API Server

Jan 1, 0001

Definition

An API Server is a critical component in an application architecture that acts as an intermediary between clients and backend services. It processes incoming API requests, performs necessary operations such as authentication, authorization, and data validation, and then forwards the requests to the appropriate backend services. The API Server is responsible for ensuring secure and efficient communication, often implementing rate limiting, logging, and monitoring to maintain the integrity and performance of the application.

Secure Settings Example

# Example configuration for a secure Kubernetes API Server
apiVersion: kubeadm.k8s.io/v1beta2
kind: ClusterConfiguration
apiServer:
  extraArgs:
    authorization-mode: "Node,RBAC"
    enable-admission-plugins: "NodeRestriction,PodSecurityPolicy"
    audit-log-path: "/var/log/kubernetes/audit.log"
    audit-log-maxage: "30"
    audit-log-maxbackup: "10"
    audit-log-maxsize: "100"
    tls-cert-file: "/etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver.crt"
    tls-private-key-file: "/etc/kubernetes/pki/apiserver.key"

Insecure Settings Example

# Example of insecure settings for an API Server
apiVersion: kubeadm.k8s.io/v1beta2
kind: ClusterConfiguration
apiServer:
  extraArgs:
    authorization-mode: "AlwaysAllow" # Insecure: allows all requests without checks
    enable-admission-plugins: "" # Insecure: no admission control plugins enabled
    audit-log-path: "" # Insecure: no audit logging
    tls-cert-file: "" # Insecure: no TLS certificates specified
    tls-private-key-file: "" # Insecure: no TLS private key specified