Cilium Traffic Optimization

Cilium introduced support for Local Redirect Policies in version 1.11, providing a powerful mechanism to control traffic routing within your Kubernetes cluster. Since then, additional improvements have expanded the possibilities for topology-aware load balancing and node-local optimizations.

In this lab, using a Star Wars-inspired theme based on the iconic “These are not the droids you’re looking for” scene, you’ll explore how these features can enhance service performance and reduce latency.

You’ll start by deploying a sample application, then progress through hands-on exercises that demonstrate the use of Kubernetes’ new trafficDistribution feature and Cilium’s Local Redirect Policies to redirect traffic locally within nodes. Finally, you’ll implement a local DNS cache on each node to improve DNS resolution times.

By the end of this lab, you’ll have a practical understanding of how to use these advanced traffic management features to optimize the flow of traffic across your cluster.