kubernetes-ingress-controller

:gorilla: Kong for Kubernetes: The official Ingress Controller for Kubernetes.

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Quick Overview

The Kong Kubernetes Ingress Controller is an open-source project that integrates Kong, a popular API gateway, with Kubernetes. It allows users to manage and secure their Kubernetes services using Kong's powerful features, such as authentication, rate limiting, and traffic control, directly through Kubernetes Ingress resources.

Pros

Seamless integration with Kubernetes, leveraging native Ingress resources
Provides advanced API gateway features like authentication, rate limiting, and traffic control
Supports both Kong Enterprise and open-source versions
Offers flexible configuration options through Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs)

Cons

Steeper learning curve compared to simpler ingress controllers
Requires additional resources to run Kong alongside Kubernetes
May introduce complexity in smaller or simpler deployments
Limited support for older Kubernetes versions

Getting Started

To get started with the Kong Kubernetes Ingress Controller, follow these steps:

Install Kong Ingress Controller using Helm:

helm repo add kong https://charts.konghq.com
helm repo update
helm install kong kong/kong -n kong --create-namespace

Create a simple Ingress resource:

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress
  annotations:
    kubernetes.io/ingress.class: kong
spec:
  rules:
  - host: example.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: example-service
            port: 
              number: 80

Apply the Ingress resource:

kubectl apply -f example-ingress.yaml

For more advanced configurations and usage, refer to the official documentation on the project's GitHub repository.

Competitor Comparisons

kubernetes-ingress

4,618

NGINX and NGINX Plus Ingress Controllers for Kubernetes

Pros of kubernetes-ingress

More lightweight and focused specifically on Kubernetes ingress
Simpler configuration and setup process
Better performance for basic ingress scenarios

Cons of kubernetes-ingress

Less feature-rich compared to Kong's solution
Limited API gateway capabilities
Fewer advanced traffic management options

Code Comparison

kubernetes-ingress configuration:

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress
  annotations:
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /$2
spec:
  rules:
  - host: example.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /prefix(/|$)(.*)
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: example-service
            port: 
              number: 80

kubernetes-ingress-controller configuration:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongIngress
metadata:
  name: sample-customization
route:
  methods:
  - GET
  - POST
  strip_path: true
  preserve_host: true
upstream:
  hash_on: none
  hash_fallback: none
  healthchecks:
    active:
      healthy:
        http_statuses:
        - 200
        interval: 5
        successes: 5

Both controllers offer Kubernetes ingress functionality, but Kong's solution provides more advanced features and customization options at the cost of increased complexity. The kubernetes-ingress project is better suited for simpler deployments, while kubernetes-ingress-controller offers more powerful API gateway capabilities for complex scenarios.

ingress-nginx

17,241

Ingress-NGINX Controller for Kubernetes

Pros of ingress-nginx

Officially supported by Kubernetes, ensuring compatibility and regular updates
Simpler setup and configuration for basic use cases
Extensive documentation and large community support

Cons of ingress-nginx

Limited advanced features compared to Kong's offering
May require additional components for complex routing scenarios
Less flexibility in terms of customization and extensibility

Code Comparison

ingress-nginx configuration:

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress
  annotations:
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /$2
spec:
  rules:
  - host: example.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /prefix(/|$)(.*)
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: example-service
            port: 
              number: 80

kubernetes-ingress-controller configuration:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongIngress
metadata:
  name: example-kong-ingress
route:
  methods:
  - GET
  - POST
  regex_priority: 0
  strip_path: true
upstream:
  hash_on: none
  hash_fallback: none
  healthchecks:
    active:
      healthy:
        http_statuses:
        - 200
        interval: 5
        successes: 5

The code examples demonstrate the different configuration approaches between the two controllers. ingress-nginx uses standard Kubernetes Ingress resources with annotations, while kubernetes-ingress-controller utilizes custom resources for more granular control over routing and upstream configurations.

traefik

50,061

The Cloud Native Application Proxy

Pros of Traefik

Simpler configuration and easier to set up, especially for beginners
Built-in support for multiple protocols (HTTP, TCP, UDP) and service discovery mechanisms
More extensive middleware options out-of-the-box

Cons of Traefik

Less scalable for very large deployments compared to Kubernetes Ingress Controller
Limited advanced features and customization options
Steeper learning curve for complex scenarios

Code Comparison

Traefik configuration example:

apiVersion: traefik.containo.us/v1alpha1
kind: IngressRoute
metadata:
  name: myingress
spec:
  entryPoints:
    - web
  routes:
    - match: Host(`example.com`) && PathPrefix(`/api`)
      kind: Rule
      services:
        - name: myservice
          port: 80

Kubernetes Ingress Controller configuration example:

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: myingress
  annotations:
    konghq.com/strip-path: "true"
spec:
  rules:
    - host: example.com
      http:
        paths:
          - path: /api
            pathType: Prefix
            backend:
              service:
                name: myservice
                port: 
                  number: 80

Both examples demonstrate routing configuration, but Traefik uses its custom IngressRoute resource, while Kubernetes Ingress Controller uses the standard Kubernetes Ingress resource with Kong-specific annotations.

istio

35,688

Connect, secure, control, and observe services.

