Ambassador vs Traefik: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this guide, we will compare the key differences between Ambassador and Traefik, which are both popular tools used for managing and routing traffic in containerized environments.

1. Deployment: Ambassador is primarily designed to be deployed as an API gateway and microservices management solution, providing features like authorization, rate limiting, and authentication. On the other hand, Traefik is a versatile load balancer and reverse proxy that can handle both TCP and HTTP traffic, making it suitable for various types of applications.

2. Configuration: Ambassador uses a custom resource definition (CRD) model for defining routing rules and policies. It leverages Kubernetes annotations and labels for configuration, allowing easy integration with Kubernetes environments. Traefik, on the other hand, uses a dynamic configuration file that can be modified on the fly, without requiring a restart, making it more flexible in certain scenarios.

3. Ingress Controller: Ambassador acts as a Kubernetes Ingress controller, integrating seamlessly with Kubernetes to provide traffic routing to services. It supports advanced features like circuit breaking, traffic splitting, and can automatically generate and update Kubernetes Ingress resources. Traefik also functions as an Ingress controller but includes additional features like SSL/TLS termination, Let's Encrypt support, and cross-platform compatibility.

4. Plugins and Extensions: Ambassador offers a wide range of plugins and extensions, allowing users to customize and extend its functionality. It provides support for popular observability tools like Prometheus and Grafana, as well as authentication mechanisms such as OAuth and JWT. Traefik also supports plugins and extensions, but its plugin ecosystem is more focused on networking and security, with features like WebSockets, IP Whitelisting, and HTTP to HTTPS redirection.

5. Load Balancing Algorithms: Ambassador supports various load balancing algorithms such as round-robin, least connections, and random. It also has built-in support for advanced load balancing techniques like automatic retries and outlier detection. Traefik provides load balancing algorithms like round-robin and least connections as well, but it also includes more advanced algorithms like weighted round-robin and dynamic load balancing based on server metrics.

6. Community and Support: Both Ambassador and Traefik have active communities and provide documentation, tutorials, and community support. However, Traefik has a larger and more mature community, with extensive documentation, a vibrant user forum, and active development. Ambassador, while gaining popularity, may have a smaller community and documentation base in comparison.

In summary, Ambassador primarily focuses on API gateway and microservices management, with a comprehensive set of features and plugins. Traefik, on the other hand, is a versatile load balancer and reverse proxy that can handle both TCP and HTTP traffic, featuring advanced load balancing algorithms and extensive support for networking and security plugins.