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In this guide, you’ll learn how to convert an imperative AKS deployment into a declarative setup with YAML manifests and integrate it into a push-based CI/CD pipeline. We cover:
  1. Exporting existing Kubernetes resources to YAML
  2. Cleaning up and reapplying manifests
  3. Deleting old imperative resources
  4. Redeploying declaratively
  5. Designing a push-based CI/CD workflow with Azure DevOps

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Preparing Your Environment

  1. Log in to your Azure subscription (local machine or Cloud Shell).
  2. Fetch and merge your AKS credentials into kubeconfig:
az aks get-credentials \
  --name AKS1-KodeKloudApp \
  --resource-group MyResourceGroup
# Merged "AKS1-KodeKloudApp" as current context in /home/user/.kube/config
  1. Verify your existing Service and Deployment:
kubectl get service
kubectl get deployment
Make sure your current context points to the correct AKS cluster. Use kubectl config current-context to check.

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1. Export the Deployment to YAML

Run the following command to export the kodekloudapp Deployment manifest: 
kubectl get deployment kodekloudapp \
  --namespace default \
  --output yaml > deployment.yaml
A portion of the generated deployment.yaml: 
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: kodekloudapp
  namespace: default
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: kodekloudapp
  strategy:
    type: RollingUpdate
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: kodekloudapp
    spec:
      containers:
        - name: kodekloudapp
          image: <your-image>
          ports:
            - containerPort: 80
Tip: Customize replicas, strategy, and container resources to match your production requirements.

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2. Export the Service to YAML

Export the Service object: 
kubectl get service kodekloudapp \
  --namespace default \
  --output yaml > service.yaml
Remove dynamic fields from service.yaml:
  • clusterIP
  • status.loadBalancer.ingress
  • spec.ports[*].nodePort
Your cleaned-up service.yaml should look like: 
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: kodekloudapp
  namespace: default
spec:
  type: LoadBalancer
  selector:
    app: kodekloudapp
  ports:
    - port: 80
      targetPort: 80
      protocol: TCP
If you switch to type: NodePort, ensure nodePort values are in the 30000–32767 range.

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3. Delete Imperative Resources

Remove the existing Deployment and Service: 
kubectl delete deployment kodekloudapp
kubectl delete service kodekloudapp
Verify they’re gone: 
kubectl get deployment  # No resources found
kubectl get service     # No resources found

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4. Redeploy Declaratively

Apply your YAML manifests: 
kubectl apply -f deployment.yaml
kubectl apply -f service.yaml
Check the status: 
kubectl get deployment
kubectl get service
Open the external IP in your browser to confirm the application is running.

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5. Push-Based CI/CD Pipeline Overview

Below is a sample push-based pipeline in Azure DevOps. You can adapt these stages for GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, or other tools.
StageDescriptionExample Tools
Source ControlPush code & manifests to Git repoAzure Repos, GitHub, GitLab
Continuous IntegrationBuild container image and run unit testsAzure Pipelines, GitHub Actions
Artifact PublishingPush Docker image to registryACR, Docker Hub, ECR
Continuous DeploymentDetect new image; apply YAML to AKSkubectl apply, Helm, Flux CD
Monitoring & FeedbackCollect logs/metrics, update backlogAzure Monitor, Application Insights
  1. Commit & Push your application code and deployment.yaml + service.yaml to your repo.
  2. CI Pipeline: Build the container image, run tests, and publish to Azure Container Registry (ACR).
  3. CD Trigger: ACR webhook invokes the CD pipeline upon new image push.
  4. Deploy: Execute kubectl apply -f on your manifests to update AKS.
  5. Monitor: Use Azure Monitor or Application Insights for observability.

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References

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