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Linkerd

Linkerd is a service mesh for Kubernetes. It places a small proxy beside selected workloads so you can observe, secure, and manage service-to-service traffic without changing application code.

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Linkerd

Linkerd is a service mesh for Kubernetes. A service mesh adds a dedicated infrastructure layer to communication between workloads. Linkerd uses that layer to report traffic behavior, encrypt connections between meshed pods, balance requests, and enforce traffic policy.

The central mental model is a proxy beside each meshed workload, guided by a shared control plane.

Kubernetes workload                         Kubernetes workload
application -> outbound proxy == mTLS ==> inbound proxy -> application
                    ^                          ^
                    | discovery, identity,     |
                    | and policy               |
                    +------ control plane -----+

The proxies form the data plane. They handle live traffic. The control plane supplies discovery, identity, and policy information. The Linkerd command-line interface, or CLI, helps you install, inspect, and troubleshoot both planes.

Why a service mesh exists

Distributed applications turn local function calls into network requests. Those requests can fail because a destination is unavailable, slow, overloaded, incorrectly addressed, or blocked by policy. Operators also need to know which workload called which destination and whether the request succeeded.

You can address each concern inside every application. That approach repeats client libraries, certificate handling, metrics, and policy logic across languages and teams. A service mesh moves common traffic behavior into infrastructure proxies. Applications continue to use normal Kubernetes Services while the proxies observe and manage connections.

This separation has a cost. Every meshed pod gains another container and every meshed connection passes through proxies. The mesh also introduces certificates, control-plane components, policy resources, metrics, and upgrade work. Adopt Linkerd when consistent traffic controls justify that operational responsibility.

Architecture

Linkerd has three visible operating surfaces: the CLI, the control plane, and the data plane.

The CLI

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