How to Configure Ingress in Kubernetes

Configuring Ingress in Kubernetes

Ingress in Kubernetes allows you to manage external access to the services within a cluster, typically HTTP. Configuring Ingress can be complex, but this guide simplifies the process, providing a clear pathway to managing your external connectivity.

Prerequisites

A running Kubernetes cluster
kubectl (Official site) installed and configured
Basic knowledge of Kubernetes resources

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Set Up Ingress Controller

To start, you need an Ingress Controller within your cluster. Depending on your setup, you may choose from several controllers like NGINX, Traefik, or HAProxy. This tutorial will use the popular NGINX Ingress Controller.

kubectl apply -f https://raw.githubusercontent.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx/main/deploy/static/provider/cloud/deploy.yaml

This command deploys the Kubernetes resources for NGINX Ingress Controller to your cluster.

2. Configure Basic Ingress Resource

Create an Ingress resource to define how traffic should be routed:

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

Apply the configuration with:

kubectl apply -f ingress-resource.yaml

This basic Ingress resource routes traffic from ‘example.com’ to your ‘example-service’.

3. Manage Secure Connections

Ingress also supports configurations for SSL/TLS to secure your connections. First, ensure you have an SSL certificate, then configure it in your Ingress resource like this:

spec:
  tls:
  - hosts:
    - example.com
    secretName: example-tls

Create the secret using:

kubectl create secret tls example-tls --key <tls.key> --cert <tls.crt>

Ensure your Ingress Controller is set up to use this TLS configuration correctly.

4. Test Your Configuration

Once configured, test access to your application via ‘http://example.com’. If the setup includes TLS, ensure it’s responding with ‘https://’ as expected. Debug any network policies that might restrict access using our guide on Kubernetes Network Policies.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you face issues, here are a few common troubleshooting steps:

Ensure DNS is correctly set up for your domain.
Verify the Ingress resource by running kubectl describe ingress <ingress-name>.
Check Ingress Controller logs for errors.

Conclusion

Configuring Ingress in Kubernetes effectively manages your application’s external accessibility. Regularly review Ingress configurations to ensure security and performance are up to standard.