Skip to main content

Azure Kubernetes Service

Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed Kubernetes service that simplifies deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications. This document guides you through deploying Appsmith on AKS using Helm charts. The data persists in Azure Storage Account File Share.

note

Azure only supports CIFS file shares and doesn't support NFS file shares.

Prerequisites​​

Before deploying Appsmith on AKS, you need to have an Azure subscription and the necessary tools installed on your machine.

  • Azure Subscription - If you don't have an Azure subscription, you can sign up for a free trial.
  • Azure CLI.
  • kubectl - Kubernetes command-line tool.
  • Helm - Kubernetes package manager.
  • Whitelist cs.appsmith.com in your firewall settings to allow outbound HTTPS traffic. If using Azure Firewall, add these domains under Application Rules.

Configure variables​

Update the following values starting with 'my' where necessary, and enter them in your shell/terminal.

resourceGroupName="myResourceGroup"
aksName="myAppsmithAKS"
storageAccountName="mystorageaccount$RANDOM"
aksLocation="southindia"
fileShareName="myFileShareName"

Create a resource group (optional)​

You can skip this step if you want to use an existing resource group.

az group create --name $resourceGroupName --location $aksLocation

Create a storage account (optional)​

You can skip this step if you want to use an existing storage account.

az storage account create --resource-group $resourceGroupName --name $storageAccountName --location $aksLocation --sku Standard_LRS

Create a file share​

az storage share-rm create --storage-account $storageAccountName --name $fileShareName --quota 100

Create AKS cluster​

az aks create \
  --resource-group $resourceGroupName \
  --name $aksName \
  --node-count 1 \
  --node-vm-size Standard_B4ms \
  --generate-ssh-keys \
  --location $aksLocation

Get credentials for your cluster​

az aks get-credentials --resource-group $resourceGroupName --name $aksName

Install Appsmith​

Create Persistent Volume Claim (PVC)​

Create a file named pvc-azurefile-csi.yaml:

apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: pvc-azurefile
spec:
  accessModes:
    - ReadWriteMany
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 100Gi
  storageClassName: azurefile-csi

Apply the PVC to your cluster:

kubectl apply -f pvc-azurefile-csi.yaml

Get PVC and PV Information​

Retrieve the Persistent Volume information:

kubectl get pvc pvc-azurefile
kubectl describe pvc pvc-azurefile | grep VolumeName

Note the VolumeName from the output - you'll need this for the next step.

Get Appsmith Helm Values​

Download the default Helm values for Appsmith:

helm show values appsmith-ee/appsmith > values.yaml

Update the values.yaml file with the obtained PVC and PV values:

existingClaim:
  enabled: true
  name: <VolumeName-from-above-command>
  claimName: pvc-azurefile

Replace <VolumeName-from-above-command> with the actual VolumeName you obtained in the previous step.

Install Appsmith with Helm​

Install Appsmith using Helm with the configured values:

helm upgrade -i appsmith appsmith-ee/appsmith \
  -n appsmith-ee \
  --create-namespace \
  -f values.yaml

Install Appsmith Community​

To install the Appsmith open source edition (Appsmith Community), replace appsmith-ee with appsmith-ce in the Helm installation command:

helm upgrade -i appsmith appsmith-ce/appsmith \
  -n appsmith-ce \
  --create-namespace \
  -f values.yaml

Post-installation configuration​

Once you have completed the installation process, consider performing the tasks below to configure and manage your Appsmith instance, enhancing its security and performance, specifically if it's intended for production use.


Configure Single Sign-on (SSO)

Configure SSO to allow users to sign in using your identity provider. Learn more about configuring SSO.

Configure Email Service

Set up an email service to enable Appsmith to send notifications and alerts. Learn more about configuring email services.

Set Up Custom Domain and SSL

Set up a custom domain for your Appsmith instance and secure it with SSL. Learn more about setting up custom domains and SSL.

Backup and Restore

Ensure the safety of your Appsmith instance data by regularly backing up and restoring it when needed. Learn more about Backup and Restore.

Best Practices & Things Not to Do When Deploying Appsmith on Azure AKS​

When deploying Appsmith on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), it's crucial to avoid certain architectural decisions that can lead to performance issues, data inconsistency, or outright application failure. The following anti-patterns are particularly relevant when using Azure Files or network-mounted file systems.

Avoid Using Azure Files (or Any Network-Mounted File System) for Appsmith Storage​

While Azure Files offers a convenient way to persist data, it is not suitable for hosting Appsmith's core components such as MongoDB, Redis, or internal file storage.

Common Mistakes​

  1. Running internal MongoDB, Redis, or file storage on Azure Files

    • Appsmith is not designed to work efficiently with network-mounted volumes as primary persistent stores.
    • Issues observed:
      • Sluggish performance.
      • Data corruption.
      • Intermittent failures and inconsistencies.
      • App crashes on startup or under load.

  2. Using Azure Files to store runtime data for internal services

    • These services (MongoDB, Redis) are latency-sensitive and require fast local or SSD-backed storage to function properly.

To ensure a stateless, reliable, and production-grade deployment, follow these best practices:

  • Run Appsmith container on AKS using Azure Files only for minimal required mounts (e.g., config files, if needed).
  • Use external managed services for critical components:
    • MongoDB: Use a cloud-managed MongoDB (e.g., MongoDB Atlas) hosted in Azure or nearby region.
    • Redis: Use Azure Cache for Redis or provision your own Redis cluster.
    • PostgreSQL: Use Azure Database for PostgreSQL to support advanced features like Workflows and SAML SSO.

This approach ensures your Appsmith instance is:

  • Stateless
  • Easy to scale and recover
  • Less prone to I/O bottlenecks and crashes

Troubleshooting​

If you are facing issues during deployment, refer to the guide on troubleshooting deployment errors. If you continue to face issues, contact the support team using the chat widget at the bottom right of this page.

See also​