Understanding Kubernetes: Part 17 -Ingress

If you’ve been following our Kubernetes series 2025, welcome back! For new readers, check out Part 16: Understanding Kubernetes: Load Balancer Service

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What is Ingress in Kubernetes?

An Ingress in Kubernetes is an API object that manages external access to services within a cluster, typically HTTP and HTTPS traffic. Unlike a LoadBalancer service, which exposes an application using an external IP, Ingress provides routing rules to direct traffic to different services based on paths or hostnames. It acts as a Layer 7 (HTTP/HTTPS) load balancer and can provide features such as SSL termination, name-based virtual hosting, and more.

Example Use Case:

Suppose you have multiple microservices (e.g., web, api, admin) running in your cluster, and you want to expose them under a single domain name (example.com). An Ingress can route requests like:

• example.com/web → Routes to the web service
• example.com/api → Routes to the api service
• example.com/admin → Routes to the admin service

Capabilities:

1. Path-Based and Host-Based Routing: