Open source Ingress controllers

NGINX Ingress Controller:

The NGINX Ingress Controller is the most popular Ingress controller for Kubernetes. It is based on the NGINX web server and is easy to install and configure.

Traefik Ingress Controller:

The Traefik Ingress Controller is another popular Ingress controller for Kubernetes. It is based on the Traefik reverse proxy and is known for its flexibility and performance.

HAProxy Ingress Controller:

The HAProxy Ingress Controller is a lightweight Ingress controller that is based on the HAProxy load balancer. It is a good choice for applications that require high performance and reliability.

Istio Ingress Gateway:

The Istio Ingress Gateway is an Ingress controller that is part of the Istio service mesh. It provides a number of features for routing and managing traffic to Kubernetes applications, including TLS termination, authentication, and rate limiting.

Contour:

Contour is an Envoy-based Ingress controller that is known for its high performance and scalability. It is a good choice for applications that require a robust and reliable Ingress controller.

Commercial Ingress controllers

Ambassador:

Ambassador is a commercial Ingress controller that provides a number of advanced features, such as API management, TLS termination, and authentication.

Apache APISIX:

Apache APISIX is a commercial Ingress controller that is based on the open source Nginx open-source API gateway. It provides a number of features for routing, managing, and securing API traffic.

Avi Kubernetes Operator:

The Avi Kubernetes Operator is a commercial Ingress controller that provides L4-L7 load balancing using VMware NSX Advanced Load Balancer.

F5 Container Ingress:

F5 Container Ingress is a commercial Ingress controller that provides L4-L7 load balancing, application security, and traffic management for Kubernetes applications.

1. Nginx Ingress Controller:
   • The Nginx Ingress Controller is one of the most widely used Ingress controllers in the Kubernetes ecosystem. It leverages the power and flexibility of the Nginx web server to manage HTTP and HTTPS traffic.
   • GitHub: nginxinc/kubernetes-ingress
2. Traefik:
   • Traefik is a modern, dynamic, and cloud-native Ingress controller that supports multiple providers, including Kubernetes. It is known for its ease of configuration and automatic discovery of services.
   • GitHub: traefik/traefik
3. HAProxy Ingress:
   • HAProxy Ingress is a Kubernetes Ingress controller that uses HAProxy as its underlying load balancer. It offers advanced features and is known for its performance and security.
   • GitHub: haproxytech/kubernetes-ingress
4. Contour:
   • Contour is a high-performance Ingress controller that uses the Envoy proxy as its data plane. It offers advanced routing capabilities and is designed for large-scale Kubernetes deployments.
   • GitHub: projectcontour/contour
5. Istio Ingress Gateway:
   • Istio is a comprehensive service mesh solution for Kubernetes. The Istio Ingress Gateway provides advanced traffic management, security, and observability features alongside Ingress functionality.
   • GitHub: istio/istio
6. Kong Ingress Controller:
   • Kong is an open-source API gateway and microservices management layer. The Kong Ingress Controller extends Kong’s capabilities to Kubernetes for advanced API and traffic management.
   • GitHub: Kong/kubernetes-ingress-controller
7. Gloo:
   • Gloo is a feature-rich API gateway and ingress controller designed for Kubernetes and other environments. It offers a wide range of features, including routing, transformation, and security.
   • GitHub: solo-io/gloo
8. Ambassador:
   • Ambassador is an open-source Kubernetes-native API Gateway built on the Envoy Proxy. It focuses on making it easy to secure, route, and expose applications in your Kubernetes cluster.
   • GitHub: datawire/ambassador
9. Skipper:
   • Skipper is an HTTP router and reverse proxy for Kubernetes. While not as feature-rich as some other controllers, it is lightweight and designed for simple routing tasks.
   • GitHub: zalando/skipper
10. Rancher Ingress Controller:
    • The Rancher Ingress Controller is part of the Rancher container management platform. It offers simple Ingress management and integrates well with Rancher’s ecosystem.
    • GitHub: rancher/ingress-controller

List of all Ingress controllers supported by kubernetes and its protocol

Additional Information

• The Kubernetes Ingress Controller is the default ingress controller in Kubernetes. It is a simple and lightweight ingress controller that is easy to use.
• The NGINX Ingress Controller is a popular ingress controller that offers a wide range of features, including support for multiple protocols, load balancing, and SSL termination.
• The Traefik Ingress Controller is another popular ingress controller that offers a wide range of features, including support for multiple protocols, load balancing, and service discovery.
• The HAProxy Ingress Controller is a good choice for users who want a simple and reliable ingress controller.
• The Ambassador Ingress Controller is a good choice for users who need an ingress controller that supports advanced features, such as service discovery and API gateway functionality.
• The Contour Ingress Controller is a good choice for users who need an ingress controller that is easy to use and manage.

Choosing an Ingress Controller

When choosing an ingress controller, it is important to consider the following factors:

• The protocols that you need to support
• The features that you need
• The ease of use and management

• Author
• Recent Posts

Follow me

Rajesh Kumar

Mentor for DevOps - DevSecOps - SRE - Cloud - Container & Micorservices at Software AG

Join my following certification courses...
- DevOps Certified Professionals (DCP)
- Site Reliability Engineering Certified Professionals (SRECP)
- Master in DevOps Engineering (MDE)
- DevSecOps Certified Professionals (DSOCP)
URL - https://www.devopsschool.com/certification/

My Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajeshkumarin

Follow me

Latest posts by Rajesh Kumar (see all)

• Best AI tools for Software Engineers - November 4, 2024
• Installing Jupyter: Get up and running on your computer - November 2, 2024
• An Introduction of SymOps by SymOps.com - October 30, 2024