Here is the latest step-by-step guide (as of May 2026) to install and configure OpenShift using Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO) directly from the Azure Portal.
☁️ What is Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO)?
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO) |
| Provider | Jointly managed by Microsoft Azure + Red Hat |
| Type | Fully managed OpenShift 4.x cluster (no need to manage VMs or OS) |
| Billing | Pay-as-you-go via Azure subscription |
| Best Use Case | Enterprises needing production-ready OpenShift on Azure |
| Latest Version (2026) | OpenShift 4.14+ |
🧰 Prerequisites
✅ Azure Requirements:
- Azure subscription (with sufficient quota)
- Azure AD permissions to create resources
- Resource group and virtual network (or permission to create them)
✅ Permissions:
- Role: Owner or Contributor for the subscription
- Network Contributor role for VNet, if using an existing VNet
✅ Location:
- ARO is supported in many Azure regions (e.g., East US, West Europe)
🚀 Step-by-Step Guide to Deploy ARO via Azure Portal
🔹 Step 1: Sign In to Azure Portal
- Go to: https://portal.azure.com/
- Log in with your Azure credentials.
🔹 Step 2: Search for Azure Red Hat OpenShift
- In the top search bar, type: Azure Red Hat OpenShift
- Click the Azure Red Hat OpenShift service from the results.
- Click Create.
🔹 Step 3: Fill in the Basics
| Field | Example / Notes |
|---|---|
| Subscription | Choose your Azure subscription |
| Resource Group | Create new or use existing (e.g., aro-rg) |
| Cluster Name | E.g., my-arocluster |
| Region | Choose supported region (e.g., East US) |
| Domain | Custom domain prefix (e.g., myapps) |
The FQDN will become:
myapps.<region>.aroapp.io
🔹 Step 4: Configure Networking
- You can choose to:
- Use an existing virtual network
- Or let Azure create one for you (recommended for beginners)
- If you use an existing VNet:
- Ensure two empty subnets: one for Master nodes and one for Worker nodes
- Both subnets must have service endpoints enabled for Microsoft.ContainerService
🔹 Step 5: Select Cluster Size
| Node Type | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Master | 3 nodes (default, fixed) |
| Worker | Minimum 3 (can scale up later) |
| VM Size | e.g., Standard_D8s_v3 for workers |
🔹 Step 6: Authentication Configuration
- Use Azure Active Directory (AAD) or configure local users.
- You’ll be asked to configure:
- Cluster admin group
- Cluster user group
These are AAD security groups used for OpenShift access control.
🔹 Step 7: Review + Create
- Azure will validate your settings.
- Click Create.
🚀 It takes 30–45 minutes to provision the full cluster.
✅ After Deployment: Accessing the ARO Cluster
1. Web Console
- Once deployment completes, go to ARO resource in the Azure Portal.
- Click OpenShift web console link.
2. Log in as Cluster Admin
- Use Azure AD credentials for admin group members.
3. Access via oc CLI
- Install
ocCLI from:
👉 https://mirror.openshift.com/pub/openshift-v4/clients/oc/latest/ - Log in using the command:
oc login https://api.<domain>.aroapp.io:6443 --token=<your-token>
Code language: HTML, XML (xml)Token can be obtained from the web console under Copy Login Command.
🔁 Day 2 Operations (Post-Install)
| Task | How-To |
|---|---|
| Scale worker nodes | Use Azure Portal or CLI |
| Install Operators | From OpenShift OperatorHub |
| Manage Projects/Apps | OpenShift Console → Developer view |
| Monitor Health | Console → Observe tab (Prometheus, Grafana) |
| RBAC & Permissions | Manage via OpenShift Console or CLI |
📌 Tips & Best Practices
| Tip | Description |
|---|---|
| Use Azure AD for RBAC | Simplifies user and group management |
| Avoid editing master nodes | They’re managed by Azure/Red Hat |
| Set up autoscaling (optional) | For cost-efficient cluster scaling |
| Tag your Azure resources | Helps with billing and cost management |
📚 References
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One area that could be explored further is the Day-2 management and governance aspects of ARO deployments. The installation process through the Azure Portal is relatively straightforward, but production teams often face challenges around cluster upgrades, quota management, cost optimization, private networking, and integrating logging and monitoring with existing Azure services. It would also be valuable to discuss infrastructure-as-code approaches using Terraform or Bicep, as many organizations prefer reproducible deployments over manual portal-based provisioning. Additionally, planning for disaster recovery, backup strategies, and multi-region architectures early in the design phase can help avoid significant operational overhead as ARO environments grow.