inboryn

Posted on Nov 30

NGINX Ingress Retiring by March 2026: Complete Migration to Gateway API

#kubernetes #apigateway #devops #nginx

In a significant shift for the Kubernetes ecosystem, the NGINX Ingress Controller is officially retiring. As announced by Kubernetes SIG Network in November 2025, best-effort maintenance continues only until March 2026. After that deadline, there will be no further releases, bug fixes, or security patches.

This is a critical migration window for organizations running NGINX Ingress in production.

Why Is NGINX Ingress Being Deprecated?

The deprecation stems from several critical concerns:

Security Vulnerabilities - Annotation-based configuration in NGINX Ingress opens significant attack vectors for malicious actors
Not Kubernetes-Native - NGINX configuration reloads cause service interruptions and downtime. Modern proxies like Envoy perform hot reloads with zero downtime
Maintenance Burden - Community maintainers have struggled to keep up with security patches while maintaining backward compatibility
Evolution - Kubernetes networking has evolved beyond the limitations of the legacy Ingress resource model

Introducing Kubernetes Gateway API

Gateway API is the modern replacement for Ingress, offering a robust, extensible, and standardized approach to managing ingress traffic.

Key Advantages Over Ingress

Feature	Ingress	Gateway API
Protocol Support	HTTP/HTTPS only	TCP, UDP, HTTP, gRPC, WebSocket
Resource Model	Single resource, limited expressiveness	Multiple resources (Gateway, Route) with role-based separation
Traffic Routing	Basic path/host-based	Advanced: headers, query params, traffic splitting, mirroring
Security	Limited namespace isolation	Built-in RBAC, ReferenceGrant for secure cross-namespace routing
Extensibility	Vendor-specific annotations	Standardized, consistent across implementations

Gateway API Core Components

GatewayClass - Defines a set of gateways with common configuration
Gateway - Represents the actual load balancer configuration
HTTPRoute - Defines HTTP-specific routing rules
TLSRoute & TCPRoute - Enable advanced non-HTTP routing
ReferenceGrant - Provides secure cross-namespace references

Migration Timeline

November 2025 - Deprecation announcement
March 2026 - End of support
Post-March 2026 - No security updates or bug fixes

Organizations using NGINX Ingress should prioritize migration immediately.

Step-by-Step Migration Guide

1. Assess Your Current Configuration

Document all custom annotations, TLS configurations, and routing rules:

kubectl get ingress --all-namespaces
kubectl get ingressclass

2. Install Gateway API CRDs

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api/releases/download/v1.0.0/standard-install.yaml

3. Choose a Gateway Controller

Popular options:

NGINX Gateway Fabric - Official NGINX implementation
Istio Gateway - Service mesh with Gateway API support
Kong Gateway - Enterprise-grade API gateway
Envoy Gateway - CNCF project based on Envoy proxy

4. Create Gateway Resources

Old Ingress:

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: example-ingress
spec:
  rules:
  - host: example.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: web-service
            port:
              number: 80

New Gateway API:

apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: HTTPRoute
metadata:
  name: example-route
spec:
  parentRefs:
  - name: example-gateway
  hostnames:
  - "example.com"
  rules:
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /
    backendRefs:
    - name: web-service
      port: 80

5. Test in Parallel

Run both configurations concurrently to validate behavior before cutover. Monitor traffic patterns, latency, and error rates.

6. Complete the Migration

Switch DNS or load balancer to Gateway resources
Monitor for 24-48 hours
Decommission old Ingress resources
Uninstall NGINX Ingress Controller

Best Practices for Smooth Transition

✅ Start Small - Begin with non-production environments
✅ Document Everything - Maintain detailed migration mappings
✅ Leverage Automation - Use tools like ingress2gateway
✅ Gradual Rollout - Use traffic splitting to shift gradually
✅ Monitor Comprehensively - Set up detailed alerts
✅ Plan for Rollback - Maintain ability to revert quickly

Conclusion: The Future is Gateway API

The March 2026 deadline marks a significant milestone in Kubernetes networking evolution. While migration requires effort, the benefits are substantial:

Enhanced Security - Built-in RBAC and policy controls
Greater Flexibility - Support for multiple protocols and advanced routing
Better Performance - Optimized traffic management
Future-Proof - Standardized API that won't lock you into vendor-specific implementations

Start your migration planning today to ensure a smooth transition without service disruptions. Organizations that begin early will have time to test thoroughly, train teams, and leverage the full capabilities of Gateway API.

The Kubernetes ecosystem is moving forward. Gateway API represents the modern, production-ready standard for managing ingress traffic. Embrace this change as an opportunity to modernize your infrastructure.

Have you started your migration to Gateway API? Share your experiences and challenges in the comments below!

DEV Community