gateway-api VS aws-load-balancer-controller

It has already been a couple of years since the Kubernetes Ingress was defined as a “frozen” feature while further development will be added to the Gateway API.

Kubernetes provides two APIs to achieve this, the Ingress API and the Gateway API.

With all that said, K8s is not really meant to function as an API gateway to arbitrary services. You should look into API gateways such as NGINX, Kong or others, service meshes as others have already pointed out, or have a look at the K8s Gateway API the SIG is currently working on. The last one is in the early stages of adoption, but it could provide you with a nice way to do an API Gateway right in K8s.

Maybe there's something in the new fangled gateways.

Keep an eye on the Gateway API GAMMA Initiative as it is currently evolving with the goal of streamlining how services meshes can implement the Gateway API and reduce some overlap.

The selling point for me was ability to configure it using Kubernetes CRD's and future support of the Gateway API (under development - <https://gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io/>).

Developers can version their API now within helm charts or even yaml templates held along the code in their repositories.

-- https://gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io

While you're learning about ingresses, also look into the k8s Gateway API, which is the next generation. https://gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io/

The GatewayAPI model is quite different from the LB/ingress model, in the cluster it consists of gateway and route objects. Once the gateway is created routes connecting gateways to services are added. If you need to change how requests are distributed, the routes are updated but the gateway remains so the address and other configuration remains consistent. Gateways can be shared by multiple routes. Take a look at https://gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io/ its a bit terse but you will get the picture.

I thought at the beginning that such certificate would then expire, but I have seen cert-manager is within ALB code https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/aws-load-balancer-controller/blob/main/config/certmanager/certificate.yaml so that makes me hesitate about it.

Detailed behavior changes can be found in the release notes for version 2.6.0 of the AWS Load Balancer Controller. https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/aws-load-balancer-controller/releases The key points include:

If you are using Kubernetes, you can enable security groups on your NLB by using AWS Load Balancer controller version 2.6.0 or later. Enabling NLB security groups using the controller enhances the nodes' security, as inbound rules can be simplified by referencing the NLB security groups. It also provides scaling improvements, as the controller keeps a constant number of security group rules per cluster.

I use the AWS Load Balancer Controller: https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/aws-load-balancer-controller.

You can install the AWS Load Balancer Controller, and then create an "Ingress" when you install your Nginx Ingress controller, possible with some necessary annotations.

aws-load-balancer-controller

Yes. Google's ingress controller talks to the GCP API and spins up an HTTP LB for you. The AWS LB Controller handles provisioning ALB's for you. And ... I guess other clouds exist too but these are the ones I am familiar with.

NLB don't support weighted target groups and for some reason are extremely slow when adding instances o removing them from target groups, which makes deployments a bit meh (old instances and new instances can be receiving traffic at the same time for up to 2 mins)