Kuma 0.1: Universal Service Mesh from Kong

Introduction

During Kong Summit 2019, Kong launched Kuma 0.1 (Swahili for “bear”), positioning it as a universal service mesh that spans Kubernetes clusters and legacy VMs. With Envoy as the data plane, Kuma emphasizes ease-of-use and flexible deployment topologies.

Core Concepts

• Control Plane Simplicity: A single kuma-cp binary manages policies, certificates, and Envoy config.
• Universal Mode: Register workloads running on VMs or bare metal alongside Kubernetes services.
• Mesh Policies: Declarative resources for TrafficPermission, TrafficRoute, and FaultInjection.

Why Kuma Stands Out

1. No Sidecar YAML Editing: Automatic sidecar injection removes manual proxy configuration.
2. Multi-Zone Architecture: Run multiple control planes in remote zones synced to a global manager.
3. CNCF Sandbox: Kuma enters the foundation with a roadmap toward open governance and interoperability.

Use Cases

• Bridge monoliths and microservices under a unified mesh.
• Apply zero-trust policies without rewriting non-Kubernetes workloads.
• Embrace gradual mesh adoption with Kong Gateway integrations.

Getting Started

kumactl install control-plane | kubectl apply -f -
kumactl install dns | kubectl apply -f -

Register universal workloads:

curl -XPOST http://localhost:5679/meshes/default/dataplanes --data @backend-dp.yaml

Use kumactl inspect dataplane to verify Envoy health and policy application.

Summary

Kuma 0.1 showcases Kong’s vision for a universal mesh: Envoy power with policy simplicity that stretches beyond the cluster boundary.