Akka.NET Management and Service Discovery

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Deploying Akka.NET clusters to Kubernetes or cloud environments
• Replacing static seed nodes with dynamic service discovery
• Configuring cluster bootstrap for auto-formation
• Setting up health endpoints for load balancers
• Integrating with Azure Table Storage, Kubernetes API, or config-based discovery

Overview

Akka.Management provides HTTP endpoints for cluster management and integrates with Akka.Cluster.Bootstrap to enable dynamic cluster formation using service discovery instead of static seed nodes.

Why Use Akka.Management?

Approach	Pros	Cons
Static Seed Nodes	Simple, no dependencies	Doesn't scale, requires known IPs
Akka.Management	Dynamic discovery, scales to N nodes	More configuration, external dependencies

Use static seed nodes for: Development, single-node deployments, fixed infrastructure.

Use Akka.Management for: Kubernetes, auto-scaling groups, dynamic environments, production clusters.

---

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    Cluster Bootstrap                         │
│  ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐    ┌─────────────┐     │
│  │  Node 1     │    │  Node 2     │    │  Node 3     │     │
│  │             │    │             │    │             │     │
│  │ Management  │◄──►│ Management  │◄──►│ Management  │     │
│  │ HTTP :8558  │    │ HTTP :8558  │    │ HTTP :8558  │     │
│  └──────┬──────┘    └──────┬──────┘    └──────┬──────┘     │
│         │                  │                  │             │
│         └──────────────────┼──────────────────┘             │
│                            │                                │
│                    ┌───────▼───────┐                        │
│                    │   Discovery   │                        │
│                    │   Provider    │                        │
│                    └───────────────┘                        │
│                            │                                │
└────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────┘
                             │
              ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐
              │              │              │
        ┌─────▼─────┐ ┌──────▼─────┐ ┌─────▼──────┐
        │ Kubernetes│ │   Azure    │ │   Config   │
        │    API    │ │   Tables   │ │   (HOCON)  │
        └───────────┘ └────────────┘ └────────────┘

---

Required NuGet Packages

<ItemGroup>
  <!-- Core management -->
  <PackageReference Include="Akka.Management" />
  <PackageReference Include="Akka.Management.Cluster.Bootstrap" />

  <!-- Choose ONE discovery provider -->
  <PackageReference Include="Akka.Discovery.KubernetesApi" />    <!-- For Kubernetes -->
  <PackageReference Include="Akka.Discovery.Azure" />            <!-- For Azure -->
  <PackageReference Include="Akka.Discovery.Config.Hosting" />   <!-- For static config -->
</ItemGroup>

---

Configuration Model

Create strongly-typed settings for all management options. See the microsoft-extensions-configuration skill for validation patterns.

AkkaManagementOptions

using System.Net;

public class AkkaManagementOptions
{
    /// <summary>
    /// The hostname for the management HTTP endpoint.
    /// Used by other nodes to contact this node's management endpoint.
    /// </summary>
    public string HostName { get; set; } = Dns.GetHostName();

    /// <summary>
    /// The port for the management HTTP endpoint.
    /// Standard port is 8558.
    /// </summary>
    public int Port { get; set; } = 8558;
}

ClusterBootstrapOptions

public class ClusterBootstrapOptions
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Enable/disable Akka.Management cluster bootstrap.
    /// When disabled, use traditional seed nodes.
    /// </summary>
    public bool Enabled { get; set; } = false;

    /// <summary>
    /// Service name used for discovery.
    /// All nodes in the same cluster must use the same service name.
    /// </summary>
    public string ServiceName { get; set; } = "my-service";

    /// <summary>
    /// Name of the port used for management HTTP endpoint.
    /// Used by Kubernetes discovery to find the correct port.
    /// </summary>
    public string PortName { get; set; } = "management";

    /// <summary>
    /// Minimum number of contact points required to form a cluster.
    /// Should match your minimum replica count.
    /// </summary>
    /// <remarks>
    /// Set to 1 for development, 3+ for production.
    /// </remarks>
    public int RequiredContactPointsNr { get; set; } = 3;

    /// <summary>
    /// Which discovery mechanism to use.
    /// </summary>
    public DiscoveryMethod DiscoveryMethod { get; set; } = DiscoveryMethod.Config;

    /// <summary>
    /// How often to probe discovered contact points.
    /// </summary>
    public TimeSpan ContactPointProbingInterval { get; set; } = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1);

    /// <summary>
    /// How often to query the discovery provider.
    /// </summary>
    public TimeSpan BootstrapperDiscoveryPingInterval { get; set; } = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1);

    /// <summary>
    /// Time to wait for stable contact points before forming cluster.
    /// Increase for slower environments.
    /// </summary>
    public TimeSpan StableMargin { get; set; } = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(5);

