Skip to main content Implement Linkerd service mesh patterns for lightweight, security-focused service mesh deployments. Use when setting up Linkerd, configuring traffic policies, or implementing zero-trust networking with minimal overhead.
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Linkerd Patterns
Production patterns for Linkerd service mesh - the lightweight, security-first service mesh for Kubernetes.
Do not use this skill when
The task is unrelated to linkerd patterns
You need a different domain or tool outside this scope
Instructions
Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
Provide actionable steps and verification.
If detailed examples are required, open resources/implementation-playbook.md.
Use this skill when
Setting up a lightweight service mesh
Implementing automatic mTLS
Configuring traffic splits for canary deployments
Setting up service profiles for per-route metrics
Implementing retries and timeouts
Multi-cluster service mesh
Core Concepts
1. Linkerd Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Control Plane │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ destiny │ │ identity │ │ proxy-inject │ │
│ └─────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Data Plane │
│ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ │
│ │proxy│────│proxy│────│proxy│ │
│ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ ┌──┴──┐ ┌──┴──┐ ┌──┴──┐ │
│ │ app │ │ app │ │ app │ │
│ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
2. Key Resources Resource Purpose ServiceProfile Per-route metrics, retries, timeouts TrafficSplit Canary deployments, A/B testing Server Define server-side policies ServerAuthorization Access control policies
Templates
Template 1: Mesh Installation # Install CLI
brew install linkerd
# Alternative: download the official installer, inspect it, then execute it
tmpdir="$(mktemp -d)"
trap 'rm -rf "$tmpdir"' EXIT
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSfL https://run.linkerd.io/install -o "$tmpdir/linkerd-install.sh"
cat "$tmpdir/linkerd-install.sh" # review the full installer before executing
sh "$tmpdir/linkerd-install.sh"
# Validate cluster
linkerd check --pre
# Install CRDs
linkerd install --crds | kubectl apply -f -
# Install control plane
linkerd install | kubectl apply -f -
# Verify installation
linkerd check
# Install viz extension (optional)
linkerd viz install | kubectl apply -f -
Template 2: Inject Namespace # Automatic injection for namespace
apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
name: my-app
annotations:
linkerd.io/inject: enabled
---
# Or inject specific deployment
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: my-app
annotations:
linkerd.io/inject: enabled
spec:
template:
metadata:
annotations:
linkerd.io/inject: enabled
Template 3: Service Profile with Retries apiVersion: linkerd.io/v1alpha2
kind: ServiceProfile
metadata:
name: my-service.my-namespace.svc.cluster.local
namespace: my-namespace
spec:
routes:
- name: GET /api/users
condition:
method: GET
pathRegex: /api/users
responseClasses:
- condition:
status:
min: 500
max: 599
isFailure: true
isRetryable: true
- name: POST /api/users
condition:
method: POST
pathRegex: /api/users
# POST not retryable by default
isRetryable: false
- name: GET /api/users/{id}
condition:
method: GET
pathRegex: /api/users/[^/]+
timeout: 5s
isRetryable: true
retryBudget:
retryRatio: 0.2
minRetriesPerSecond: 10
ttl: 10s
Template 4: Traffic Split (Canary) apiVersion: split.smi-spec.io/v1alpha1
kind: TrafficSplit
metadata:
name: my-service-canary
namespace: my-namespace
spec:
service: my-service
backends:
- service: my-service-stable
weight: 900m # 90%
- service: my-service-canary
weight: 100m # 10%
Template 5: Server Authorization Policy # Define the server
apiVersion: policy.linkerd.io/v1beta1
kind: Server
metadata:
name: my-service-http
namespace: my-namespace
spec:
podSelector:
matchLabels:
app: my-service
port: http
proxyProtocol: HTTP/1
---
# Allow traffic from specific clients
apiVersion: policy.linkerd.io/v1beta1
kind: ServerAuthorization
metadata:
name: allow-frontend
namespace: my-namespace
spec:
server:
name: my-service-http
client:
meshTLS:
serviceAccounts:
- name: frontend
namespace: my-namespace
---
# Allow unauthenticated traffic (e.g., from ingress)
apiVersion: policy.linkerd.io/v1beta1
kind: ServerAuthorization
metadata:
name: allow-ingress
namespace: my-namespace
spec:
server:
name: my-service-http
client:
unauthenticated: true
networks:
- cidr: 10.0.0.0/8
Template 6: HTTPRoute for Advanced Routing apiVersion: policy.linkerd.io/v1beta2
kind: HTTPRoute
metadata:
name: my-route
namespace: my-namespace
spec:
parentRefs:
- name: my-service
kind: Service
group: core
port: 8080
rules:
- matches:
- path:
type: PathPrefix
value: /api/v2
- headers:
- name: x-api-version
value: v2
backendRefs:
- name: my-service-v2
port: 8080
- matches:
- path:
type: PathPrefix
value: /api
backendRefs:
- name: my-service-v1
port: 8080
Template 7: Multi-cluster Setup # On each cluster, install with cluster credentials
linkerd multicluster install | kubectl apply -f -
# Link clusters
linkerd multicluster link --cluster-name west \
--api-server-address https://west.example.com:6443 \
| kubectl apply -f -
# Export a service to other clusters
kubectl label svc/my-service mirror.linkerd.io/exported=true
# Verify cross-cluster connectivity
linkerd multicluster check
linkerd multicluster gateways
Monitoring Commands # Live traffic view
linkerd viz top deploy/my-app
# Per-route metrics
linkerd viz routes deploy/my-app
# Check proxy status
linkerd viz stat deploy -n my-namespace
# View service dependencies
linkerd viz edges deploy -n my-namespace
# Dashboard
linkerd viz dashboard
Debugging # Check injection status
linkerd check --proxy -n my-namespace
# View proxy logs
kubectl logs deploy/my-app -c linkerd-proxy
# Debug identity/TLS
linkerd identity -n my-namespace
# Tap traffic (live)
linkerd viz tap deploy/my-app --to deploy/my-backend
Best Practices
Do's
Enable mTLS everywhere - It's automatic with Linkerd
Use ServiceProfiles - Get per-route metrics and retries
Set retry budgets - Prevent retry storms
Monitor golden metrics - Success rate, latency, throughput
Don'ts
Don't skip check - Always run linkerd check after changes
Don't over-configure - Linkerd defaults are sensible
Don't ignore ServiceProfiles - They unlock advanced features
Don't forget timeouts - Set appropriate values per route
Resources
Limitations
Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.
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