Introduction:

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) empowers you to dynamically scale your applications to meet fluctuating demands. By leveraging CPU and memory-based autoscaling, you can optimize resource allocation, minimize costs, and ensure your applications consistently deliver peak performance. This guide will walk you through the process of configuring and implementing effective autoscaling within your AKS deployments.

By default, the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) in Kubernetes primarily uses CPU utilization as a metric for scaling. However, it is also possible to configure HPA to use memory utilization or custom metrics. Here’s how you can set up HPA to consider memory usage in addition to CPU usage.

What is HPA?

Horizontal Pod Auto scaler (HPA) automatically scales the number of pods in a Kubernetes deployment based on observed metrics such as CPU and memory usage. It ensures your application can handle increased load and conserves resources when demand is low.

“AKS Autoscaling automatically adjusts the number of pods in your deployments, ensuring your applications can seamlessly handle fluctuating workloads.”

Why Use Memory Utilization?

In many applications, memory usage is a critical metric alongside CPU utilization. Memory-intensive applications may need additional resources to maintain performance, and scaling based on memory ensures that pods are added when memory usage increases, providing a more comprehensive autoscaling solution.

• While CPU utilization is a common scaling metric, memory-intensive applications require a more holistic approach.
• Scaling based on memory usage ensures your applications have the necessary resources to function optimally, preventing performance degradation due to memory pressure.

Step-by-Step Guide to Configure AKS autoscaling

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

1. Azure CLI installed and configured on your machine.
2. kubectl installed and configured to interact with your AKS cluster.
3. An AKS cluster up and running.

Step 1: Create a Deployment

First, Create a simple deployment using kubectl apply. Let’s create a simple NGINX deployment:

Save this YAML file as nginx-deployment.yaml and apply it using kubectl:

This will create a deployment named nginx-deployment with one replica of the NGINX container.

Step 2: Create  the HPA with Memory Utilization 

To create an HPA that uses both CPU and memory metrics, you need to define the metrics in the HPA configuration (Define an HPA that considers both CPU and memory utilization). Save the following YAML as hpa-nginx.yaml:

To associate the Horizontal Pod Autoscaler (HPA) with the specific deployment created in Step 1 (nginx-deployment), the autoscaling YAML must specify the kind: Deployment and name: nginx-deployment within the scaleTargetRef section, as shown in the example below.

Apply the HPA configuration:

Step 3: Verify the HPA

Check the status of the HPA to ensure it includes both CPU and memory metrics: Use kubectl get hpa to confirm the HPA is configured correctly and includes both CPU and memory targets.

The output should display both CPU and memory utilization targets:

Step 4: Modify the HPA Configuration:

If you need to adjust the scaling parameters (e.g., minReplicas, maxReplicas, CPU/memory utilization targets), edit the hpa-nginx.yaml file accordingly as shown below and update the new value and save. For example, to increase the maximum number of replicas:

Key Considerations:

• Monitor HPA Behavior: Regularly monitor the HPA’s behavior using kubectl describe hpa nginx-hpa. This will provide insights into the scaling activities, current pod count, and the reasons for scaling up or down.
• Fine-tune Metrics: Experiment with different CPU and memory utilization targets to find the optimal values for your application’s workload.
• Consider Custom Metrics: For more complex scenarios, explore using custom metrics for autoscaling (e.g., request latency, error rates).

Conclusion:

By following these steps, you can effectively update your HPA configuration in AKS to ensure your deployments scale efficiently and effectively based on both CPU and memory utilization. By incorporating memory utilization into your AKS autoscaling strategy, you optimize resource allocation, minimize costs, and enhance application performance. This proactive approach ensures your applications seamlessly handle varying workloads while maintaining high availability and delivering an exceptional user experience. Regularly monitor your HPA metrics and adjust scaling parameters as needed to fine-tune performance and achieve optimal resource utilization.