ingress-nginx
Ingress NGINX Controller for Kubernetes
A Kubernetes tool that routes web traffic to your services using NGINX. Now retired, existing deployments still work but new projects should use Gateway API instead.
The Ingress NGINX Controller was a tool for Kubernetes — a platform for running and managing containerized applications — that handled routing web traffic into those applications. When you run multiple web services inside a Kubernetes cluster, you need something to act as a "front door" that receives requests from the internet and directs them to the right service. This controller used NGINX, a widely-used web server and reverse proxy, to do exactly that: it watched for routing rules defined in your Kubernetes configuration and automatically kept NGINX in sync with those rules.
Important note: this project is now retired. Active development has stopped, and after March 2026 there will be no more releases, bug fixes, or security patches. Anyone not already using it is advised to use a Gateway API implementation instead. Existing deployments will continue to work, and existing Helm charts and container images remain available.
If you were maintaining a Kubernetes cluster and needed web traffic routed to your services, this was the standard tool. The tech stack is Go, NGINX, Kubernetes, and it was deployable via Helm charts.
Where it fits
- Route incoming web traffic to the correct service in your Kubernetes cluster.
- Automatically update NGINX configuration when you change routing rules in Kubernetes.
- Load balance requests across multiple instances of your services.
- Manage SSL/TLS certificates and HTTPS routing for services running in Kubernetes.