The Safe Path Off Ingress-NGINX: Ingress2Gateway 1.0

TL;DR

Ingress2Gateway 1.0 has been released to aid migration from Ingress-NGINX to Gateway API before its retirement in March 2026. The tool translates Ingress resources to Gateway API and highlights untranslatable configurations. The release features enhanced annotation support and thorough testing for reliable migration.

Key Points

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Ingress-NGINX is retiring in March 2026, pushing teams to migrate to Gateway API

Ingress2Gateway 1.0 now supports over 30 Ingress-NGINX annotations, up from just three

Each supported annotation is backed by controller-level integration tests on live clusters

Some annotations like configuration-snippet and proxy-body-size cannot be translated automatically

The tool supports gradual traffic shifting via weighted DNS or load balancer for safer rollouts

Ingress2Gateway 1.0 is out, and the timing is deliberate - Ingress-NGINX hits end-of-life in March 2026, and SIG Network is handing teams a migration tool before the deadline arrives.

The 1.0 release is a significant jump in coverage. Where the previous version handled just three Ingress-NGINX annotations, this release supports over 30 - CORS, backend TLS, regex matching, path rewrite, and more. Each one is backed by controller-level integration tests that spin up real clusters and compare actual routing behavior, not just YAML structure.

What makes Ingress2Gateway useful isn't just what it translates - it's what it flags. Some annotations, like configuration-snippet and proxy-body-size, have no direct Gateway API equivalent. The tool surfaces these clearly, explains why they were skipped, and in some cases suggests implementation-specific emitters like Envoy Gateway or kgateway that may cover the gap.

The recommended migration path is deliberate: run the tool, review the output and logs carefully, validate in a dev cluster, then shift traffic gradually using weighted DNS or a cloud load balancer. Kubernetes-native RBAC and a modular API design are the payoff on the other side - but getting there cleanly requires treating the generated manifests as a starting point, not a finished product.

Stakeholder Relationships

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Organizations

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SIG Network Kubernetes Special Interest Group

SIG Network announced the 1.0 release of Ingress2Gateway and maintains the project under kubernetes-sigs.

Tools

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Ingress2Gateway 1.0 Migration Assistant

Translates Ingress resources and implementation-specific annotations to Gateway API, flagging untranslatable configuration and suggesting alternatives.

gwctl CLI Tool

Provides a comprehensive view of Gateway API resources, including attachments and linter errors.

Ingress-NGINX Ingress Controller (Retiring)

The widely used Ingress controller scheduled for retirement in March 2026, prompting migration to Gateway API.

Gateway API Kubernetes Networking API

The modern replacement for the Ingress API, offering a modular and extensible design with native RBAC support.

Timeline of Events

Timeline of key events and milestones.

Nov 11, 2025 Ingress-NGINX retirement announced

The Kubernetes blog officially announced the upcoming retirement of Ingress-NGINX, scheduled for March 2026.

Mar 2026 Ingress-NGINX retirement

Ingress-NGINX reaches end-of-life, pushing teams to migrate to Gateway API as the modern replacement.

Mar 20, 2026 Ingress2Gateway 1.0 released

SIG Network announced the stable 1.0 release of Ingress2Gateway, now supporting 30+ Ingress-NGINX annotations and backed by controller-level integration tests.