    /// <summary>
    /// Whether to contact all discovered nodes or just the required number.
    /// Set to true for better cluster formation reliability.
    /// </summary>
    public bool ContactWithAllContactPoints { get; set; } = true;

    /// <summary>
    /// Filter contact points by management port.
    /// Set to true for Kubernetes (fixed ports), false for Aspire (dynamic ports).
    /// </summary>
    public bool FilterOnFallbackPort { get; set; } = true;

    // Discovery-specific options
    public string[]? ConfigServiceEndpoints { get; set; }
    public AzureDiscoveryOptions? AzureDiscoveryOptions { get; set; }
    public KubernetesDiscoveryOptions? KubernetesDiscoveryOptions { get; set; }
}

public enum DiscoveryMethod
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Static configuration - endpoints defined in HOCON/appsettings.
    /// Good for development and fixed infrastructure.
    /// </summary>
    Config,

    /// <summary>
    /// Kubernetes API discovery - queries K8s API for pod endpoints.
    /// Best for Kubernetes deployments.
    /// </summary>
    Kubernetes,

    /// <summary>
    /// Azure Table Storage - nodes register themselves in a shared table.
    /// Good for Azure deployments and Aspire local development.
    /// </summary>
    AzureTableStorage
}

Discovery-Specific Options

public class AzureDiscoveryOptions
{
    public string? ConnectionString { get; set; }
    public string TableName { get; set; } = "AkkaDiscovery";
}

public class KubernetesDiscoveryOptions
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Kubernetes namespace to search for pods.
    /// If null, uses the namespace of the current pod.
    /// </summary>
    public string? PodNamespace { get; set; }

    /// <summary>
    /// Label selector to filter pods (e.g., "app=my-service").
    /// </summary>
    public string? PodLabelSelector { get; set; }

    /// <summary>
    /// Name of the port in the pod spec for management endpoint.
    /// </summary>
    public string PodPortName { get; set; } = "management";
}

---

Akka.Hosting Configuration

Basic Setup with Mode Selection

public static class AkkaConfiguration
{
    public static IServiceCollection ConfigureAkka(
        this IServiceCollection services,
        Action<AkkaConfigurationBuilder, IServiceProvider>? additionalConfig = null)
    {
        // Bind and validate settings (see microsoft-extensions-configuration skill)
        services.AddOptions<AkkaSettings>()
            .BindConfiguration("AkkaSettings")
            .ValidateDataAnnotations()
            .ValidateOnStart();

        services.AddSingleton<IValidateOptions<AkkaSettings>, AkkaSettingsValidator>();

        return services.AddAkka("MySystem", (builder, sp) =>
        {
            var settings = sp.GetRequiredService<IOptions<AkkaSettings>>().Value;
            var configuration = sp.GetRequiredService<IConfiguration>();

            ConfigureNetwork(builder, settings, configuration);
            ConfigureHealthChecks(builder);

            additionalConfig?.Invoke(builder, sp);
        });
    }

    private static void ConfigureNetwork(
        AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder,
        AkkaSettings settings,
        IConfiguration configuration)
    {
        // LocalTest mode = no networking
        if (settings.ExecutionMode == AkkaExecutionMode.LocalTest)
            return;

        // Configure remoting
        builder.WithRemoting(settings.RemoteOptions);

        if (settings.ClusterBootstrapOptions.Enabled)
        {
            // Dynamic cluster formation with Akka.Management
            ConfigureAkkaManagement(builder, settings, configuration);
        }
        else
        {
            // Traditional seed-node clustering
            builder.WithClustering(settings.ClusterOptions);
        }
    }

    private static void ConfigureHealthChecks(AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder)
    {
        builder
            .WithActorSystemLivenessCheck()
            .WithAkkaClusterReadinessCheck();
    }
}

Akka.Management Configuration

private static void ConfigureAkkaManagement(
    AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder,
    AkkaSettings settings,
    IConfiguration configuration)
{
    var mgmtOptions = settings.AkkaManagementOptions;
    var bootstrapOptions = settings.ClusterBootstrapOptions;

    // IMPORTANT: Clear seed nodes when using Akka.Management
    settings.ClusterOptions.SeedNodes = [];

    builder
        // Configure clustering (without seed nodes)
        .WithClustering(settings.ClusterOptions)

        // Configure Akka.Management HTTP endpoint
        .WithAkkaManagement(setup =>
        {
            setup.Http.HostName = mgmtOptions.HostName;
            setup.Http.Port = mgmtOptions.Port;
            setup.Http.BindHostName = "0.0.0.0";  // Listen on all interfaces
            setup.Http.BindPort = mgmtOptions.Port;
        })

