How to Migrate from Azure App Service to AKS Without Hiring a Kubernetes Expert

Migrating a containerized application from Azure App Service to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) generally does not require changing the application image, but it transfers responsibility for operational functions such as upgrades, node management, ingress, TLS, secrets, autoscaling, monitoring, and rollback planning to the team or a managed platform layer. For small teams, the recommended approach is to first assess whether Azure Container Apps can meet requirements, since it avoids direct Kubernetes management and may be more suitable for fewer than roughly ten services without needs for Kubernetes APIs, Helm charts, advanced networking, or node-level control. A proposed AKS migration spans inventory and ownership assignment, cluster provisioning with security and monitoring, manifest creation, edge and DNS configuration, secrets migration to Key Vault, gradual weighted traffic shifting while retaining App Service as a rollback target, and establishing ongoing operational ownership. The discussion distinguishes tools such as kompose, which converts Docker Compose files into initial manifests, and Argo CD or Flux, which automate GitOps deployments but do not operate clusters, from internal developer platforms including Qovery, Porter, and Humanitec, which provide varying levels of self-service and cluster management. It argues that AKS’s principal cost is often engineering time rather than control-plane pricing, and advises avoiding big-bang cutovers, moving managed databases into clusters, relying on a single Kubernetes expert, and postponing observability or upgrade planning until after production traffic is moved.

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