What is Azure Key Vault ? How to integrate with AKS and

For on-premises Azure HCI Stack machines, both using Azure Key Vault or storing configuration data in key-value pairs can be used to access named pair values.

Using Azure Key Vault is a more secure and scalable option, as it allows you to securely store and manage sensitive information, such as passwords, certificates, and keys. It also provides features such as auditing, versioning, and recovery. Additionally, Azure Key Vault can be used to store configuration data in key-value pairs, making it a versatile option.

Storing configuration data in key-value pairs directly on the HCI Stack machine can be a simpler option for small deployments, but it can become difficult to manage as the number of configuration items increases. It also does not provide the same level of security and scalability as Azure Key Vault.

It is important to consider the specific requirements of the deployment, such as the level of security and scalability needed, as well as the resources available for managing the configuration data. If security and scalability are critical for the deployment, it's recommended to use Azure Key Vault.

Provider extensions are used in Azure Key Vault to enable integration with other services and platforms. The provider extensions allow you to use the Key Vault service in a more seamless and efficient way with other Azure services, such as Azure Virtual Machines and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).

For example, the Azure Virtual Machines provider extension allows you to use Key Vault to store and manage the credentials used to access the virtual machines. This can help to increase security by separating the management of the credentials from the virtual machines themselves. Additionally, the AKS provider extension allows you to use Key Vault to store and manage the credentials used to access the Kubernetes clusters and pods, which can help to increase security and ease of management.

Provider extensions also enable you to use Azure Key Vault with other non-Azure services and platforms, such as on-premises or third-party services. This can further extend the capabilities of Azure Key Vault and allow you to integrate it with your existing infrastructure.

Provider extensions allow you to use Azure Key Vault in a more efficient and integrated way with other services and platforms, which can help to increase security and ease of management.

To integrate AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service) with Azure Key Vault, you can use the Azure Key Vault Provider extension for AKS. This extension allows you to use Azure Key Vault to store and manage the credentials used to access the Kubernetes clusters and pods.

The basic steps to integrate AKS with Azure Key Vault are:

Create an Azure Key Vault: If you don't already have one, create an Azure Key Vault in the same subscription and region as your AKS cluster.

Create a service principal: Create a service principal and grant it permissions to access your Key Vault.

Install the provider extension: Use the az extension add command to install the Azure Key Vault provider extension for AKS.

Create a secret: Create a secret in your Key Vault to store the credentials that AKS will use to access the Key Vault.

Update the AKS cluster configuration: Update the AKS cluster configuration to use the service principal and the secret you created in the previous steps.

Access the secret from your pods: Access the secret from your pods using the Kubernetes Secrets API.

By using the Azure Key Vault Provider extension for AKS, you can use Azure Key Vault to securely store and manage the credentials used to access the Kubernetes clusters and pods. This can help to increase security and ease of management.

Additionally, the provider extension allows you to use Azure Key Vault with AKS in a more efficient and integrated way. It allows you to manage the credentials in a centralized way, and update the credentials without the need to update the cluster configuration, which can help in reducing the downtime caused by manual updates and also helps to automate the process.

Creating an Azure Key Vault involves several steps:

Log in to the Azure portal: To create an Azure Key Vault, you will need to log in to the Azure portal using your Azure account.

Create a new resource: Once you are logged in, navigate to the "Create a resource" page, and select "Key Vault" from the list of available resources.

Provide required details: Fill in the required details for the new Key Vault, including the subscription, resource group, and region. It's recommended to create the Key Vault in the same subscription and region as your AKS cluster for better performance and availability.

Configure advanced settings: You can also configure advanced settings, such as the network security rules, access policies, and encryption options.

Create the Key Vault: After providing all the required information, click on the "Create" button to create the new Key Vault.

Verify Key Vault creation: Verify that the Key Vault has been created successfully by navigating to the "Key Vaults" page in the Azure portal and checking that the new Key Vault is listed.

A service principal is an identity that is used to authenticate an application or service that runs on Azure. It allows the application or service to authenticate with Azure Active Directory (AAD) and access resources that are protected by AAD.

To create a service principal and grant it permissions to access your Key Vault, you can follow these steps:

Open the Azure Cloud Shell: You can access the Azure Cloud Shell by navigating to the Azure portal and clicking on the "Cloud Shell" button in the top right corner.

Create a service principal: Use the az ad sp create-for-rbac command to create a new service principal. This command creates a new service principal and assigns it the "role-based access control" (RBAC) role specified in the command.

Grant permissions to the service principal: Use the

az keyvault set-policy command

to grant permissions to the service principal to access your Key Vault. This command assigns the specified permissions to the service principal for the specified Key Vault.

Verify the service principal: You can verify that the service principal has been created and has the correct permissions by using the

az keyvault show --name <your-keyvault-name> command,

this command will return all the details of the keyvault, including the service principal name and the permissions granted to it.

After creating the service principal, you will need to provide the application ID and authentication key of the service principal to AKS, so that it can authenticate with Azure Active Directory and access the Key Vault.

By creating a service principal and granting it permissions to access your Key Vault, you can ensure that only the specified application or service has access to the sensitive information stored in the Key Vault. This can help to increase security and reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

Install Key Vault For AKS

To install the Azure Key Vault provider extension for AKS, you can use the following command:

az extension add --name aks-keyvault-flexvol

This command adds the "aks-keyvault-flexvol" extension to your Azure CLI, which enables AKS to use Key Vault for securely storing and managing sensitive information such as secrets and keys.

az aks update-credentials --resource-group <resource-group-name> --name <aks-cluster-name> --kv-resource-id <key-vault-resource-id> --kv-object-id <object-id> --subscription-id <subscription-id>

You will need to replace the placeholders <resource-group-name>, <aks-cluster-name>, <key-vault-resource-id>, <object-id>, and <subscription-id> with the appropriate values for your Azure Key Vault and AKS cluster. This command will update the credentials for your AKS cluster to use the specified Azure Key Vault for storing and retrieving secrets.