AI ERP with agents inside the systems you run
AI phone and voice agents for real calls
LLM.coPrivate, self-hosted LLM deployments
Legal AI infrastructure for firms
AI RFP discovery and response drafting
Automatic.coBusiness process automation
CyberAttack.aiThreat detection and defense
Secure AI virtual data roomsapisix-ingress-controller
APISIX Ingress Controller is a Kubernetes-native ingress controller that manages the APISIX API Gateway using Kubernetes resources and Gateway API standards. It automates traffic routing and gateway configuration for inbound cluster traffic.
Key facts
Objective fields from the source. Values we can't verify are shown as “Unknown” rather than guessed.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Repository | apache/apisix-ingress-controller |
| Owner | apache |
| Primary language | Go |
| License | Apache-2.0 — OSI-approved |
| Stars | 1.1k |
| Forks | 384 |
| Open issues | 51 |
| Latest release | 2.1.0 (2026-06-01) |
| Last updated | 2026-07-08 |
| Source | https://github.com/apache/apisix-ingress-controller |
What apisix-ingress-controller is
Written in Go, this controller bridges Kubernetes Ingress/Gateway API resources to APISIX, dynamically provisioning and managing API gateway behavior via CRDs. It requires Kubernetes 1.26+, Go 1.22+, and integrates with the APISIX data plane to enforce policies and routing rules.
Get the apisix-ingress-controller source
Clone the repository and explore it locally.
git clone https://github.com/apache/apisix-ingress-controller.gitcd apisix-ingress-controller# follow the project's README for install & configurationNeed it deployed, integrated, or customized instead? DEV.co ships production installs.
Best use cases
Implementation considerations
- Requires Go 1.22+ and Docker 17.03+ for building; pre-built images available via Apache registry.
- Demands Kubernetes cluster-admin or RBAC privileges for CRD installation and controller deployment.
- Must integrate with an operational APISIX data plane; the controller manages configuration but does not include the gateway itself.
- Deployment uses Kustomize-generated manifests; plan for staging/testing before production rollout.
- Monitor 51 open issues and latest release cadence (v2.1.0 released June 2026) to assess fit for your stability requirements.
When to avoid it — and what to weigh
- Kubernetes version < 1.26 — The controller explicitly requires Kubernetes 1.26 or later; older clusters are not supported.
- Lightweight ingress only — If you need minimal overhead and do not require APISIX's advanced features (rate limiting, authentication, plugin ecosystem), simpler ingress controllers may be more efficient.
- No APISIX ecosystem dependency — If your organization has no investment in APISIX plugins or lacks expertise in the APISIX project, the learning curve and maintenance burden may outweigh the benefits.
- Non-Kubernetes environments — This is Kubernetes-specific; traditional or non-containerized deployments will not benefit from this controller.
License & commercial use
Licensed under Apache License 2.0 (SPDX: Apache-2.0), a permissive OSI-approved license.
Apache-2.0 is a permissive open-source license that allows commercial use, modification, and distribution with attribution. No commercial restrictions are evident in the license terms. Consult with legal counsel if deploying at enterprise scale to ensure internal IP and compliance policies align.
DEV.co evaluation signals
Editorial assessment — not user reviews. Directional, with an explicit confidence level.
| Signal | Assessment |
|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active |
| Documentation | Adequate |
| License clarity | Clear |
| Deployment complexity | Moderate |
| DEV.co fit | Good |
| Assessment confidence | High |
No specific security posture data provided. As a Kubernetes controller with cluster-admin privilege requirements, validate RBAC policies, pod security standards, and network policies. Review APISIX security advisories and controller release notes for vulnerability patches. Consider secrets management for APISIX credentials and TLS certificates.
Alternatives to consider
NGINX Ingress Controller
Simpler, lighter-weight alternative with broader ecosystem support; lacks APISIX's advanced plugin ecosystem and dynamic reload features.
Istio ServiceMesh
Full service mesh with traffic management, security policies, and observability; higher operational complexity and resource overhead than an ingress controller.
Kong Ingress Controller
Similar API gateway + controller model; different plugin ecosystem and operator maturity; evaluate based on your specific plugins and support requirements.
Build on apisix-ingress-controller with DEV.co software developers
Evaluate this ingress controller for your Kubernetes API gateway needs. Review the prerequisites, assess integration with your APISIX setup, and test in a staging environment before production rollout.
Talk to DEV.coRelated open-source tools
Surfaced by semantic similarity across the DEV.co open-source index.
Related on DEV.co
Explore the category and the services that help you build with it.
apisix-ingress-controller FAQ
Do I need an existing APISIX deployment before using this controller?
Can I migrate from standard Kubernetes Ingress to APISIX Ingress Controller?
What are the resource and scaling limits?
Is commercial support available?
Senior engineers for your next build
Our engineers ship open-source devops software for a living. DEV.co provides software development services, web development services, and ongoing support for teams standardizing on tools like apisix-ingress-controller.
Ready to deploy APISIX on Kubernetes?
Evaluate this ingress controller for your Kubernetes API gateway needs. Review the prerequisites, assess integration with your APISIX setup, and test in a staging environment before production rollout.