Kubernetes Networking & Service Mesh
Designing Secure, Scalable, and Observable Network Architectures for Cloud-Native Systems
What's Included:
Key Highlights
- Deep dive into Kubernetes networking architecture
- CNI plugin comparison and configuration strategies
- Kubernetes Services and ingress configuration
- Network policies and zero-trust implementation
- Load balancing and service discovery explained clearly
- Service mesh fundamentals and architecture
- mTLS, authorization, and secure service communication
- Observability and traffic monitoring techniques
- Production performance tuning and scaling guidance
- Cheat sheets, templates, and troubleshooting checklists
Overview
Master Kubernetes networking, CNI, Services, Ingress, Network Policies, and Service Mesh. Design secure, scalable, and observable cloud-native architectures in production.
The Problem
Kubernetes simplifies workload orchestration, but networking complexity often becomes the hidden bottleneck in production environments. Teams frequently deploy workloads successfully—only to struggle with traffic routing, policy enforcement, ingress configuration, and service mesh integration.
Common challenges include:
- Misunderstanding the Kubernetes networking model
- CNI plugin confusion and configuration errors
- Unsecured pod-to-pod communication
- Overly permissive network policies
- Lack of observability into service-to-service traffic
- Performance issues introduced by service mesh layers
Without strong networking foundations, Kubernetes clusters remain fragile and difficult to scale securely.
The Solution
Kubernetes Networking & Service Mesh provides a structured path from foundational networking concepts to advanced, production-grade architectures.
You will learn how to:
- Design clear pod and service communication models
- Select and configure CNI plugins effectively
- Implement ingress and load balancing strategies
- Apply network policies for secure microservices
- Deploy and manage a service mesh confidently
- Enable observability and secure service-to-service communication
- Tune performance and scale networking infrastructure
The result: Kubernetes environments that are secure, observable, and resilient under production load.
About This Book
Kubernetes Networking & Service Mesh is a deep, production-focused guide to designing secure, scalable, and observable network architectures for cloud-native systems.
Kubernetes has revolutionized container orchestration—but networking remains one of its most complex and misunderstood domains. Pods must communicate. Services must be discoverable. Traffic must be secured, routed, load-balanced, and observed. When networking fails, everything fails.
This book provides the focused, practical treatment Kubernetes networking deserves.
Understand the Core Kubernetes Networking Model
You will build strong mental models around:
- Pod-to-pod communication
- Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins
- Kubernetes Services and endpoint abstraction
- Ingress controllers and external traffic routing
Secure and Control Traffic
Security and reliability are central themes throughout the book. You’ll learn how to:
- Implement network policies for zero-trust clusters
- Secure pod communication with encryption
- Design effective load balancing strategies
- Understand DNS and service discovery internals
Master Service Mesh Architecture
Service mesh technology transforms how microservices communicate. This book explains:
- Traffic routing and resilience patterns
- Mutual TLS (mTLS) and secure identity
- Authorization policies and access control
- Observability and distributed tracing
Production-Ready Design
Beyond theory, you’ll explore real-world production challenges including performance tuning, scaling considerations, and operational best practices for service mesh deployments.
This book turns Kubernetes networking from a source of confusion into a strategic advantage.
Who Is This Book For?
- Platform engineers managing Kubernetes clusters
- DevOps and SRE professionals responsible for cluster reliability
- Cloud architects designing microservices infrastructure
- Networking engineers transitioning into cloud-native systems
- Developers troubleshooting service-to-service communication
Who Is This Book NOT For?
- Readers looking for a beginner introduction to Kubernetes basics
- Developers focused solely on application-layer coding
- Teams not using containerized or cloud-native environments
- Readers seeking general networking theory unrelated to Kubernetes
Table of Contents
- Kubernetes Networking Model Explained
- Container Network Interfaces (CNI)
- Kubernetes Services Deep Dive
- Ingress and External Traffic
- Network Policies
- Securing Pod Communication
- Load Balancing Strategies
- DNS and Service Discovery
- What Is a Service Mesh?
- Traffic Management with Service Mesh
- Mutual TLS (mTLS)
- Authorization and Policy Enforcement
- Monitoring Service Mesh Traffic
- Performance Tuning and Scaling
- Service Mesh in Production
- From Networking Engineer to Cloud-Native Architect
- Appendix: Kubernetes Networking Cheat Sheet
- Appendix: Network Policy Templates
- Appendix: Service Mesh Configuration Examples
- Appendix: Troubleshooting Checklist
- Appendix: Cloud-Native Networking Roadmap
Requirements
- Basic understanding of Kubernetes fundamentals
- Familiarity with containers and microservices concepts
- Working knowledge of networking fundamentals (IP, DNS, routing)
- Access to a Kubernetes cluster for hands-on practice (recommended)
