proxy

Creates a proxy server between localhost and the Kubernetes API Server.

Creates a proxy server or application-level gateway between localhost and the Kubernetes API Server. It also allows serving static content over specified HTTP path. All incoming data enters through one port and gets forwarded to the remote kubernetes API Server port, except for the path matching the static content path.

Not all Services running a Kubernetes cluster are exposed externally. However Services only exposed internally to a cluster with a clusterIp are accessible through an apiserver proxy.

Users may use Proxy to connect to Kubernetes Services in a cluster that are not externally exposed.

Note: Services running a type LoadBalancer or type NodePort may be exposed externally and accessed without the need for a Proxy.

Command

  1. $ kubectl proxy [--port=PORT] [--www=static-dir] [--www-prefix=prefix] [--api-prefix=prefix]

Connecting to an internal Service

Connect to a internal Service using the Proxy command, and the Service Proxy url.

To visit the nginx service go to the Proxy URL at http://127.0.0.1:8001/api/v1/namespaces/default/services/nginx/proxy/

  1. kubectl proxy
  3. Starting to serve on 127.0.0.1:8001
  1. curl http://127.0.0.1:8001/api/v1/namespaces/default/services/nginx/proxy/

Literal Syntax

To connect to a Service through a proxy the user must build the Proxy URL. The Proxy URL format is:

http://<apiserver-address>/api/v1/namespaces/<service-namespace>/services/[https:]<service-name>[:<port-name>]/proxy

  • The apiserver-address should be the URL printed by the Proxy command
  • The Port is optional if you haven’t specified a name for your port
  • The Protocol is optional if you are using http

Builtin Cluster Services

A common usecase is to connect to Services running as part of the cluster itself. A user can print out these Services and their Proxy Urls with kubectl cluster-info.

  1. kubectl cluster-info
  3. Kubernetes master is running at https://104.197.5.247
  4. GLBCDefaultBackend is running at https://104.197.5.247/api/v1/namespaces/kube-system/services/default-http-backend:http/proxy
  5. Heapster is running at https://104.197.5.247/api/v1/namespaces/kube-system/services/heapster/proxy
  6. KubeDNS is running at https://104.197.5.247/api/v1/namespaces/kube-system/services/kube-dns:dns/proxy
  7. Metrics-server is running at https://104.197.5.247/api/v1/namespaces/kube-system/services/https:metrics-server:/proxy

More Info

For more information on connecting to a cluster, see Accessing Clusters.