Skip to main content

Module 3: Gateway API

Module Metadata​

  • Difficulty: Intermediate
  • Estimated Time: 95 minutes
    • Reading: 15 minutes
    • Lab: 55 minutes
    • Quiz: 15 minutes

What You Will Learn​

In this module, you will:

  • Understand the Gateway API resource model (GatewayClass, Gateway, HTTPRoute)
  • Install and configure a Gateway controller (Contour) in your cluster
  • Create HTTPRoutes to route traffic to the Voting App services
  • Implement path-based and header-based routing patterns
  • Learn Ingress to Gateway API migration concepts

Prerequisites​

Before starting this module, you should have:

  • Completed Module 0 (Introduction and Getting Started)
  • A running KIND cluster with kubectl configured
  • Basic understanding of Kubernetes Services and networking
  • The kind and kubectl CLI tools installed
Fresh Start

This module starts with a fresh Voting App deployment. You don't need to carry forward resources from Module 2. We'll redeploy the base application to focus on Gateway API routing concepts.

Overview​

So far, you've been accessing the Voting App through NodePort services and port-forwarding. While these approaches work for local development, production applications need proper HTTP routing - path-based routing, host-based routing, header matching, and traffic splitting.

Gateway API is Kubernetes' modern answer to traffic management. It replaces the older Ingress API with a more expressive, role-oriented resource model that separates concerns between infrastructure providers, cluster operators, and application developers.

In this module, you'll install a Gateway controller (Contour), create Gateway and HTTPRoute resources, implement sophisticated routing rules for the Voting App, and explore traffic splitting patterns for canary deployments. By the end, you'll understand why Gateway API is the future of Kubernetes traffic management.