Anthos Service Mesh

Jan 1, 0001

Definition

Anthos Service Mesh is a managed service mesh offering by Google Cloud that provides a consistent way to secure, connect, and observe microservices across environments. It leverages Istio to manage service-to-service communications, offering features like traffic management, security, and observability. Anthos Service Mesh helps enforce security policies, monitor service performance, and manage traffic flows without requiring changes to application code.

Secure Settings Example

apiVersion: networking.istio.io/v1beta1
kind: PeerAuthentication
metadata:
  name: default
  namespace: istio-system
spec:
  mtls:
    mode: STRICT

This configuration enforces mutual TLS (mTLS) for all services within the istio-system namespace, ensuring encrypted communication and authenticated service identities.

Insecure Settings Example

apiVersion: networking.istio.io/v1beta1
kind: PeerAuthentication
metadata:
  name: default
  namespace: istio-system
spec:
  mtls:
    mode: DISABLE

Disabling mTLS in this configuration leaves service-to-service communication unencrypted and unauthenticated, exposing the system to potential man-in-the-middle attacks and unauthorized access.