kubernetes-sigs / kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api

Per-backend Mutual TLS to the backend

Open
#4,192 9 comments 3 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
kind/feature
Dominant language
Go
Stars
3k
Forks
789
Avg merge
2d 15h
Merged PRs (30d)
45

Description

**What would you like to be added**:

A way to configure mTLS, from gateway to backend, on a per-backend basis.

**Why this is needed**:

Today, we have this on Gateway. This does not align with how any users _of projects I am involved in_ want to use mTLS. Rather, they have per-backend mTLS key/certs. (A gateway-level policy would be more like what mesh mTLS solves, which users solve with a mesh that is orthogonal to the Gateway).

For example, they have credentials to access some external database, etc.

I would like a way to do mTLS on a per-Backend basis. Presumably this would be set in BackendTLSPolicy.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start by reading the existing Gateway-level mTLS behavior and the BackendTLSPolicy API, which the issue identifies as the likely configuration point. Trace how backend TLS credentials are represented and applied, then define and validate a per-backend configuration that supports distinct certificates and keys for each backend.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
go
Domain
backend-api-design, networking
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
45/100

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