Use the Istio module to manage and configure the Istio service mesh.
Istio is an open-source service mesh that provides a uniform way to manage, connect, and secure microservices. It helps to manage traffic, enhance security capabilities, and provide telemetry data for understanding service behavior. See the open-source Istio documentation.
The Istio module installs and manages Istio in your Kyma cluster. By default, the Istio module is added when you create a Kyma runtime instance.
The latest release includes the following versions of Istio and Envoy:
Istio version: 1.23.2
Envoy version: 1.31.2
The Istio module offers the following features:
- Management of Istio installation and upgrades: The module installs Istio and simplifies the process of managing its installation, reducing the complexity and time required for maintenance.
- Default Istio configuration: You can quickly have Istio installed with default settings.
- Fine-tuning capabilities: You can optimize Istio and fine-tune its settings according to specific performance or operational requirements.
- Synchronization of the data plane with the Istio control plane: This ensures that changes you make to the control plane are consistently reflected in the data plane, ensuring that the network operates consistently and reliably without any discrepancies.
- Support for the X-Forwarded-For (XFF) header: You can configure the XFF header to manage and track the source of incoming requests.
Within the Istio module, Istio Operator handles the management and configuration of the Istio service mesh. It contains one controller, referred to as Istio Controller.
Istio Controller manages Istio and its resources as defined in the Istio custom resource (CR). Istio Controller is responsible for:
- Installing, upgrading, and uninstalling Istio
- Restarting workloads that have Istio sidecar proxy injected to ensure that these workloads are using the correct version of Istio
The istios.operator.kyma-project.io
CustomResourceDefinition (CRD) describes the Istio CR that Istio Controller uses to manage the installation of Istio. See Istio Custom Resource.
To learn more about the resources used by the Istio module, see Kyma's Modules Sizing.