meta_desc: AKS is a managed container orchestration tool on Microsoft Azure, allowing for the deployment and automated management of containerized applications.
[Microsoft Azure Kubernetes Service](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/kubernetes-service/) (AKS) is a [managed kubernetes service](/learn/glossary/managed-kubernetes/). Containerized applications are deployed by creating a cluster within a resource group, which can then pull from Azure Container Registry or elsewhere. Microsoft has a fairly robust set of services accessible to AKS, including integration with Active Directory.
If you are already embedded in the Microsoft ecosystem, AKS is a strong choice. In addition to the inclusion of Active Directory, you also benefit from a great developer experience through the Kubernetes extension for Visual Studio Code, allowing engineers to debug your application from a development machine as if it were part of the cluster. AKS also includes the control plane for free.
