Kubernetes Ingress

Ingress is a Kubernetes API object that describes how external HTTP and HTTPS traffic should be routed to Services inside a cluster, based on hostnames and URL paths. The rules do nothing alone; an ingress controller, such as one based on nginx or Envoy, reads them and does the actual proxying.

Why it matters

Without ingress, exposing each web service would need its own load balancer and public IP. A single ingress controller can serve many hostnames, terminate TLS certificates and apply redirects or rate limits. When a site behind Kubernetes returns 502 or 404 errors, the ingress rules and the controller's logs are often the first place to look.

Example

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: shop
spec:
  ingressClassName: nginx
  rules:
    - host: shop.example.com
      http:
        paths:
          - path: /
            pathType: Prefix
            backend:
              service:
                name: web
                port:
                  number: 80

Common mistakes

• Creating an Ingress without installing a controller, so nothing happens.
• Pointing at a Service name or port that does not exist, producing 503 or 502 errors.
• Forgetting the ingress class, so no controller claims the rule.
• Newer Gateway API resources are replacing some uses, so check which your cluster supports.

Related

• Kubernetes
• Reverse proxy
• Load balancer
• Service mesh

This page is general information written by our editorial team and updated when documentation changes. Servers and providers differ, so test changes safely first. See our editorial policy and disclaimer.