NAME \
  --name arm \
  --zones 2 \
  --node-count 1 \
  --node-vm-size Standard_D2ps_v6

    

Each command returns JSON output with status information. Look for "provisioningState": "Succeeded" in each response to confirm the operation completed successfully.

Connect to the cluster

Verify kubectl is available by running:

    

        
        
kubectl version --client

    

The output should look similar to:

    

        
        Client Version: v1.34.1
Kustomize Version: v5.7.1

        
    

If kubectl is installed the version information is printed. If you don’t see the version information printed, refer to the Azure CLI Install Guide and kubectl Install Guide .

Next, set up your newly-created K8s cluster credentials using the Azure CLI:

    

        
        
az aks get-credentials --resource-group $RESOURCE_GROUP --name $CLUSTER_NAME

    

The expected output is:

    

        
        Merged "nginx-on-arm" as current context in /home/user/.kube/config

        
    

Now verify you’re connected to the cluster:

    

        
        
kubectl cluster-info

    

The expected output is:

    

        
        Kubernetes control plane is running at https://nginx-on-a-nginx-on-arm-rg-dd0bfb-eenbox6p.hcp.westus2.azmk8s.io:443

        
    

With the cluster running, verify the node pools are ready:

    

        
        
kubectl get nodes -o wide

    

You should see output similar to:

    

        
        NAME                            STATUS   ROLES    AGE    VERSION
aks-arm-13087205-vmss000002     Ready    <none>   6h8m   v1.32.7
aks-intel-39600573-vmss000002   Ready    <none>   6h8m   v1.32.7

        
    

With all nodes showing Ready status, you’re now ready to continue to the next section.

What you’ve accomplished and what’s next

Great job! You’ve successfully created a multi-architecture AKS cluster with both Arm and x64 node pools. This is a significant milestone and you’re now set up to deploy and compare workloads across architectures. Keep going to see your cluster in action!