AWS Ingress - Kong or ALB ?

In the Kubernetes context, Kong is an open-source API gateway and microservices management layer designed to provide advanced features like API routing, load balancing, authentication, rate limiting, and observability. It acts as an ingress controller, seamlessly integrating with Kubernetes services to dynamically discover and manage APIs, while leveraging the native Kubernetes DNS for service discovery and automatic scaling, thereby enhancing the security, performance, and manageability of microservices running in a Kubernetes cluster.

Why Use Kong?

1. Advanced API Management

Kong provides robust API management features that go beyond basic load balancing. It offers:

- API Gateway Capabilities: Centralized management of APIs, including routing, rate limiting, request transformation, and more.

- Plugins and Extensibility: A rich ecosystem of plugins for security (authentication, authorization), logging, monitoring, and more.

2. Service Discovery and Load Balancing

Kong can automatically discover services and load balance traffic among them, which simplifies microservices management and improves resilience.

3. Security Features

Kong offers built-in security features, such as:

- Rate Limiting: Protects services from being overwhelmed by too many requests.

- Authentication and Authorization: Supports multiple authentication methods (e.g., OAuth2, JWT) and fine-grained access control.

4. Observability and Monitoring

Kong provides tools for monitoring and logging API traffic, making it easier to gain insights into API performance and troubleshoot issues.

5. Flexibility and Scalability

Kong can be deployed in various configurations to suit different environments, from single instances to highly available, scalable clusters.

Kong vs. ALB

While ALB (Application Load Balancer) is a powerful tool within the AWS ecosystem, it has limitations compared to Kong:

Use Cases for ALB:

- Basic Load Balancing: ALB efficiently distributes incoming application traffic across multiple targets (e.g., EC2 instances, containers).

- SSL Termination: Offloads SSL/TLS encryption from backend services.

- WebSocket Support: ALB supports WebSocket and HTTP/2, making it suitable for real-time applications.

Limitations of ALB:

- Limited API Management: ALB lacks advanced API management features like request transformation, rate limiting, and detailed access control.

- Plugin Ecosystem: ALB does not have an extensible plugin system like Kong.

- Granular Security Policies: While ALB supports some security features, it lacks the granularity and flexibility offered by Kong.

Kong and ALB Together

In many cases, Kong and ALB can be used together to leverage the strengths of both:

- ALB as Frontend Load Balancer: ALB can handle initial traffic routing, SSL termination, and basic load balancing.

- Kong as API Gateway: Kong can manage API-specific features, including advanced routing, security, and observability.

This combination allows you to:

- Optimize Performance: Use ALB for high-throughput, low-latency traffic distribution and Kong for API-specific management.

- Enhance Security: Leverage ALB for SSL termination and Kong for detailed access control and rate limiting.

- Improve Flexibility: Utilize Kong’s plugin ecosystem to extend functionality as needed without being restricted by ALB’s capabilities.

Why People Use Kong

1. Microservices Architecture

Kong is particularly popular in microservices environments due to its ability to manage complex API interactions, service discovery, and load balancing.

2. Cloud-Native Applications

Kong’s flexibility and scalability make it well-suited for cloud-native applications that require dynamic configuration and high availability.

3. Developer Efficiency

Kong’s API-first design and extensive plugin system enable developers to quickly implement and manage APIs without writing custom code for common requirements.

4. Ecosystem and Community

Kong has a strong community and a rich ecosystem of plugins and integrations, making it a preferred choice for many organizations.

How are they using it ?

Here are three real-world use cases of organizations using Kong API Gateway, along with links to

Case Study: Mercedes-Benz Connectivity Services

Challenge: Mercedes-Benz Connectivity Services needed an efficient way to manage and secure the API traffic for their data-driven solutions, such as intelligent fleet management and vehicle connectivity services.

Solution: They implemented Kong Gateway to optimize digital interactions by managing API traffic and ensuring high performance and reliability. Kong Gateway provided seamless integration of vehicle data into third-party applications, simplifying routing and increasing efficiency.

Results: The integration with Kong Gateway enhanced customer experiences and operational efficiency, supporting the innovative solutions offered by Mercedes-Benz Connectivity Services.

[Read the full case study](https://konghq.com/resources/case-study/mercedes-benz-connectivity-services-uses-kong-gateway)

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Case Study: ANZ Unlocks Open Banking with Kong Konnect

Challenge: ANZ sought to comply with open banking regulations and provide a seamless, secure way to manage API traffic for their banking services.

Solution: They adopted Kong Konnect to streamline API management and ensure secure, compliant data exchange. Kong Konnect provided the necessary infrastructure to support open banking initiatives, facilitating efficient API traffic handling and security.

Results: ANZ successfully unlocked open banking capabilities, enhancing their digital services while maintaining compliance and security.

[Read the full case study](https://konghq.com/resources/case-study/anz-unlocks-open-banking-with-kong-konnect)

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Case Study: GCash

Challenge: GCash needed to handle the rapid growth and increased transaction volume of their mobile wallet services efficiently and securely.

Solution: They implemented Kong Gateway to manage API traffic and ensure high performance. Kong Gateway provided robust security features and scalable infrastructure, enabling GCash to handle large volumes of transactions seamlessly.

Results: The integration with Kong Gateway allowed GCash to maintain reliable and secure services, supporting their rapid growth and enhancing user experience.

[Read the full case study](https://konghq.com/resources/case-study/gcash)

Conclusion

Using Kong in conjunction with AWS EKS provides a powerful combination of advanced API management, security, observability, and scalability. While ALB handles basic load balancing and traffic distribution, Kong offers the flexibility and advanced features necessary for managing modern, microservices-based applications. This makes it a valuable addition to any EKS deployment, enhancing the overall architecture and improving the developer experience.