To unlock Kubernetes’ full potential, many enterprises are relying on three key building blocks available in Kong Konnect today:
Together, these components extend Kubernetes from being just a container orchestration platform. They lay the foundation for Kubernetes to support the exposure, governance, and operation of APIs — and the AI workflows that increasingly rely on those APIs.
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Kong builds on top of these components to make Kubernetes simpler, more effective, and enterprise-ready. For many years, the Kong Ingress Controller (KIC) simplified traffic routing into Kubernetes clusters, while the Kong Gateway Operator (KGO) automated day-2 operations like autoscaling and certificate rotation. Each solved important but distinct challenges.
Recently, Kong introduced Kong Operator (KO) 2.0, marking the first stage of unification between KIC and KGO. The goal of KO 2.0 was to deliver a unified experience in a single operator framework — one that preserves flexibility while delivering a more consistent end-user experience.
The upcoming release of Kong Operator 2.1 at API Summit 2025 will be more than just an incremental update — it will represent the next step in unifying Kubernetes operations for Kong customers. Building on KO 2.0’s consolidation of KIC and KGO, this release will introduce several powerful capabilities focused on providing a first-class Kubernetes experience:
Gateway API support in hybrid mode
Customers had to make a choice previously on having full Kubernetes Gateway API support or being able to use the Konnect API ecosystem. With Kong Operator 2.1, we will support both Gateway API and the Konnect control plane — we call this hybrid mode.
KO 2.1 delivers hybrid mode support that enables teams to use the Gateway API as the declarative interface to manage hybrid Kong deployments, whether those data planes are running in Konnect or in self-managed mode. This streamlines the shift from older ingress resources, reduces operational complexity, and ensures traffic management remains consistent across large-scale Kubernetes environments.
Hybrid mode for Kong Gateway provides full integration with our Konnect ecosystem of products. The gateway control plane is managed by Kong, and integrates with the Kong Konnect ecosystem of API products.
Konnect Debugger support
Formerly known as Active Tracing, the Konnect Debugger is now tightly integrated with KO. This enables teams to capture detailed traces and logs for specific Kubernetes services or routes without additional instrumentation. With this integration, troubleshooting becomes faster, mean time to resolution is reduced, and operations teams gain unprecedented visibility into traffic behavior directly within Kubernetes.
Automatic Service Catalog integration
Services created inside of Kubernetes can now be automatically cataloged in Konnect’s Service Catalog. This eliminates the manual effort of registering services, ensuring that everything deployed in the cluster is discoverable and available for governance, documentation, and consumption.
Developer Portal integration
Once cataloged, services can flow directly into the Developer Portal, where internal and external developers can securely discover and consume them. This self-service model accelerates delivery by reducing dependency on platform teams and makes Kubernetes-hosted APIs part of the broader enterprise ecosystem.
Deeper Konnect integration
Beyond any single feature, KO 2.1 strengthens the connection between Kubernetes and the Konnect platform. The result is a unified experience across traffic management, operations, and governance — one that feels native to Kubernetes but operates with enterprise-level guardrails.
Kong Operator 2.1 is a major milestone in unifying Kubernetes operations, setting a new standard for how Kubernetes APIs are deployed, governed, and consumed.
Want to see it in action? Join us at API Summit, where Kong will officially unveil KO 2.1 and demonstrate how it can provide a strong foundation for your broader API and AI strategy and check out the session Building a First-Class Kubernetes Experience in Konnect.
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