Cilium kube-proxy replacement #1706
Description
Summary
Cilium has the ability to fully replace kube-proxy, offering major benefits for performance, observability, and simplicity.
https://docs.cilium.io/en/stable/network/kubernetes/kubeproxy-free/
Canonical Kubernetes is already embracing Cilium as the CNI, LoadBalancer, and Ingress — it would be great if kube-proxy replacement was also supported out of the box to fully benefit from Cilium’s capabilities.
Why is this important?
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Removes dependency on kube-proxy and iptables, enabling use of modern tools like nftables for your hosts.
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All traffic is handled via eBPF, improving efficiency and reducing latency.
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Better observability with Hubble and eBPF flow tracing.
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No SNAT: enables client source IP preservation.
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Stronger security with advanced internal traffic policy.
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More reliable and consistent load balancing.
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Improved routing and topology awareness.
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Efficient return traffic handling with DSR.
Are you interested in contributing to this feature?
Unfortunately no :(