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An Ingress object describes HTTP or HTTPS routes into a Kubernetes cluster; it does not route traffic on its own. An ingress controller watches Kubernetes resources and configures a proxy or load balancer to make those routes work. For new deployments, also consider Gateway API: Kubernetes recommends it over Ingress, while the Ingress API remains available but is frozen.
Why do I need an ingress controller?
Kubernetes’ Ingress API lets you declare externally reachable HTTP or HTTPS rules, such as which host and URL path should reach a particular Service, along with TLS-related settings. Those rules describe the desired routing; they do not implement it. A running controller must watch the relevant resources and configure a data plane, such as a proxy or load balancer, to handle incoming traffic. The Ingress API reference documents the resource fields, but the behavior depends on the implementation serving them.
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This separation is useful: route definitions can be expressed as Kubernetes resources, while a controller reconciles them with the infrastructure that handles requests. For example, HAProxy describes its Kubernetes Ingress Controller as interpreting Ingress rules and updating HAProxy configuration as pods are added or removed. That illustrates the controller’s role; it is not an independent performance comparison.
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The Ingress resource’s ingressClassName field associates it with an IngressClass, which identifies the implementation intended to serve it. Kubernetes permits multiple controllers in one cluster, so a route’s class and the controllers’ class-handling configuration matter. Otherwise, a resource may be ignored or handled by a different implementation than expected. See Kubernetes’ ingress controller guidance and API reference.
A controller can provide a shared entry point for multiple Services, instead of configuring each Service as a separate external entry point. Whether that reduces infrastructure cost depends on the cluster, cloud provider, and deployment design; it is not a guaranteed saving.
Should a new deployment use Ingress or Gateway API?
Kubernetes’ current direction is explicit: “The Kubernetes project recommends using Gateway instead of Ingress.” The official Ingress documentation says the Ingress API remains generally available and is not planned for removal, but it is frozen and will not receive further development. Existing Ingress deployments can continue to use it; teams starting new work should evaluate Gateway API and confirm that their chosen implementation supports the resources and features they need.
Gateway API is an API, not a traffic-handling implementation by itself. As with Ingress, you need a compatible controller or other implementation to act on the resources. Before migrating, inventory existing annotations, custom resources, TLS behavior, and routing requirements. A move between APIs or implementations can require redesign when behavior depends on extensions rather than standard fields.
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There is no universal best controller: Kubernetes notes that implementations have different behavior and caveats. Compare candidates against the workload and the operating team’s requirements, and verify each point in the documentation for the exact implementation and version you intend to deploy.
1. Choose the API and migration path
For an existing application, determine whether maintaining Ingress is the lower-risk option or whether a planned move to Gateway API is justified. For a new deployment, assess Gateway API first in light of Kubernetes’ recommendation. In either case, list all Ingress annotations and custom resources in use before changing controller or API; those extensions may not have equivalent behavior elsewhere.
2. Verify protocols and routing features
Start with the actual traffic patterns: HTTP and HTTPS host/path routing may be sufficient, but some workloads also need gRPC, WebSockets, TCP, UDP, or TLS passthrough. Do not infer support for one protocol from support for another; check the implementation’s documented configuration and limitations.
As one vendor-documented example, F5’s NGINX Ingress Controller documentation lists HTTP content routing, TLS termination, WebSocket and gRPC support, and TCP/UDP load balancing. Its advanced options include additional resources. These are F5’s descriptions of its own implementation, not independently tested results or a statement about every controller using NGINX.
3. Check TLS behavior closely
Confirm how certificates are configured, whether TLS terminates at the controller or passes through, and how the implementation handles SNI. Kubernetes’ API reference describes TLS configuration and port 443 behavior, but makes SNI behavior controller-dependent. Check the chosen controller’s documentation for certificate constraints and any port or passthrough caveats instead of assuming every implementation interprets the API identically.
4. Measure configuration portability
Separate requirements met by standard Kubernetes API fields from those relying on vendor-specific annotations, ConfigMaps, or custom resources. Extensions can provide useful controls, but they bind route configuration more closely to an implementation and may increase migration work.
For example, F5 documents annotations and ConfigMaps as well as custom resources such as VirtualServer, VirtualServerRoute, and TransportServer. Confirm which resource types your team would need and whether they fit its upgrade and migration plans.
5. Plan the operating model
Review how the controller is installed and upgraded, which namespaces and resources it watches, how class selection and any default class are configured, and what permissions it needs. Also decide who owns route definitions and who operates the controller, and assess observability, redundancy, and scaling for your environment. Kubernetes allows multiple controllers but does not prescribe one operational model for every cluster.
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6. Check maintenance and security status
Before adoption, verify the project’s current release activity, supported Kubernetes versions, security response process, and published support status directly with its maintainers. In particular, distinguish the Kubernetes community’s ingress-nginx project from F5’s separately documented NGINX Ingress Controller; similar names do not mean they share ownership or maintenance status. Because project status can change, confirm it from a current primary source before making a production decision.
What should you verify before rollout?
- The selected API—Ingress or Gateway API—and the exact implementation that will act on it.
- That each route is associated with the intended class or gateway, and that the controller watches the relevant namespaces and resources.
- Support for every required protocol, routing feature, TLS mode, and certificate behavior.
- Which configuration depends on standard fields and which depends on annotations, ConfigMaps, or custom resources.
- The installation, upgrade, permissions, observability, redundancy, scaling, maintenance, and security arrangements your team will operate.
Kubernetes lists implementations across proxy, gateway, cloud load-balancer, and vendor ecosystems, but warns that behavior varies. Its list is useful for identifying candidates, not for ranking them. Product documentation establishes what vendors say their own implementations support; it does not provide an apples-to-apples benchmark.
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