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Envoy Proxy

envoyproxy.io

Free plan WindowsmacOSLinuxAPISelf-hosted
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Spec score 8.0 #14 of 33 in Reverse Proxy Software

What it is

Envoy Proxy is a free, open-source proxy for edge traffic and service-to-service communication in cloud-native and AI-native applications. It runs as a self-contained process outside the application and can serve software written in different languages. Envoy handles HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, gRPC, and HTTP/3, with HTTP/3 documented as alpha. Traffic features include routing, retries, circuit breaking, rate limiting, request shadowing, and outlier detection. It exposes subsystem statistics, an administration interface, and distributed tracing through third-party providers. Security features include TLS, JWT, role-based access control, and OAuth-related authorization and authentication. Operators must configure protections such as watermarks, overload management, and circuit breakers for availability resilience. Installation options include Docker images for amd64 and arm64, macOS Homebrew, and static binaries. Its API is compatible with Envoy Gateway and Istio.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Envoy is an open-source edge and service proxy designed for cloud-native and AI-native applications.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io
Audience
Envoy is designed for edge proxy use and service-to-service communication in large modern service-oriented architectures.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io
Integrations
The documentation names Envoy Gateway and Istio as control planes compatible with Envoy's API.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io
Security
Envoy supports TLS, JWT, role-based access control, and OAuth-related authentication and authorization features.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io
Architecture
Envoy is a self-contained, out-of-process proxy that can work with applications written in different languages.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io
Installation
The project provides Docker images for amd64 and arm64, and documents native macOS installation through Homebrew.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io
Observability
Envoy provides subsystem statistics, an administration interface for viewing statistics, and distributed tracing through third-party providers.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io
Project status
Envoy is a graduated project within the Cloud Native Computing Foundation.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gateway.envoyproxy.io
Security limitation
Envoy's threat model says operators must configure resource protections such as watermarks, overload management, and circuit breakers for availability resilience.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io
Traffic management
Features include routing, retries, circuit breaking, rate limiting, request shadowing, and outlier detection.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io
Traffic protocols
Envoy supports HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, gRPC, and HTTP/3, with HTTP/3 described in the documentation as alpha.Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io

Plans and prices

Envoy Proxy Free Open-source proxy; install using Docker, macOS Homebrew, or a static binary Read 30 Sep 2026 · envoyproxy.io

Every Envoy Proxy plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Open-source proxy with no listed charge
  • Supports HTTP, gRPC, and HTTP/3
  • Includes routing and rate limiting
  • Provides statistics and administration interface
  • Works with Envoy Gateway and Istio

Limits

  • HTTP/3 support is documented as alpha
  • Operators must configure resource protections
  • Distributed tracing uses third-party providers
  • Self-hosted deployment requires installation

Who it suits

Envoy suits teams operating large service-oriented architectures that need edge proxying or service-to-service communication. It is self-hosted and supports API, Linux, macOS, and Windows environments.

Verdict

Envoy Proxy offers broad protocol, traffic-management, observability, and security capabilities as a free self-hosted project. Its operators remain responsible for resilience protections and deployment configuration.

Where Specifiction places it

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