Kubernetes is the container orchestration platform of choice for the majority of enterprises building cloud native applications. But their development teams have been hindered by the need to manually configure traditional API management solutions that offer suboptimal performance, scalability and resilience within a Kubernetes environment. WSO2 is addressing this challenge with today's introduction of WSO2 API Platform for Kubernetes (WSO2 APK.)

WSO2 APK is a comprehensive API management solution that has been purposefully engineered from the ground up to leverage the inherent strengths of Kubernetes. The fully open-source platform adheres to the Kubernetes Gateway API specification, and it seamlessly integrates with Kubernetes' robust features, including container orchestration, namespaces for organizing clusters, scalability, and service discovery, among others. As a result, enterprises using WSO2 APK can optimize their API management practices and workflows while accelerating the delivery of solutions within their Kubernetes environments.

Additionally, WSO2 APK is based on a microservice architecture, which supports customization and scaling without affecting the system as a whole. A cloud native solution with a fast boot up and very low resource consumption, WSO2 APK also effortlessly scales to accommodate demanding requirements, even in scenarios with substantial numbers of APIs, empowering organizations to effectively handle diverse and extensive API ecosystems.

The Data Plane of WSO2 APK, featuring the API Gateway, is generally available today. This enables organizations to deliver core API management capabilities in a Kubernetes workflow, configure the runtime aspects of APIs, discover Kubernetes services, and convert them into APIs. The next release, scheduled for Q1 2024, will deliver a seamless user interface (UI) experience for API design and publishing, as well as enhanced administration and governance.

"For more than a decade, WSO2 has been delivering industry-first API management solutions to address development teams' evolving needs. WSO2 APK builds on this commitment by providing a comprehensive API management platform designed specifically to utilize and integrate with the Kubernetes capabilities developers rely on for their modern, cloud native applications," said Chris Davey, WSO2 vice president and general manager - API & integration software business unit. "We believe that WSO2 APK will drive innovation, enable faster development, and unlock new possibilities for organizations looking to harness the full potential of their APIs within Kubernetes deployments."

WSO2 APK Data Plane Featuring the API Gateway
The WSO2 APK Data Plane features the API Gateway, which adheres to the Kubernetes Gateway API and uses the Envoy Gateway, a widely adopted implementation of the Gateway API specification. Envoy is an open-source, high-performance edge and service proxy designed for cloud native environments. WSO2 APK enhances Envoy's advanced features to deliver load balancing, service discovery, rate limiting, observability and more. WSO2 APK also extends Kubernetes abstractions, offering well-designed custom resources for APIs, applications and policies, enabling developers experienced in working with custom resource definitions to easily leverage API management capabilities within a Kubernetes environment.

The WSO2 APK API Gateway is built to manage high-volume, real-time data processing, acting as a policy enforcement point for incoming API traffic and the application of quality of service (QoS) features, including security via authentication and authorization, rate limiting, message transformation, and request routing. Key features of the WSO2 APK API Gateway include:

• Auto-scaling. The WSO2 APK API Gateway harnesses Kubernetes standards and advanced mechanisms for automatic scaling, adjusting gateway capacity based on dynamic factors like CPU utilization, memory usage, and custom-defined metrics. This ensures optimal resource allocation for varying loads and performance demands.
• Enhanced security. Robust security features built into the WSO2 APK Gateway ensure the protection of both the system and APIs within the Kubernetes ecosystem. WSO2 APK also supports the extension of security capabilities through the integration of third-party identity providers like the market-leading WSO2 Identity server. This flexibility enables organizations to meet complex deployment requirements and seamlessly integrate their existing security infrastructure.
• Advanced rate limiting. The WSO2 APK API Gateway provides advanced policy management capabilities to enable efficient rate limiting of APIs. By empowering users with complete control to enforce appropriate limits on client requests, it enables enterprises to effectively manage and regulate the flow of API traffic and contain costs while ensuring the availability, reliability and security of APIs.

Availability and Support
The WSO2 APK Data Plane featuring the API Gateway is available today as an open-source product released under the Apache License 2.0.