I have set up a kubernetes cluster using kubeadm on a server, which is using an ingress controller (nginx) and this is working as intended. However, I used to deploy a nginx reverse proxy when I was using docker and to forward traffic to the containers. I have read that the ingress controller embarks a reverse proxy but I am not sure if it is sufficient and how to configure it (like IP ban when too many requests are sent in 1 s, ...).

I am aware that it can be done by modifying the port of the cluster and forwarding the traffic from the reverse proxy to the ingress controller but I don't know if it has any utility.

CodePudding user response：

It is not strictly necessary to set up a reverse proxy in front of a Kubernetes cluster. However, there are a few reasons why you might want to consider using a reverse proxy:

Load balancing: A reverse proxy can distribute incoming traffic across multiple pods or nodes in the cluster, which can improve the scalability and reliability of your application.

TLS termination: If you want to use HTTPS for your application, a reverse proxy can handle the TLS termination and forward requests to your application over HTTP. This can simplify the configuration of TLS for your application and offload the encryption and decryption process from your application.

Request routing: A reverse proxy can route requests to different services or pods based on the request path or hostname, which can be useful if you have multiple microservices or multiple versions of your application running in the cluster.

Centralized logging: A reverse proxy can collect and forward access logs to a centralized logging system, which can be helpful for debugging and monitoring your application.

Ultimately, whether or not to use a reverse proxy in front of a Kubernetes cluster depends on the specific needs and goals of your application. If you have concerns about scalability, security, or request routing, a reverse proxy might be a useful addition to your cluster.