Pros of istio

More comprehensive service mesh capabilities, including advanced traffic management, security, and observability features
Built-in support for multi-cluster deployments and hybrid cloud environments
Stronger ecosystem and community support, with a wider range of integrations and extensions

Cons of istio

Higher complexity and steeper learning curve compared to simpler ingress controllers
Increased resource consumption and potential performance overhead due to its extensive feature set
May be overkill for smaller or less complex deployments that don't require full service mesh functionality

Code comparison

kubernetes-ingress-controller configuration:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongIngress
metadata:
  name: sample-customization
route:
  methods:
  - GET
  - POST

istio configuration:

apiVersion: networking.istio.io/v1alpha3
kind: VirtualService
metadata:
  name: sample-routing
spec:
  hosts:
  - reviews
  http:
  - route:
    - destination:
        host: reviews
        subset: v1

Both projects provide Kubernetes-native configurations, but istio offers more granular control over traffic routing and service mesh features, while kubernetes-ingress-controller focuses on simpler ingress management.

contour

3,695

Contour is a Kubernetes ingress controller using Envoy proxy.

Pros of Contour

Lightweight and efficient, with a smaller resource footprint
Built-in support for WebSocket and gRPC protocols
Simpler configuration model, making it easier to set up and manage

Cons of Contour

Less extensive feature set compared to Kong's ingress controller
Limited plugin ecosystem and extensibility options
Fewer advanced traffic management capabilities

Code Comparison

Contour configuration example:

apiVersion: projectcontour.io/v1
kind: HTTPProxy
metadata:
  name: example
spec:
  virtualhost:
    fqdn: example.com
  routes:
    - conditions:
      - prefix: /
      services:
        - name: example-service
          port: 80

Kong Ingress Controller configuration example:

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example
  annotations:
    kubernetes.io/ingress.class: kong
spec:
  rules:
  - host: example.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: example-service
            port: 
              number: 80

Both examples demonstrate basic routing configuration, but Kong's ingress controller uses standard Kubernetes Ingress resources with annotations, while Contour uses its custom HTTPProxy resource for more advanced configurations.

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README

Kong Ingress Controller for Kubernetes (KIC)

Use Kong for Kubernetes Gateway API or Ingress. Configure plugins, health checking, load balancing and more, all using Custom Resource Definitions (CRDs) and Kubernetes-native tooling.

Features | Get started | Documentation | main branch builds | Seeking help

Features

Gateway API support Use Gateway API resources (official successor of Ingress resources) to configure Kong. Native support for TCP, UDP, TLS, gRPC and HTTP/HTTPS traffic, reuse the same gateway for multiple protocols and namespaces.
Ingress support Use Ingress resources to configure Kong.
Declarative configuration for Kong Configure all of Kong features in declarative Kubernetes native way with CRDs.
Seamlessly operate Kong Scale and manage multiple replicas of Kong Gateway automatically to ensure performance and high-availability.
Health checking and load-balancing Load balance requests across your pods and supports active & passive health-checks.
Enhanced API management using plugins Use a wide array of plugins for e.g.
- authentication
- request/response transformations
- rate-limiting

Get started (using Helm)

You can use Minikube or Kind on your local machine or use a hosted Kubernetes service like GKE.

Install the Gateway API CRDs

This command will install all resources that have graduated to GA or beta, including GatewayClass, Gateway, HTTPRoute, and ReferenceGrant.

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api/releases/download/v1.0.0/standard-install.yaml

Or, if you want to use experimental resources and fields such as TCPRoutes and UDPRoutes, please run this command.

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api/releases/download/v1.0.0/experimental-install.yaml

Install the Kong Ingress Controller with Helm

helm install kong --namespace kong --create-namespace --repo https://charts.konghq.com ingress

To learn more details about Helm chart follow the Helm chart documentation.

Once installed, please follow the Getting Started guide to start using Kong in your Kubernetes cluster.

Note: Kong Enterprise users, please follow along with our enterprise guide to setup the enterprise version.

Get started (using Operator)

As an alternative to Helm, you can also install Kong Ingress Controller using the Kong Gateway Operator by following this quick start guide.

Container images

Release images

Release builds of Kong Ingress Controller can be found on Docker Hub in kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller repository.

At the moment we're providing images for:

Linux amd64
Linux arm64

`main` branch builds

Nightly pre-release builds of the main branch are available from the kong/nightly-ingress-controller repository hosted on Docker Hub:

main contains unreleased new features for upcoming minor and major releases:

docker pull kong/nightly-ingress-controller:nightly

Documentation

All documentation for the Kong Ingress Controller is present in the kong/docs.konghq.com repository. Pull Requests are welcome for additions and corrections.

Guides and Tutorials

Please browse through the guides to get started and to learn specific ingress controller operations.

Contributing

We â¤ï¸ pull requests and weâre continually working hard to make it as easy as possible for developers to contribute. Before beginning development with the Kong Ingress Controller, please familiarize yourself with the following developer resources:

Seeking help

Please search through the FAQs, posts on the discussions page or the Kong Nation Forums as it's likely that another user has run into the same problem. If you don't find an answer, please feel free to post a question.

If you've found a bug, please open an issue.

For a feature request, please open an issue using the feature request template.

You can also talk to the developers behind Kong in the #kong channel on the Kubernetes Slack server.

Community meetings

You can join monthly meetups hosted by Kong to ask questions, provide feedback, or just to listen and hang out. See the Online Meetups Page to sign up and receive meeting invites and Zoom links.

Preview and Experimental Features

At any time the KIC may include features or options that are considered experimental and are not enabled by default, nor available in the Kong Documentation Site.

To try out new features that are behind feature gates, please see the preview features in FEATURE_GATES.md and documentation for these preview features can be found in FEATURE_PREVIEW_DOCUMENTATION.md.

Top Related Projects

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