• k8s
• IngressGateway
• Kong

k8s/IngressGateway/Kong

• Links https://cloud.konghq.com/au/welcome https://education.konghq.com/learner-dashboard

Kong Study Path

• Recommended Study Path
  • Complete the Kong Gateway Foundations (KGAC-101) course.

    • https://konghq.com/blog/product-releases/kong-certification

    • https://education.konghq.com/catalog/courses/3188533 - Login training email

  • Finish the Kong Gateway Operations (KGAC-201) course
  • Practice hands-on tasks using the optional Kong Academy Learning Labs.
• Exam

  • https://app.trueability.com/ $275 (2026)

Overview

• Kong manages API's providing enterprise features
• Multiple k8s integration options
  • Ingress
  • Standalone deployment/service

  • Operator Kong - use CRD's, Auto upgrade and scale - https://developer.konghq.com/operator/

• k8s state for kong - could be k8s configs or PostgeSQL db driven config
  • DB-less mode preferred for simplicity - no dynamic updates
• k8s install - helm charts
• Authorize API clients - OpenID Connect with your IdP

Test config choices

• AutoReahableServices - use MeshTrafficPermissions

• Delta XDS - reduce traffic between CP and DP
• Unified resource naming (experimental)

• Setup helm

  kubectl create namespace kong-mesh-system
  helm repo add kong-mesh https://kong.github.io/kong-mesh-charts
  helm repo update

• kong operator

  • https://developer.konghq.com/operator/get-started/gateway-api/install/

  • Can use k8s certmanager

Cost 2026

• Mesh $4k/m /zone ?
  • Zones define network boundaries (e.g. clusters, VPC's) and connect to global control plane