AKS speedup image pull time using new artifact streaming ACR

 Artifact Streaming is a feature in Azure Container Registry (ACR) that allows you to store container images within a single registry and stream them to Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) clusters in multiple regions. Here are the key points:

1. Purpose:

   • Accelerate containerized workloads for Azure customers using AKS.

   • Improve image pull times and reduce deployment delays.

2. How It Works:

   • Artifact Streaming enables streaming of container images from ACR to AKS.

   • AKS only pulls necessary layers during initial pod startup, optimizing image retrieval.

   • Ideal for images <30GB; reduces time to pod readiness by over 15%.

3. Prerequisites:

   • Existing AKS cluster with ACR integration.

   • Kubernetes version 1.25 or later.

   • Supported on Ubuntu 22.04, Ubuntu 20.04, and Azure Linux node pools (not Windows).

4. Implementation Steps:

   • Install the aks-preview CLI extension.

   • Register the ArtifactStreamingPreview feature flag in your subscription.

   • Enable Artifact Streaming on ACR.

Remember that AKS preview features are provided “as is” and aren’t meant for production use. If you need more details or have further questions, feel free to ask! 😊🚀

References https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/artifact-streaming#enable-artifact-streaming-on-acr

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/container-registry/container-registry-artifact-streaming?pivots=development-environment-azure-portal