Transparent Proxy on Consul Service Mesh

Consul 1.10 introduces a new feature called transparent proxy that allows applications to be deployed without modification into the service mesh. This feature provides an easier onboarding experience by automatically redirecting traffic from services within applications to their sidecar proxies, eliminating the need for explicit modifications or defining upstreams. Transparent proxy ensures encrypted application communication and removes the requirement for explicitly dialing sidecar proxies or defining application upstreams. It also enables services to communicate with each other using Kubernetes DNS hostnames without requiring explicit configuration. The feature is enabled by default on Kubernetes deployments starting from Consul 1.10, and users can control its behavior via Helm stanzas or Kubernetes annotations. Transparent proxy allows for better controls over communication between applications inside or outside the service mesh, providing a more secure and efficient way to deploy and manage services.