Thought Leadership
The Hamburg-based container expert Kubermatic has announced the release of KubeLB v1.1. Kubermatic first presented KubeLB (Kubernetes Load Balancer), a tool developed natively for Kubernetes for central load balancer management in multi-cloud and on-premises environments, back in the spring.
Since then, KubeLB has been solving common challenges in load balancing in Kubernetes clusters.
Kubermatic’s goal with KubeLB is to offer a robust load balancing solution tailored to cloud-native environments. In v1.1, the developers have made many improvements to meet the needs of users in different scenarios – from simple ingress management to complex enterprise-level requirements. Regardless of whether users opt for the Community Edition or the Enterprise Edition, this version offers a range of improvements.
Upgrades for users of the Community Edition (CE)
Ingress and Layer 7 load balancing
A new feature in this version is the support of Layer 7 load balancing. KubeLB now fully supports ingress and gateway API resources, allowing it to act as both an ingress controller and a gateway API controller. This enhancement means that KubeLB can efficiently manage HTTPRoute, GRPCRoute and other similar resources, providing granular control over traffic routing and application delivery.
Automated tenant registration
KubeLB v1.1 introduces automated tenant registration and replaces the older method of namespace resources with an optimized tenant resource. This automation ensures that all necessary configurations, such as namespace creation and RBAC setup, are handled seamlessly, giving users more time for more important tasks.
Gateway API v1 support
With this release, KubeLB now fully supports Gateway API v1, providing a standardized and flexible approach to managing traffic in distributed environments. This feature is particularly beneficial for users who want to deploy advanced routing capabilities within Kubernetes.
Bring Your Own Secrets
Security and flexibility are at the forefront of this version. The new SyncSecrets API allows users to synchronize secrets from Tenant clusters with the load balancer cluster. This feature ensures that sensitive data is managed securely and is only accessible where it is needed.
Powerful extensions for the Enterprise Edition (EE)
The Enterprise Edition of KubeLB builds on the foundation of the Community Edition and adds advanced features tailored to larger, more complex environments.
Automated DNS management
KubeLB EE now includes automated DNS management, simplifying the process of domain management across all tenants/tenants. Admins can configure the allowed domains per tenant and KubeLB will automatically take over the creation of DNS records to ensure that all routing is correctly configured and maintained.
TLS termination and certificate management
Security is of paramount importance in any corporate environment. With the introduction of automatic certificate management, KubeLB EE ensures that all traffic is encrypted and secure. Administrators can configure domain-specific certificate settings and KubeLB manages the issuance and renewal of certificates, minimizing the risk of expired certificates and ensuring uninterrupted service.
Support for multiple gateways
In contrast to the Community Edition, where clients are limited to a single gateway, the Enterprise Edition allows the configuration of multiple gateways per client. This function offers more flexibility and redundancy and ensures that data traffic can be routed efficiently even in complex network topologies.
Limits for gateways and load balancers
In large environments, resource management is crucial. KubeLB EE now offers fine-grained control over the number of gateways and load balancers per tenant and over the entire management cluster. This ensures that resources are used efficiently and that no single tenant can monopolize system capacity.
Support for Gateway API Alpha/Beta functions
KubeLB EE supports alpha and beta features of the Gateway API, such as TLSRoute, TCPRoute and UDPRoute, for users who want to experiment with the latest traffic management technology. This allows early adopters to test and implement innovative features in a controlled environment.
Optimal load balancing solution for Kubernetes environments
KubeLB v1.1 is an important milestone in providing the optimal load balancing solution for Kubernetes environments. With enhanced features such as Layer 7 load balancing, automated tenant management and advanced enterprise capabilities, this release will make cloud-native operations more efficient, secure and scalable.
Kubermatic recommends all users to upgrade to v1.1 and explore the new capabilities of KubeLB. A detailed list of changes and the download of the latest version is available in the GitHub repository.
(pd/Kubermatic)