        // Configure Cluster Bootstrap
        .WithClusterBootstrap(options =>
        {
            options.ContactPointDiscovery.ServiceName = bootstrapOptions.ServiceName;
            options.ContactPointDiscovery.PortName = bootstrapOptions.PortName;
            options.ContactPointDiscovery.RequiredContactPointsNr = bootstrapOptions.RequiredContactPointsNr;
            options.ContactPointDiscovery.Interval = bootstrapOptions.ContactPointProbingInterval;
            options.ContactPointDiscovery.StableMargin = bootstrapOptions.StableMargin;
            options.ContactPointDiscovery.ContactWithAllContactPoints = bootstrapOptions.ContactWithAllContactPoints;

            options.ContactPoint.FilterOnFallbackPort = bootstrapOptions.FilterOnFallbackPort;
            options.ContactPoint.ProbeInterval = bootstrapOptions.BootstrapperDiscoveryPingInterval;
        });

    // Configure the discovery provider
    ConfigureDiscovery(builder, settings, configuration);
}

---

Discovery Providers

1. Config Discovery (Development/Fixed Infrastructure)

Use when endpoints are known ahead of time:

private static void ConfigureConfigDiscovery(
    AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder,
    ClusterBootstrapOptions options)
{
    if (options.ConfigServiceEndpoints == null || options.ConfigServiceEndpoints.Length == 0)
        throw new InvalidOperationException("ConfigServiceEndpoints required for Config discovery");

    var endpoints = string.Join(", ", options.ConfigServiceEndpoints.Select(ep => $"\"{ep}\""));

    var hocon = $@"
        akka.discovery {{
            method = config
            config {{
                services {{
                    {options.ServiceName} {{
                        endpoints = [{endpoints}]
                    }}
                }}
            }}
        }}";

    builder.AddHocon(hocon, HoconAddMode.Prepend);
}

appsettings.json:

{
  "AkkaSettings": {
    "ClusterBootstrapOptions": {
      "Enabled": true,
      "DiscoveryMethod": "Config",
      "ServiceName": "my-service",
      "ConfigServiceEndpoints": [
        "node1.local:8558",
        "node2.local:8558",
        "node3.local:8558"
      ]
    }
  }
}

2. Kubernetes Discovery (Production K8s)

Queries the Kubernetes API for pod endpoints:

private static void ConfigureKubernetesDiscovery(
    AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder,
    KubernetesDiscoveryOptions? options)
{
    if (options != null)
    {
        builder.WithKubernetesDiscovery(k8sOptions =>
        {
            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(options.PodNamespace))
                k8sOptions.PodNamespace = options.PodNamespace;

            if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(options.PodLabelSelector))
                k8sOptions.PodLabelSelector = options.PodLabelSelector;
        });
    }
    else
    {
        // Use defaults - auto-detect namespace and use all pods
        builder.WithKubernetesDiscovery();
    }
}

Kubernetes Deployment:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: my-akka-service
spec:
  replicas: 3
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      app: my-akka-service
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        app: my-akka-service
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: app
        image: my-app:latest
        ports:
        - name: http
          containerPort: 8080
        - name: remote
          containerPort: 8081
        - name: management     # Must match PortName in config
          containerPort: 8558
        env:
        - name: AkkaSettings__ClusterBootstrapOptions__Enabled
          value: "true"
        - name: AkkaSettings__ClusterBootstrapOptions__DiscoveryMethod
          value: "Kubernetes"
        - name: AkkaSettings__ClusterBootstrapOptions__ServiceName
          value: "my-akka-service"
        - name: AkkaSettings__RemoteOptions__PublicHostName
          valueFrom:
            fieldRef:
              fieldPath: status.podIP
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: my-akka-service
spec:
  clusterIP: None  # Headless service for direct pod discovery
  selector:
    app: my-akka-service
  ports:
  - name: management
    port: 8558

Required RBAC:

apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: Role
metadata:
  name: akka-discovery
rules:
- apiGroups: [""]
  resources: ["pods"]
  verbs: ["get", "list", "watch"]
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: RoleBinding
metadata:
  name: akka-discovery
subjects:
- kind: ServiceAccount
  name: default
roleRef:
  kind: Role
  name: akka-discovery
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

3. Azure Table Storage Discovery (Azure/Aspire)

Nodes register themselves in a shared Azure Table:

private static void ConfigureAzureDiscovery(
    AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder,
    ClusterBootstrapOptions bootstrapOptions,
    AkkaManagementOptions mgmtOptions,
    IConfiguration configuration)
{
    var connectionString = configuration.GetConnectionString("AkkaManagementAzure");
    if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(connectionString))
        throw new InvalidOperationException("AkkaManagementAzure connection string required");

    builder.WithAzureDiscovery(options =>
    {
        options.ServiceName = bootstrapOptions.ServiceName;
        options.ConnectionString = connectionString;
        options.HostName = mgmtOptions.HostName;
        options.Port = mgmtOptions.Port;
    });
}

appsettings.json:

