--- title: An introduction to the Kubernetes Gateway API | daily.dev description: Explains the Kubernetes Gateway API as an evolution beyond ingress controllers, covering its unified configuration for HTTP, gRPC, TCP, and TLS, typed routes... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/an-introduction-to-the-kubernetes-gateway-api-nffiiu62z twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: An introduction to the Kubernetes Gateway API | daily.dev og:description: Explains the Kubernetes Gateway API as an evolution beyond ingress controllers, covering its unified configuration for HTTP, gRPC, TCP, and TLS, typed routes... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/an-introduction-to-the-kubernetes-gateway-api-nffiiu62z og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/nfFIIu62Z.png og:image:alt: An introduction to the Kubernetes Gateway API og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # An introduction to the Kubernetes Gateway API **[ngrok Blog](https://daily.dev/sources/ngrok)** · 8 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Explains the Kubernetes Gateway API as an evolution beyond ingress controllers, covering its unified configuration for HTTP, gRPC, TCP, and TLS, typed routes and backends, advanced header-based routing for A/B testing, extensible architecture, and RBAC support. Compares it against traditional ingress controllers, outlines current limitations like a learning curve and immature tooling, and offers guidance on when to migrate, while promoting ngrok's Kubernetes operator implementation. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### What is the difference between Kubernetes ingress controllers and the Gateway API? Ingress controllers primarily handle basic HTTP traffic and require manual, static configuration changes, while the Gateway API supports multiple protocols including HTTP, gRPC, TCP, and TLS through a unified, dynamically configurable interface. The Gateway API also adds typed routes and backends, header-based routing for A/B testing, RBAC, and an extensible architecture for custom filters and policies. _Comparing routing approaches before a Kubernetes networking migration is easier with the right sources on daily.dev._ ### When should I use the Kubernetes Gateway API instead of an ingress controller? Use the Gateway API when applications need A/B testing, header-based routing, precise traffic splitting, or support for multiple protocols like HTTP, gRPC, and TCP beyond basic HTTP. Ingress controllers remain sufficient for simple deployments where a team is already familiar with them and requirements are limited to straightforward HTTP routing. _Developers weighing Kubernetes traffic tools can track this kind of guidance on daily.dev._ ### What are the current drawbacks of adopting the Kubernetes Gateway API? The Gateway API is still relatively new, meaning fewer resources and less mature tooling exist compared to established ingress controllers. Adoption is still growing, which can create compatibility issues with existing ingress-based deployments, and teams face a learning curve adjusting to its new terminology and approach. _Anyone weighing a Gateway API rollout can follow ongoing Kubernetes ecosystem changes on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Kubernetes Ingress vs Gateway API](https://daily.dev/posts/kubernetes-ingress-vs-gateway-api-jwa9l6ig9) · Isovalent · 10 upvotes · 1 comments - [The Gateway API shift: how Kubernetes networking actually works at scale](https://daily.dev/posts/the-gateway-api-shift-how-kubernetes-networking-actually-works-at-scale-t04kkbq5r) · Giant Swarm · 16 upvotes · 1 comments - [How to Move to the Gateway API: post ingress-nginx Retirement](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-move-to-the-gateway-api-post-ingress-nginx-retirement-q3cqencll) · Pulumi · 5 upvotes · 0 comments - [Modernizing Kubernetes Traffic: A Guide to the Gateway API Migration](https://daily.dev/posts/modernizing-kubernetes-traffic-a-guide-to-the-gateway-api-migration-gkxfiubey) · Faun · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [How We Migrated a Production Cluster from Ingress NGINX to Gateway API](https://daily.dev/posts/how-we-migrated-a-production-cluster-from-ingress-nginx-to-gateway-api-v4ff56eht) · Fairwinds Blog · 23 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#devtools](https://daily.dev/tags/devtools), [#kubernetes](https://daily.dev/tags/kubernetes), [#networking](https://daily.dev/tags/networking), [#gateway-api](https://daily.dev/tags/gateway-api) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/an-introduction-to-the-kubernetes-gateway-api-nffiiu62z) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"An introduction to the Kubernetes Gateway API","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/an-introduction-to-the-kubernetes-gateway-api-nffiiu62z","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/an-introduction-to-the-kubernetes-gateway-api-nffiiu62z"},"datePublished":"2026-08-23T07:21:31.585Z","dateModified":"2026-08-23T07:29:30.009Z","description":"Explains the Kubernetes Gateway API as an evolution beyond ingress controllers, covering its unified configuration for HTTP, gRPC, TCP, and TLS, typed routes...","image":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/bb1d11038c4d705185b34834a9d761fa?_a=AQAEuop","thumbnailUrl":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/f_auto,q_auto/v1/posts/bb1d11038c4d705185b34834a9d761fa?_a=AQAEuop","isAccessibleForFree":true,"articleSection":"ngrok Blog","inLanguage":"en","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180}},"author":{"@type":"Organization","name":"ngrok Blog","logo":"https://media.daily.dev/image/upload/s--718XXxvE--/f_auto,q_auto/v1787469610/logos/ngrok?_a=BAMAMicg0","url":"https://daily.dev/sources/ngrok"},"commentCount":0,"discussionUrl":"https://daily.dev/posts/an-introduction-to-the-kubernetes-gateway-api-nffiiu62z","interactionStatistic":[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"LikeAction"},"userInteractionCount":0},{"@type":"InteractionCounter","interactionType":{"@type":"CommentAction"},"userInteractionCount":0}],"keywords":"devtools,kubernetes,networking,gateway-api","timeRequired":"PT8M"} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://daily.dev"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ngrok Blog","item":"https://daily.dev/sources/ngrok"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"An introduction to the Kubernetes Gateway API"}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/an-introduction-to-the-kubernetes-gateway-api-nffiiu62z#faq","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the difference between Kubernetes ingress controllers and the Gateway API?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Ingress controllers primarily handle basic HTTP traffic and require manual, static configuration changes, while the Gateway API supports multiple protocols including HTTP, gRPC, TCP, and TLS through a unified, dynamically configurable interface. 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