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NGINX Ingress Controller

Free plan Self-hosted

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NGINX Ingress Controller's own site

What NGINX Ingress Controller is

NGINX Ingress Controller routes and load balances WebSocket, gRPC, TCP, and UDP applications in Kubernetes. It supports content-based routing and TLS/SSL termination, with further NGINX settings configurable through annotations and ConfigMaps. Manifest installation can use Deployment, DaemonSet, or StatefulSet modes, and the controller can expose metrics in Prometheus format, including through a ServiceMonitor with Prometheus Operator.

The free NGINX Open Source plan requires a Kubernetes cluster. NGINX Plus adds real-time metrics, more load-balancing methods, session persistence, active health checks, and JWT validation; its subscription requires JWT or certificate credentials for registry access. Policy resources cover access control, rate limits, API keys, authentication, mTLS, WAF, CORS, and HSTS, though some policies require Plus. Documented integrations include F5 products, cert-manager, ExternalDNS, Prometheus, Istio, Linkerd, and Open Service Mesh. F5 recommends encrypting Kubernetes Secrets at rest and least-privilege RBAC; its default ServiceAccount can access all cluster Secrets. A read-only root filesystem is recommended but not enabled by default.

Who it suits

It suits teams running Kubernetes workloads that need ingress routing, TLS termination, and configurable traffic policies. Teams considering NGINX Plus should account for subscription requirements and the Plus-only policies they need.

What it does well

  • Free NGINX Open Source plan is available.
  • Supports WebSocket, gRPC, TCP, and UDP applications.
  • Manifest deployment offers three workload modes.
  • Can expose metrics in Prometheus format.
  • TLS automation and canary routing are supported.

What to know first

  • Requires a Kubernetes cluster.
  • Some policies require NGINX Plus.
  • Default ServiceAccount can access all cluster Secrets.
  • Read-only root filesystem is not enabled by default.

Limits

The free plan requires a Kubernetes cluster and uses NGINX Open Source. NGINX Plus features require a subscription, and some policy resources are available only with Plus.

Plans

PlanBilled and limitsPrice
NGINX Ingress Controller with NGINX Open SourceKubernetes cluster required · uses NGINX Open SourceFree
NGINX Plus Ingress ControllerNGINX Ingress Controller subscription required · JWT or certificate credentials required for registry accessOn request

As docs.nginx.com lists them, read 30 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

  1. Open the NGINX Ingress Controller documentation.
  2. Prepare a Kubernetes cluster for the free NGINX Open Source plan.
  3. Choose Deployment, DaemonSet, or StatefulSet installation mode.
  4. Install using the documented manifests.
  5. For NGINX Plus, obtain a subscription and JWT or certificate credentials for registry access.

Verdict

NGINX Ingress Controller provides Kubernetes traffic routing with a free NGINX Open Source option and additional capabilities under NGINX Plus. Review the access-control guidance and Plus requirements when planning a deployment.

Questions

Is there a free plan?

Yes. The NGINX Ingress Controller with NGINX Open Source plan costs nothing and requires a Kubernetes cluster.

What does NGINX Plus add?

It adds real-time metrics, additional load-balancing methods, session persistence options, active health checks, and JWT validation. A subscription is required.

Where does it run?

It is self-hosted on Kubernetes. Manifest installation supports Deployment, DaemonSet, or StatefulSet modes.

Which integrations are documented?

Integrations include F5 WAF for NGINX, F5 DoS for NGINX, F5 BIG-IP, cert-manager, ExternalDNS, Prometheus, Istio, Linkerd, and Open Service Mesh.

How long are Long-Term Support releases supported?

F5 says each annual Long-Term Support release is supported for up to three years and receives security and stability bug fixes.

Who makes NGINX Ingress Controller?

F5 lists its headquarters as Seattle, Washington, and its founding year as 1996.

Facts from NGINX Ingress Controller's own pages

Deployment choices
Manifest installation supports Deployment, DaemonSet, or StatefulSet deployment modes. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Integrations
Documented integrations include F5 WAF for NGINX, F5 DoS for NGINX, F5 BIG-IP, cert-manager, ExternalDNS, Prometheus, Istio, Linkerd, and Open Service Mesh. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Maker
F5 lists its headquarters as Seattle, Washington, and its founding year as 1996. · f5.com, 30 Sept 2026
NGINX Plus features
NGINX Plus adds real-time metrics, additional load-balancing methods, session persistence options, active health checks, and JWT validation. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Plus licensing telemetry
NGINX Plus requires a JWT for subscription validation and reports usage telemetry by default every hour and when NGINX is reloaded. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Prometheus
The controller can expose NGINX and controller metrics in Prometheus format, including through a ServiceMonitor when using Prometheus Operator. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Purpose
NGINX Ingress Controller is a Kubernetes Ingress Controller that load balances WebSocket, gRPC, TCP, and UDP applications. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Read-only filesystem
A read-only root filesystem is recommended to reduce attack surface but is not enabled by default. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Release support
The maker says each annual Long-Term Support release is supported for up to three years and receives security and stability bug fixes. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Routing and TLS
It supports content-based routing and TLS/SSL termination, with additional NGINX features configurable through annotations and ConfigMaps. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Security guidance
The maker recommends encrypting Kubernetes Secrets at rest and documents least-privilege RBAC, while noting the default ServiceAccount can access all Secrets in the cluster. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Security policies
Policy resources include access control, rate limiting, API keys, authentication, mTLS, WAF, CORS, and HSTS options, with some policies requiring NGINX Plus. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026
Support
Technical support applies to provider-supported Kubernetes platforms that pass Kubernetes conformance tests; F5 customer support covers the latest controller version and versions released within two years of the current release. · docs.nginx.com, 30 Sept 2026

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