Microsoft is beefing up its support for Kubernetes, adding support for the container management technology as a managed service.

Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) on Tuesday introduced Azure Container Service -- which it's abbreviating as AKS -- for managed Kubernetes. AKS will provide automated upgrades, self-healing, easy scaling and a simple user experience for developers and cluster operators, according to a blog post announcing the services, signed by Gabe Monroy, PM lead of containers at Microsoft Azure. While Azure Container Service supported Kubernetes, Microsoft did not have a managed Kubernetes service before.

Microsoft's AKS service is free -- customers only pay for virtual machines. "Unlike other cloud providers who charge an hourly rate for the management infrastructure, with AKS you will pay nothing for the management of your Kubernetes cluster, ever," Pomroy says.

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Microsoft acquired Kubernetes specialists Deis this year, Pomroy notes. (See Microsoft Buying Deis to Boost Containers & Kubernetes.)

Additionally, Microsoft upgraded Azure Container Registry, a private registry for hosting container images. The new ACR capabilities will enable users to scale containers across Azure's global footprint for more scalability and customizability.

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— Mitch Wagner Editor, Enterprise Cloud News