Beta Release: Gateway API Layer 4 (L4) Routing for AWS Load Balancer Controller

[shraddhabang]

We are excited to announce the Beta release of Layer 4 (L4) routing support for the Kubernetes Gateway API within the AWS Load Balancer Controller (LBC)! This highly anticipated feature allows you to provision and manage AWS Network Load Balancers (NLBs) for TCP, UDP, and TLS traffic directly from your Kubernetes clusters using the extensible Gateway API.

What's New in this Beta?

• NLB Provisioning via Gateway API: Seamlessly provision AWS Network Load Balancers (NLBs) by defining Gateway resources that reference GatewayClass with controllerName gateway.k8s.aws/nlb.
• L4 Route Support: Utilize TCPRoute, UDPRoute, and TLSRoute resources to define how L4 traffic is routed to your Kubernetes Services.
• Advanced Customization:
  • LoadBalancerConfiguration CRD: Apply fine-grained NLB customizations (e.g., scheme, IP address type) at the Gateway or GatewayClass level.
  • TargetGroupConfiguration CRD: Configure service-specific Target Group attributes, including health checks and target types.

How to Get Started

We've prepared detailed documentation to guide you through using this new beta feature:

• Gateway API Installation
• L4 Routing Implementation through controller
• How customizations work

Quick Start:

• Define a GatewayClass with controllerName: gateway.k8s.aws/nlb.
• Create Gateway resources referencing this GatewayClass.
• Define TCPRoute, UDPRoute, or TLSRoute resources to expose your Services.

Provide Your Feedback!

As this is a beta release, your feedback is invaluable! We encourage you to:

• Try it out in your development or staging environments.
• Share your experience by opening issues on our GitHub repository
• Report any bugs you encounter.
• Suggest improvements or features you'd like to see.

Your active participation will help us refine this feature for its General Availability release.