You should setup a PostgreSQL database manually to be used by ToolJet. We recommend using Azure Database for PostgreSQL since this guide is for deploying using AKS.
:::
*If you have any questions feel free to join our [Slack Community](https://tooljet.com/slack) or send us an email at hello@tooljet.com.*
Follow the steps below to deploy ToolJet on a AKS Kubernetes cluster.
1. Create an AKS cluster and connect to it to start with the deployment. You can follow the steps as mentioned on the [Azure's documentation](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/kubernetes-walkthrough-portal).
Make sure to edit the environment variables in the `deployment.yaml`. We advise to use secrets to setup sensitive information. You can check out the available options [here](https://docs.tooljet.com/docs/setup/env-vars).
:::info
If there are self signed HTTPS endpoints that Tooljet needs to connect to, please make sure that `NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS` environment variable is set to the absolute path containing the certificates. You can make use of kubernetes secrets to mount the certificate file onto the containers.
3. Create k8s service and reserve a static IP and expose it via a service load balancer as mentioned in the [doc](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/aks/static-ip). You can refer `service.yaml`.
If you intend to use this feature, you'd have to set up and deploy PostgREST server which helps querying ToolJet Database. Please [follow the instructions here](/docs/setup/env-vars/#enable-tooljet-database--optional-) for additional environment variables configuration to be done.
2. Update ToolJet deployment with the appropriate env variables [here](https://tooljet-deployments.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/kubernetes/AKS/deployment.yaml) and apply the changes.
## Upgrading to the Latest Version
The latest version includes architectural changes and, hence, comes with new migrations.
If this is a new installation of the application, you may start directly with the latest version. This guide is not required for new installations.
#### Prerequisites for Upgrading to the Latest Version:
- It is **crucial to perform a comprehensive backup of your database** before starting the upgrade process to prevent data loss.