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N42 Gateway

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What N42 Gateway is

N42 Gateway is a self-hosted Kubernetes controller for directing external requests to applications running inside a cluster. It supports both the Ingress and Gateway API models, reads routing settings from Kubernetes resources, and updates HAProxy as those settings change. The project is built on the HAProxy load balancer and includes more than 200 configuration options. Settings can be applied globally, for an IngressClass, to an individual Ingress, or to a backend through Service annotations.

Its documented options include TLS, client certificate authentication, secure connections to backends, ACME certificate management, rate limiting, authentication policies, canary routing, and a ModSecurity web application firewall. The WAF supports Coraza endpoints when configured and can run in deny or detect mode. The project reports clusters with tens of thousands of Ingresses and Services in operation and says there is no hard limit on their number. The latest listed release, v0.16, supports Kubernetes 1.21 or newer and includes HAProxy 2.8; external HAProxy use requires version 2.4 or newer. N42 Gateway is free and open source under Apache-2.0. Installation is documented with Helm on Linux in a running Kubernetes cluster and requires cluster administrative privileges.

Who it suits

N42 Gateway suits teams exposing Kubernetes-hosted services to external networks who want routing managed through Ingress or Gateway API resources. It is relevant to self-hosted deployments that need HAProxy routing alongside options for TLS, rate limiting, authentication, canary routing, or a WAF.

What it does well

  • Supports both Kubernetes Ingress and Gateway API models.
  • Applies routing changes to HAProxy as Kubernetes configuration changes.
  • Offers more than 200 configuration options.
  • Includes TLS, ACME certificate management, rate limiting, and canary routing options.
  • Apache-2.0 licensed and free to use.
  • Reports clusters with tens of thousands of Ingresses and Services.

What to know first

  • Installation requires cluster administrative privileges.
  • The latest listed release requires Kubernetes 1.21 or newer.
  • External HAProxy deployments require version 2.4 or newer.
  • Alpha and snapshot development versions are generally not recommended for production.

Limits

The latest listed release, v0.16, requires Kubernetes 1.21 or newer. Using an external HAProxy instance requires version 2.4 or newer; the release includes embedded HAProxy 2.8. Alpha and snapshot development versions have major changes and few tests, and are usually not recommended for production.

Getting started

  1. Review the v0.16 requirements: Kubernetes 1.21 or newer and, for an external HAProxy instance, HAProxy 2.4 or newer.
  2. Prepare a running Kubernetes cluster; Minikube, kind, k3s, k3d, and Colima are listed as supported local environments.
  3. Build a Docker image if following the documented deployment route.
  4. Install N42 Gateway into the cluster with Helm using cluster administrative privileges.
  5. Configure routing with Ingress or Gateway API resources and the appropriate global, IngressClass, Ingress, or Service settings.

Verdict

Choose N42 Gateway if you need a free, self-hosted controller that configures HAProxy from Kubernetes Ingress or Gateway API resources. Its wide configuration set and live routing updates suit teams managing external access to cluster services. Check the Kubernetes and HAProxy version requirements before deploying; the project cautions against using its alpha and snapshot development versions in production.

Questions

How much does N42 Gateway cost?

Its pricing model is free, and it is open source under the Apache-2.0 license.

Which Kubernetes routing APIs does it support?

It supports both Ingress and Gateway API resources.

What does N42 Gateway run on?

It is a Linux, self-hosted deployment for a running Kubernetes cluster. The latest listed release, v0.16, requires Kubernetes 1.21 or newer.

How is it installed?

The maker documents building a Docker image and deploying with Helm. Installation requires cluster administrative privileges.

Which HAProxy versions does v0.16 support?

The release lists embedded HAProxy 2.8. An external HAProxy instance must be version 2.4 or newer.

Where can users ask questions?

The project points users to the #n42-gateway channel on Kubernetes Slack and GitHub Discussions.

Facts from N42 Gateway's own pages

Community support
The project points users to the #n42-gateway channel on Kubernetes Slack and to GitHub Discussions for announcements and questions. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Configuration
The project says it offers 200+ configuration options for Ingress and Gateway API resources. · n42-gateway.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
Configuration sources
Configuration can be set globally through ConfigMaps, per IngressClass through a linked ConfigMap, per Ingress, and per backend through Service annotations. · n42-gateway.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Deployment
The project documents building a Docker image and deploying it with Helm. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Dynamic updates
It reads routing configuration from Kubernetes resources and applies cluster updates to HAProxy on the fly. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
HAProxy
The project describes itself as powered by the HAProxy load balancer. · n42-gateway.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
Installation
The maker documents installation with Helm into a running Kubernetes cluster and requires cluster administrative privileges for installation. · n42-gateway.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
License
The GitHub repository lists the Apache-2.0 license. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Live updates
Changes made to Kubernetes routing configuration are applied to HAProxy on the fly. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Load balancer
The project describes N42 Gateway as built on the HAProxy load balancer. · n42-gateway.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Local development requirements
The README lists Go and HAProxy compiled with OpenSSL and Lua support as local build and run dependencies. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Platform and prerequisites
The documented v0.16 release requires Kubernetes 1.21 or newer and the maker lists Minikube, kind, k3s, k3d, and Colima as supported local Kubernetes environments. · n42-gateway.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Production history
The project says it has been built for production since 2017. · n42-gateway.github.io, 5 Oct 2026
Purpose
N42 Gateway is a Kubernetes Ingress and Gateway API controller that configures HAProxy to route external requests to in-cluster applications. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Release maturity
The README says alpha and snapshot development versions have major changes with few tests and are usually not recommended for production. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Scale
The documentation says there is no hard limit to the number of Ingresses or Services and reports clusters with tens of thousands working smoothly and fast. · n42-gateway.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Support
Users can ask questions in the #n42-gateway Kubernetes Slack channel and GitHub Discussions. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Supported HAProxy
For v0.16, the README lists embedded HAProxy 2.8 and requires HAProxy 2.4 or later when using an external HAProxy instance. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
Supported Kubernetes
The latest listed release, v0.16, supports Kubernetes 1.21 and later. · github.com, 5 Oct 2026
TLS and certificates
Configuration options include TLS settings, client certificate authentication, secure TLS connections to backends, and ACME certificate management. · n42-gateway.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Use case
The maker presents N42 Gateway for exposing services running in Kubernetes clusters to external networks. · n42-gateway.github.io, 4 Oct 2026
Version support
The repository lists v0.16 as the latest release and requires Kubernetes 1.21+ for it; alpha and snapshot development versions are described as having major changes with few tests and generally not recommended for production. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Web application firewall
The documentation supports a ModSecurity WAF, including Coraza endpoints when configured, with deny or detect modes. · n42-gateway.github.io, 4 Oct 2026

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