Kube-Proxy

Kubernetes supports two main kube-proxy modes: iptables and ipvs. Which one should you use? 1. What is kube-proxy? kube-proxy manages network rules on Kubernetes nodes, allowing communication between services and pods. It can operate in different modes: iptables, ipvs, and userspace (deprecated). 2. iptables Mode Default and widely supported Implements rules using iptables NAT chains Pros: Simpler No extra kernel modules required Easier to debug Cons: Performance degrades with many services Sequential rule processing 3. IPVS Mode Based on Linux IP Virtual Server (part of LVS) Uses a hash table for rules → faster performance Pros: Better performance for large-scale clusters Supports connection-level load balancing algorithms (round-robin, least connections, etc.) Cons: Requires ip_vs kernel modules Slightly more complex setup 4. Switching to IPVS Check kernel support: ...

Introduction How does Kubernetes know where to send traffic for your services? That’s the job of kube-proxy. Whether you’re accessing a ClusterIP, NodePort, or LoadBalancer — kube-proxy is working behind the scenes to route traffic correctly. Let’s unpack how it works in a way that’s easy to understand. What is kube-proxy? kube-proxy is a network component that runs on every node in your Kubernetes cluster. It’s responsible for: Handling traffic for Kubernetes Services Managing IP rules and routing Forwarding requests to the right Pods kube-proxy acts like a traffic router inside your Kubernetes cluster. ...