How Aspen Insights Deployed a Load Balanced Proxy to Solve a unique On-Prem Kubernetes problem
Blog post from Tailscale
Aspen Insights addressed a unique on-premise Kubernetes challenge by deploying a load-balanced proxy using Tailscale, an innovative VPN solution that facilitates secure connections without the need for public internet access. Initially, the company used Tailscale subnet routers to connect to Kubernetes clusters securely, but encountered DNS issues when trying to access cloud APIs with private endpoints. To overcome this, they implemented a Tailscale sidecar as a proxy, but this resulted in increased maintenance due to the need for multiple sidecars and secrets management. To streamline the process, Aspen Insights innovatively set up a dedicated Tailscale pod running as a load-balanced proxy, simplifying the configuration and reducing the maintenance workload. This approach eliminated the need for sidecars on each pod and centralized host alias management, making it easier to manage and scale. The solution ultimately provided a scalable, secure, and efficient way to connect on-premise Kubernetes resources to cloud services while reducing complexity and maintenance demands.