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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Use Docker Compose to get a multi-container reference project running locally; use Kubernetes when you need to learn cluster deployment behavior, then adapt and validate its manifests before deploying to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS). Compose is a local development starting point, not a ready-made AKS deployment.
What this project guide is for
This is a learning path for working with one microservices reference project in different environments: first locally, then with Kubernetes concepts, and finally on AKS. The project discussion describes it as a learning/reference repository and mentions a gateway, service discovery, and messaging patterns. Those details are based on the project description rather than a verified inspection of its repository, so check the project’s own README and configuration for its actual services and dependencies.
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The practical distinction is between running the application and learning how it is orchestrated. Docker Compose can bring multiple containers up together for local build and test. Kubernetes introduces cluster resources and deployment behavior. AKS is Microsoft’s managed Kubernetes service, with additional requirements around images, storage, and how services are exposed.
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Choose the path that matches your goal
| Path | Best suited to | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Docker Compose locally | Building and testing the multi-container application on a development machine | A simpler local orchestration workflow; Microsoft’s AKS preparation tutorial uses Compose before its registry and cluster steps. Microsoft Learn |
| Local Kubernetes | Learning Kubernetes resources and checking Kubernetes deployment behavior before using a cloud cluster | A Kubernetes environment for iteration, but not the managed Azure cluster or its production configuration. Microsoft distinguishes local Compose scenarios from managed AKS orchestration. Azure Architecture Center |
| AKS | Deploying the application to a managed Kubernetes service | Requires cluster-appropriate manifests and image availability, plus decisions about storage and service exposure. Microsoft’s tutorial proceeds from local preparation to Azure Container Registry and AKS. Microsoft Learn |
Run the project locally with Docker Compose
Start with the repository’s own Compose file and setup instructions: the project description does not specify the exact commands, file names, required environment variables, or ports, so substituting a generic command could mislead. Follow the README to build and start the services, then use its documented checks to verify that the application and its dependencies are reachable.
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- Inspect the project instructions. Identify the Compose configuration, required environment settings, exposed ports, and any prerequisite services described by the repository.
- Build and start the application using the documented Compose workflow. Microsoft describes this local stage as a way to build and test a multi-container application before cloud deployment. Microsoft Learn
- Test service interactions. Check the application’s documented endpoints and confirm that dependent services are running; a container being up does not, by itself, establish that the application is healthy.
- Stop the local stack using the repository’s instructions. Check whether any local data is retained or removed by that workflow before relying on it.
Microsoft’s tutorial illustrates this pattern with its own storefront sample: RabbitMQ, an order service, a product service, and a storefront. That is an example of the tutorial’s application, not a confirmed inventory for this reference project. Microsoft Learn
Move from Compose toward Kubernetes
A Compose file describes a local multi-container setup; it is not a complete Kubernetes or AKS deployment. You can write Kubernetes manifests directly or use a conversion tool to generate a baseline. Microsoft lists Kompose, Move2Kube, Docker Compose Bridge, and Podman among possible options, but generated YAML still needs review and validation. Microsoft Learn
Review generated or hand-written manifests
- Images: Replace local build assumptions with image references that the Kubernetes environment can retrieve.
- Secrets: Review how credentials and other sensitive values are supplied; do not assume local environment settings are suitable for a cluster.
- Storage: Identify which services need persistent data and select storage appropriate to the target environment.
- Service exposure: Decide which components should be reachable from outside the cluster and how internal communication should work.
- Health probes: Check whether readiness and liveness behavior is represented appropriately for each service.
- Other cluster-specific settings: Validate resource and networking assumptions against the actual cluster and application.
Conversion is useful for reducing repetitive setup, not for proving a deployment is production-ready. Microsoft explicitly cautions that converted manifests need review, including storage, secrets, exposure, probes, and image references. Microsoft Learn
Prepare the Kubernetes deployment for AKS
AKS adds a managed Azure cluster to the workflow, but the application still needs deployable images and environment-appropriate Kubernetes configuration. Microsoft’s tutorial separates local build-and-test from later steps that upload an image to Azure Container Registry (ACR) and deploy to AKS. Follow the tutorial’s current steps for the chosen sample or adapt the same sequence to this project’s actual build and manifests. Microsoft Learn
- Build and test locally. Resolve application and service issues before introducing cloud infrastructure.
- Prepare images for cluster use. Configure the image references and registry access required by the deployment. Microsoft’s tutorial uses ACR in its subsequent workflow. Microsoft Learn
- Adapt and validate Kubernetes resources. Review the items above and ensure the manifests describe the intended services, configuration, and exposure for AKS.
- Deploy and verify in the cluster. Use the project’s or Microsoft’s deployment instructions, then check workload status, service reachability, and application behavior rather than treating successful manifest submission as proof of a working system.
Do not treat node-local storage as durable application storage
Persistent data kept on a cluster node is bound to that node, which is a poor default for data that must survive workload movement or node changes. Microsoft’s AKS microservices architecture guidance explains this architectural consequence; choose a storage design appropriate to each service’s persistence needs instead of assuming local node storage is durable. Azure Architecture Center
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical progression
- Use Compose first when the immediate goal is to build and exercise the application on a development machine.
- Use local Kubernetes when the goal is to learn or validate Kubernetes deployment behavior before moving to a managed cluster.
- Use AKS when the goal is a managed Azure Kubernetes deployment, budgeting time for registry access, storage, exposure, and manifest review.
This progression keeps local application debugging separate from cloud deployment concerns while preserving the same application as the subject of each stage.
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