AWS App Mesh
Managed service mesh that simplifies monitoring and controlling inter-service communication in microservices
Linkerd
Lightweight, security-first service mesh for Kubernetes workloads
Linkerd provides an ultralight, security-first service mesh that adds observability, reliability, and zero-code-change security to any modern Kubernetes cluster in production.
Overview
Overview
Linkerd is a lightweight, security‑first service mesh designed for Kubernetes. It injects a tiny sidecar proxy into each pod, automatically enabling mutual TLS, detailed metrics, and tracing without requiring any changes to application code.
Who Should Use It
Ideal for developers, DevOps teams, and enterprises that need strong security and observability while keeping resource overhead low. Installation is a single command on any modern Kubernetes cluster, and the mesh integrates natively with the Kubernetes API, making it a natural fit for cloud‑native environments.
Capabilities & Deployment
Linkerd delivers built‑in observability (metrics, distributed tracing, tap), automatic certificate management, and simple traffic splitting for canary releases. The data‑plane proxy, written in Rust, ensures minimal latency. Deployments are managed via the Linkerd CLI and Helm charts, with a lightweight web dashboard for real‑time monitoring.
Highlights
Security-first design with automatic mutual TLS
Ultra-light data-plane proxy written in Rust
Built-in observability (metrics, tracing, tap)
Zero-code-change installation on any Kubernetes cluster
Pros
- Minimal resource overhead
- Strong security defaults
- Native Kubernetes integration
- Active CNCF governance
Considerations
- Limited advanced traffic routing compared to some meshes
- Requires Kubernetes cluster (no VM support)
- Rust proxy may have fewer community plugins
- Steeper learning curve for mesh concepts
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider Linkerd, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.
Fit guide
Great for
- Teams seeking a lightweight, secure service mesh for Kubernetes
- Organizations prioritizing zero-code-change adoption
- Enterprises needing built-in observability without heavy footprint
- Developers who prefer CNCF-backed projects
Not ideal when
- Workloads running outside Kubernetes
- Scenarios demanding extensive custom traffic policies
- Environments where Go-only proxies are required
- Teams needing extensive UI dashboards out-of-the-box
How teams use it
Secure inter-service communication
Automatic mutual TLS encrypts all pod-to-pod traffic without code changes.
Observability for microservices
Provides real-time metrics, distributed tracing, and tap functionality to diagnose latency and errors.
Gradual rollout of a new version
Leverages lightweight traffic splitting to perform canary deployments with minimal overhead.
Compliance-driven environments
Enforces strict security policies and audit logs to meet regulatory requirements.
Tech snapshot
Go60%
Rust29%
JavaScript8%
Shell1%
Smarty1%
Makefile1%
Frequently asked questions
Does Linkerd require changes to application code?
No, it operates as a transparent sidecar proxy injected into pods, so applications run unchanged.
What Kubernetes versions are supported?
Linkerd supports all currently maintained Kubernetes releases; see the Getting Started guide for exact version matrix.
How does Linkerd handle TLS?
It automatically issues and rotates certificates, establishing mutual TLS between all meshed services.
Is there a UI for monitoring?
Linkerd includes a lightweight web dashboard that visualizes metrics and service topology.
Can Linkerd be extended with custom plugins?
While the core proxy is not plugin-based, you can integrate external tools via its APIs and telemetry hooks.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 11,256
- Watchers
- 11,256
- Forks
- 1,326
LicenseApache-2.0
Repo age8 years old
Last commit13 hours ago
Primary languageGo
Last synced 12 hours ago