The traditional approach to microservices in Kubernetes requires duplicating application logic into YAML config files, leading to information fragmentation and inconsistencies. However, using GraphQL and Apollo Federation can reduce the amount of required config, prevent duplication, and improve maintainability. With Apollo Federation, routing rules are declarative and avoid custom networking rules between services, preventing conflicting API routes and ensuring that routing rules always match the application code. This approach also simplifies Kubernetes config by removing application logic from YAML files, reducing the risk of shipping broken code and improving the reliability of microservices. Additionally, Apollo Federation decouples services, allowing them to evolve independently and explicitly documenting dependencies, which can be monitored and managed through a central router. By using GraphQL with Apollo Federation, teams can improve the maintainability and reliability of their microservices while saving time for development teams.