Kubernetes Network Policies and Remote Access Proxy for Defense in Depth

Kubernetes Network Policies define how pods talk to each other and to the outside world. They work at the IP layer using labels, namespaces, and selectors. You can block east-west traffic between pods that should never connect. You can allow ingress only from trusted sources. You can force egress through a control proxy. This precision means an attacker who gets one pod will not own your cluster.

A remote access proxy sits at the edge or a controlled entry point. It filters, authenticates, and logs all requests that cross into your cluster from outside. In regulated environments or high-value workloads, it becomes the single point where network security meets identity-based access. Combined with Network Policies, you can route only allowed traffic through this proxy. All other requests are dropped cold.

Best practice is to create Network Policies for both ingress and egress. Define the CIDRs, ports, and namespaces allowed. Lock the defaults so that new pods start isolated. Add exceptions explicitly. Then connect those exceptions to the remote access proxy endpoint. The proxy can enforce TLS, OAuth2, mTLS, or custom auth for external users and systems.

When deploying, use a separate namespace for your proxy service. Isolate it with Network Policies so it can only talk to necessary backend pods. Monitor its connections. Audit logs for access patterns. If you need fine-grained control, combine the proxy with Kubernetes RBAC and service accounts.

The combination—Kubernetes Network Policies plus a remote access proxy—delivers defense in depth without relying on one tool to do all the work. Policies shape the network. The proxy enforces remote entry rules. Any breach must pass through both gates.

You can configure this pattern fast. Use the right manifests, apply them through kubectl, and test with simple curl commands from inside and outside the cluster. Then watch as unauthorized traffic fails immediately while approved sessions move smoothly.

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