{
  "ConnectionStrings": {
    "AkkaManagementAzure": "DefaultEndpointsProtocol=https;AccountName=...;AccountKey=..."
  },
  "AkkaSettings": {
    "ClusterBootstrapOptions": {
      "Enabled": true,
      "DiscoveryMethod": "AzureTableStorage",
      "ServiceName": "my-service",
      "AzureDiscoveryOptions": {
        "TableName": "AkkaDiscovery"
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Complete Discovery Configuration

private static void ConfigureDiscovery(
    AkkaConfigurationBuilder builder,
    AkkaSettings settings,
    IConfiguration configuration)
{
    var bootstrapOptions = settings.ClusterBootstrapOptions;
    var mgmtOptions = settings.AkkaManagementOptions;

    switch (bootstrapOptions.DiscoveryMethod)
    {
        case DiscoveryMethod.Config:
            ConfigureConfigDiscovery(builder, bootstrapOptions);
            break;

        case DiscoveryMethod.Kubernetes:
            ConfigureKubernetesDiscovery(builder, bootstrapOptions.KubernetesDiscoveryOptions);
            break;

        case DiscoveryMethod.AzureTableStorage:
            ConfigureAzureDiscovery(builder, bootstrapOptions, mgmtOptions, configuration);
            break;

        default:
            throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(
                nameof(bootstrapOptions.DiscoveryMethod),
                $"Unknown discovery method: {bootstrapOptions.DiscoveryMethod}");
    }
}

---

Health Endpoints

Akka.Management exposes health endpoints for load balancers and orchestrators:

Endpoint	Purpose	Returns 200 When
/alive	Liveness	ActorSystem is running
/ready	Readiness	Cluster member is Up
/cluster/members	Debug	Returns cluster membership

ASP.NET Core Health Check Integration

// Register Akka health checks
builder.Services.AddHealthChecks();

// In Akka configuration
builder
    .WithActorSystemLivenessCheck()     // Adds "akka-liveness" health check
    .WithAkkaClusterReadinessCheck();   // Adds "akka-cluster-readiness" health check

// Map endpoints
app.MapHealthChecks("/health/live", new HealthCheckOptions
{
    Predicate = check => check.Tags.Contains("liveness")
});

app.MapHealthChecks("/health/ready", new HealthCheckOptions
{
    Predicate = check => check.Tags.Contains("readiness")
});

---

Troubleshooting

Cluster Won't Form

Symptoms: Nodes stay as separate single-node clusters.

Checklist:

1. All nodes use same ServiceName
2. RequiredContactPointsNr matches actual replica count
3. Discovery provider is configured correctly
4. Network allows traffic on management port (8558)
5. For Kubernetes: RBAC permissions are set

Debug:

// Enable verbose logging
"AkkaSettings": {
  "LogConfigOnStart": true
}

Split Brain

Symptoms: Multiple clusters form instead of one.

Solutions:

1. Set ContactWithAllContactPoints = true
2. Increase StableMargin for slower environments
3. For Aspire: Set FilterOnFallbackPort = false (dynamic ports)
4. For Kubernetes: Set FilterOnFallbackPort = true (fixed ports)

Azure Discovery Issues

Symptoms: Nodes can't find each other via Azure Tables.

Checklist:

1. Connection string is valid
2. Storage account allows table operations
3. All nodes use same ServiceName
4. Firewall allows access to Azure Storage

---

Aspire Integration

For detailed Aspire-specific patterns, see the akka-net-aspire-configuration skill.

Quick reference for Aspire:

// In AppHost
appBuilder
    .WithEndpoint(name: "remote", protocol: ProtocolType.Tcp,
        env: "AkkaSettings__RemoteOptions__Port")
    .WithEndpoint(name: "management", protocol: ProtocolType.Tcp,
        env: "AkkaSettings__AkkaManagementOptions__Port")
    .WithEnvironment("AkkaSettings__ClusterBootstrapOptions__Enabled", "true")
    .WithEnvironment("AkkaSettings__ClusterBootstrapOptions__DiscoveryMethod", "AzureTableStorage")
    .WithEnvironment("AkkaSettings__ClusterBootstrapOptions__FilterOnFallbackPort", "false");

---

Summary: When to Use What

Scenario	Discovery Method	FilterOnFallbackPort
Local development (single node)	None (use seed nodes)	N/A
Aspire multi-node	AzureTableStorage	false
Kubernetes	Kubernetes	true
Azure VMs/VMSS	AzureTableStorage	true
Fixed infrastructure	Config	true
AWS ECS/EC2	AWS discovery plugins	true