Stateful series, CNPG, Valkey annoucements

blog/_posts/2024-08-07-eks-to-aks-series-part1.md

@@ -31,3 +31,7 @@ You can either clone the AWS EKS sample and follow along with the guide, or read
 ## Looking Forward
 
 Our next article will explore a common EKS workload pattern for protecting an n-tier web/mobile application with a WAF, and the process of replicating this workload into Azure using EKS and other services. We are interested to hear about the migration challenges and scenarios you encounter, so we can continue to enhance the features and documentation for AKS to ease the transition from other clouds to Azure. Please share your ideas and needs using one of the contact methods below.
+
+Don’t forget to subscribe to our [Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed](https://azure.github.io/AKS/feed.xml) to stay tuned for upcoming posts in the series!
+
+Until next time ✌️

blog/_posts/2024-08-24-cnpg-on-aks.md

@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+---
+title: "Postgres on AKS: The Cloud Native Way"
+description: "Sample - Add your description"
+date: 2024-08-23
+author: Kenneth Kilty
+categories: general
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+[PostgreSQL](https://www.postgresql.org/) is the most popular relational database management system (RDBMS) as [reported](https://survey.stackoverflow.co/2024/technology/#1-databases) by developers. In this first blog post of our new series on stateful open source workloads on Azure Kubernetes Services (AKS), we'll guide you through deploying a highly available PostgreSQL database on (AKS) using the [CloudNativePG](https://cloudnative-pg.io/) operator.
+
+Be sure to check this blog regularly for the latest updates and new guides on running stateful workloads on AKS.
+
+## What’s in the guide?
+
+Based on best practices from the CloudNativePG team, this guide shows you how to set up a multi-zone Postgres cluster with multiple replicas on AKS using zone redundant storage (ZRS). 'Day 2' operation guidance is also included along with simulations of planned and unplanned Postgres cluster failovers.
+
+Highlights from the guide:
+
+1. Infrastructure Setup: Learn how to configure AKS and deploy PostgreSQL using the CNPG Operator and expose read-write and read-only endpoints using an Azure Load Balancer.
+
+2. Monitoring and Metrics: Discover how to use [Azure Monitor managed service for Prometheus](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-monitor/essentials/prometheus-metrics-overview) and [Azure Managed Grafana](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/managed-grafana/overview) to monitor your PostgreSQL cluster and visualize metrics.
+
+3. Backup and Restore: Understand the steps to back up your PostgreSQL data to [Azure Blob Storage](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/products/storage/blobs/) and restore it in the event of a failure or service interruption. Backup is configured to not require storage of secrets leveraging [Entra Workload ID for AKS](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/workload-identity-overview?tabs=dotnet).
+
+4. High Availability: PostgreSQL instances are spread across multiple availability zones for higher availability backed by zone redundant storage.
+
+We hope you give this guide a try and explore running your multi-cloud RDBMS workloads on AKS.
+
+Don’t forget to subscribe to our [Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed](https://azure.github.io/AKS/feed.xml) to stay tuned for upcoming posts in the series!
+
+Until next time ✌️

blog/_posts/2024-08-31-valkey-on-aks.md

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+---
+title: "Launch Valkey on AKS Today!"
+description: "Valkey is a high-performance database forked from Redis. Annoucing a your local guide to deploying Valkey on AKS."
+date: 2024-08-31
+author: Kenneth Kilty
+categories: general
+---
+
+## Introduction
+
+[Valkey](https://valkey.io/), an open source database forked from Redis, is a ubiquitous key-value, in-memory data structure store that can be used as a database, cache, and message broker. As part of our continuing series on running stateful applications in Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), we've released a new guide developed by the [FastTrack for Azure - Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) and Startups](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/shows/azure-videos/fasttrack-for-azure-isvs-and-startups) team that offers a practical real-world example of deploying Valkey on AKS.
+
+[Azure FastTrack](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/offers/azure-fasttrack/) provides tailored guidance from Azure engineers to accelerate your cloud projects and assist with migration from other cloud providers.
+
+## What’s in the guide?
+
+This guide covers essential topics such as using Azure Availability Zones with AKS, leveraging the Kubernetes [External Secrets Operator](https://external-secrets.io/latest/) with [Azure Key Vault provider for Secrets Store CSI Driver](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/csi-secrets-store-driver), and scaling considerations. It draws on the lessons learned from supporting ISV's and startups that depend on AKS for running critical workloads on Azure.
+
+Additional highlights include using the [Reloader](https://github.com/stakater/Reloader) project to automatically manage restarts for Valkey cluster nodes during configuration changes and pulling official Valkey images into [Azure Container Registry](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/) to provide a means to manage container lifecycle and security. The guide also incorporates high-availability guidance using [multi-zone AKS clusters](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/availability-zones) and recommended distribution of Valkey replica pods.
+
+We hope you give the guide a try and share your feedback!
+
+## Upcoming
+
+Look for a new guide showcasing running [MongoDB](https://github.com/mongodb/mongo) on AKS using the [Percona](https://github.com/percona/percona-server-mongodb-operator) operator. This guide, produced by the same FastTrack team, also includes elements of high-availability and scaling considerations gleaned from experience supporting startup customers on Azure using AKS.
+
+Don’t forget to subscribe to our [Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed](https://azure.github.io/AKS/feed.xml) to stay tuned for upcoming posts in the series!
+
+Until next time ✌️