Enabling External Access to Kubernetes Pods via Network Policies

ALLOW traffic from external clients

1. Why We Need This Use Case

This use case is crucial for services that require direct access from the public Internet, such as front-end web servers, APIs, or other applications that serve external traffic. Implementing a Network Policy that explicitly allows external access ensures that services can be securely exposed to the Internet while maintaining the restrictive default settings that block non-whitelisted traffic.

2. When We Need This Use Case

• Public Services Exposure: When applications within a Kubernetes cluster need to be accessible over the Internet, such as e-commerce websites or public APIs.

• Hybrid Cloud Deployments: In scenarios where applications are part of a hybrid cloud setup and need to communicate with external systems outside of the cluster.

• Testing and Validation: During phases where external testing teams need access to applications running within a cluster from various geographic locations.

• Load Balancer Integration: When services deployed within Kubernetes are scaled and managed through external load balancers.

3. Prerequisites for the Lab