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Contour

projectcontour.io

Free plan Self-hosted
Visit projectcontour.io
Spec score 7.7 #12 of 28 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers

What it is

Contour is a free, self-hosted, open-source Kubernetes ingress controller that provides the control plane for the Envoy edge and service proxy. It supports Kubernetes Ingress v1, its HTTPProxy custom resource and Gateway API. Contour updates ingress configuration dynamically with minimal dropped connections and supports multiple configuration types in clusters used by multiple teams. It can run as a Kubernetes deployment or daemonset, and administrators can delegate access to wildcard certificates. Documented security features include TLS termination, client authorization, rate limiting, JWT verification and IP filtering. Contour and Envoy expose metrics that Prometheus can scrape, and documentation includes guides for cert-manager, Gatekeeper and AWS Network Load Balancer. The project is tested with Kubernetes 1.21 and later and is intended for both cluster administrators and application developers. Community support is available through the project's GitHub page, where users can report issues or ask questions. Contour is a Cloud Native Computing Foundation incubating project; its documentation includes a threat model, a security reporting process and a security fix checklist.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Contour is an open source Kubernetes ingress controller that provides the control plane for the Envoy edge and service proxy.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Deployment
Contour can be deployed as a Kubernetes deployment or daemonset.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Integrations
Contour documentation includes guides for cert-manager, Gatekeeper, AWS Network Load Balancer, and Prometheus metrics.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Support
The project provides community support through its GitHub project page and invites users to file issues or ask questions there.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Dynamic updates
Contour dynamically updates ingress configuration with minimal dropped connections.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Ingress configuration
Contour supports Kubernetes Ingress v1, its HTTPProxy custom resource, and Gateway API.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Kubernetes versions
Contour is tested with Kubernetes clusters running version 1.21 and later.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Multi-team clusters
Contour supports multiple types of ingress configuration in multi-team Kubernetes clusters.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Observability
Contour and Envoy expose metrics that can be scraped with Prometheus.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Project status
Contour is a Cloud Native Computing Foundation incubating project.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Security documentation
Contour documentation provides a threat model and security posture page, a security report process, and a security fix checklist.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Security features
The documentation lists TLS termination and delegation, client authorization, rate limiting, JWT verification, and IP filtering features.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
Target users
Contour is designed to serve both cluster administrators and application developers.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io
TLS delegation
Administrators can securely delegate wildcard certificate access.Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io

Plans and prices

Contour Free Open source Kubernetes ingress controller · community support Read 3 Oct 2026 · projectcontour.io

Every Contour plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Supports Ingress v1, HTTPProxy and Gateway API
  • Runs as a deployment or daemonset
  • Includes rate limiting and JWT verification
  • Metrics can be scraped with Prometheus
  • Free and open source

Limits

  • Self-hosted deployment is required
  • Tested Kubernetes versions start at 1.21
  • Support is through the community project page

Who it suits

Contour suits Kubernetes cluster administrators and application developers working with ingress configuration, including in multi-team clusters. It requires a self-hosted deployment.

Verdict

Contour supports multiple Kubernetes ingress models and includes documented security and observability features. It is free to use, but teams should account for self-hosting and community-based support.

Where Specifiction places it

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