// AKKA.MANAGEMENT
Akka.Management replaces static seed node configuration with fully dynamic cluster formation using pluggable service discovery. A safer, superior choice to seed nodes — built for Kubernetes, Azure, AWS, and any environment without static addressing.
// THE_PROBLEM
A real customer experienced an Azure availability zone split. The split brain resolver killed off the seed nodes (they weren't the oldest due to rolling deployments). When those seed nodes rebooted, they formed a second cluster — an extremely nasty split-brain scenario. Static seed nodes can't adapt to this. Akka.Management can.
Split brain: static seed nodes form a second cluster after AZ failure
// HOW_IT_WORKS
Exposes private HTTP endpoints that the cluster bootstrapper uses to probe nodes and determine their cluster membership status.
Pluggable service discovery engine with mature implementations for Kubernetes API, Azure Table Storage, AWS EC2/ECS, and configuration-based discovery. Multiple methods can run in parallel.
Orchestrates the process: queries Discovery for available members, pings their HTTP endpoints to verify existence and cluster status, then dynamically populates seed nodes for Akka.Cluster to join.
All nodes launch with empty seed node lists. The bootstrapper handles formation when the requiredContactPoints threshold is met. If an existing cluster is detected, new nodes join it directly.
// CLUSTER_FORMATION
Step 1: Nodes register with Akka.Discovery and query for peers
Step 2: Bootstrapper probes nodes and forms the cluster dynamically
Step 3: Fully formed cluster with all nodes joined
// DISCOVERY_BACKENDS
// WHO_USES_THIS
Priva
Agriculture / IoT — Netherlands
Priva runs Akka.NET on Azure Container Apps with Akka.Discovery.Azure for cluster formation. When KEDA scales up pods, Akka.NET Discovery automatically detects new nodes, forms the cluster, and redistributes shards — seamlessly and with zero downtime.
Tranzact
