Proxy (API Routing)

An API proxy, specifically NGINX, runs as a ReplicaSet. It can operate with a single instance in All-in-One deployments or scale with multiple instances in an HA deployment. The proxy uses a ConfigMap to store the nginx.conf and a Secret to provide and manage TLS certificates.

Important to know is that if services are exposed through Ingress, the NGINX Proxy will not be utilized. It happens because the Ingress controller in Kubernetes, often NGINX-based, handles the required tasks such as load balancing and SSL termination. So in such a case, all the functionality of an API Routing Proxy will be handed over to Ingress.