The Kubernetes ecosystem is shifting faster than ever. Hybrid and multi-cloud patterns are accelerating, recent types of AI-driven workloads are emerging and enterprises are rethinking how traffic flows between microservices, models and agent-based systems. In the most recent episode of theCUBE Research’s AppDevANGLE podcast, Traefik Labs Inc.’s Chief Executive Officer, Sudeep Goswami, joins theCUBE and SiliconANGLE to interrupt down what’s changing and why a unified gateway model is quickly becoming a critical control point for contemporary infrastructure.
“KubeCon is where we get validation,” Goswami said. “Hybrid cloud, multi-cloud, sovereign deployments — they’re all rising. And customers desire a unified operating model wherever they run.”
Nutanix Inc. and Oracle Corp. deepen the stack
Traefik Labs used KubeCon + CloudNativeCon NA to spotlight progress with two major partners: Nutanix Inc. and Oracle Corporation.
With Nutanix, Traefik introduced a unified application intelligence model that connects virtual machines, containers, and serverless services under a single architecture. Nutanix provides the infrastructure and L4 foundation; Traefik provides the L7 control plane.
On the Oracle side, Traefik continues integrating its full portfolio across Oracle Cloud Infrastructure and Oracle Kubernetes Engine. The main focus: Portable AI and application programming interface infrastructure that may run across clouds, sovereign regions and on-prem without redesign.
“Oracle goes big on AI across geographies,” Goswami said. “Our joint goal is enabling consistent architecture anywhere customers need to deploy.”
Why a unified gateway operating model matters
The rising complexity of distributed systems is pushing enterprises toward infrastructure-as-code operating models and consistent tooling across environments. Traefik’s declarative approach, Goswami said, resonates because teams increasingly expect day-two operations, akin to upgrades, rollout, rollback and policy changes to behave identically across public cloud, private cloud and edge.
Customers also want sovereign optionality: the flexibility to maneuver between connected cloud environments, air-gapped data centers and hybrid footprints without rewriting workloads.
“We’re entering the optimization phase,” he said. “Cost, risk [and] compliance — they’re all driving the necessity to deploy anywhere with the identical experience.”
AI, Model Context Protocol and API: Why three gateways can’t survive
The most well liked conversation at Traefik’s KubeCon booth wasn’t nearly cloud strategy; it was about unifying gateways. Teams are realizing that a unified gateway approach is emerging, as AI gateways, API gateways, and MCP gateways each solve a bit of the issue but introduce fragmentation when deployed as standalone products.
“Three separate gateways is a non-starter,” Goswami said. “The fragmentation is already happening, and customers don’t want it.”
Teams are realizing that a unified gateway approach is emerging because AI gateways, API gateways and MCP gateways each solve a bit of the issue
Traefik has bundled API, AI, and MCP gateway capabilities right into a single binary designed to secure and govern all parts of an agentic workflow:
- Agent → LLM
- Agent → APIs via MCP Server
- Agent → MCP server resources
This “triple gate pattern” consolidates three protocols, three security layers and three traditionally separate products into one unified platform.
The top of Ingress NGINX and what comes next
One among the largest surprises at KubeCon was the Kubernetes SIG Network announcement: Ingress NGINX will reach end of life in March 2026, and its successor project, InGate, is folding as well. With 41% of internet-facing clusters counting on Ingress NGINX, the ecosystem now faces a migration crunch.
“We saw this coming months ago,” Goswami said. “Traefik Labs built an Ingress NGINX provider earlier this 12 months that permits:
- Drop-in alternative
- Zero configuration rewrites
- Seamless migration to Traefik Proxy
“You put in the Traefik binary, keep your existing configuration, and we handle the remainder,” he added.
For managed Kubernetes platforms that embed Ingress NGINX, the change is much more significant: They need to select a brand new default provider.
Open-source roots, enterprise runway
Goswami emphasized Traefik’s 10-year open-source foundation (3.4 billion downloads, 900-plus contributors, nearly 60,000 GitHub stars) paired with a frictionless upgrade path from OSS to enterprise features.
“There’s an actual company behind this, with an actual roadmap,” he said. “And when users need to unlock advanced capabilities, it’s a 30-second upgrade.”
Looking ahead
Goswami expects next 12 months’s KubeCon to deal with:
- Deeper partnerships
- Unified gateway patterns for agentic workflows
- Improved developer experience at scale
- Additional sovereign and hybrid deployment models
“Our goal doesn’t change,” he said. “Solve real problems, reduce complexity and make infrastructure easier to make use of at scale.”
Image: SiliconANGLE/DALL-E
Support our mission to maintain content open and free by engaging with theCUBE community. Join theCUBE’s Alumni Trust Network, where technology leaders connect, share intelligence and create opportunities.
- 15M+ viewers of theCUBE videos, powering conversations across AI, cloud, cybersecurity and more
- 11.4k+ theCUBE alumni — Connect with greater than 11,400 tech and business leaders shaping the long run through a singular trusted-based network.
About SiliconANGLE Media
Founded by tech visionaries John Furrier and Dave Vellante, SiliconANGLE Media has built a dynamic ecosystem of industry-leading digital media brands that reach 15+ million elite tech professionals. Our recent proprietary theCUBE AI Video Cloud is breaking ground in audience interaction, leveraging theCUBEai.com neural network to assist technology corporations make data-driven decisions and stay on the forefront of industry conversations.