F5 BIG-IP Container Ingress Services
F5 BIG-IP Container Ingress Services (CIS) connects Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift environments to F5 BIG-IP, updating network configuration as container a…
What F5 BIG-IP Container Ingress Services is
F5 BIG-IP Container Ingress Services (CIS) connects Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift environments to F5 BIG-IP, updating network configuration as container applications change. CIS watches Kubernetes resources and adjusts BIG-IP configuration, while teams can manage BIG-IP through Kubernetes or OpenShift command-line tools and APIs. It supports forwarding through NodePort or ClusterIP and can use F5 AS3 declarations. Traffic functions include HTTP and URI routing, load balancing, scaling, health monitoring, and Blue/Green or A/B traffic management. F5 documents Ingress resources, OpenShift Routes, and IngressLink coordination with NGINX Ingress Controller, as well as overlay integrations including OpenShift SDN, Flannel, and Calico. BIG-IP data streams can export application and network statistics to visibility tools such as Splunk. CIS is a control-plane component; F5 says traffic is not affected during an outage and a replacement replica can gather cluster state and reapply it. Installation is documented through Helm or manual methods. The open-source software has no charge, but requires a compatible licensed BIG-IP system, a Kubernetes or OpenShift cluster, and AS3 on BIG-IP.
Good
- Updates BIG-IP configuration from Kubernetes resources.
- Supports NodePort and ClusterIP forwarding.
- Includes HTTP and URI routing.
- Provides Blue/Green and A/B traffic management.
- Available as open-source software at no charge.
Watch out
- Requires a compatible licensed BIG-IP system.
- Requires Kubernetes or OpenShift and AS3.
- CIS needs administrative BIG-IP partition privileges.
- NodePortLocal is limited to Antrea CNI.
Who it suits
CIS is aimed at network architects and operations teams, AppDev and DevOps teams, and system infrastructure teams managing container environments alongside BIG-IP.
Verdict
CIS provides a documented path for tying Kubernetes or OpenShift traffic management to BIG-IP. Its no-charge software still depends on the required BIG-IP system, cluster, and AS3 installation.
Plans and prices
From F5 BIG-IP Container Ingress Services's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Open-source software | Free | Requires a compatible, licensed BIG-IP system · Kubernetes or OpenShift cluster · AS3 installed on BIG-IP · No charge |
The facts
Each one read from F5 BIG-IP Container Ingress Services's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Compatibility
- The current compatibility table lists tested Kubernetes versions v1.13–v1.35, OpenShift v3.11–v4.21.0, BIG-IP v12–v17, and AS3 v3.13–v3.56; unlisted versions are not verified by F5.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Credential privilege
- CIS requires administrative privileges on the BIG-IP iControl REST partition to configure objects, and its Kubernetes guide recommends a dedicated partition.checked 4 Oct 2026
- How it works
- CIS watches Kubernetes resources and updates BIG-IP configuration accordingly; users manage BIG-IP through Kubernetes or OpenShift native CLI/API.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Installation and downloads
- F5 documents Helm-based and manual installation and says CIS releases are available from Docker Hub and Red Hat Container Registry.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- F5 identifies network architects, network operations, AppDev, DevOps, and system infrastructure teams as target customers.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Notable constraint
- F5 states NodePortLocal is available only with Antrea CNI and must be enabled in Antrea feature gates.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Observability
- BIG-IP data streams can export application and network statistics to third-party visibility and analytics tools, with Splunk given as an example.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Orchestration integrations
- F5 documents integrations with Kubernetes and Red Hat OpenShift, including Ingress resources and OpenShift Routes.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Other integrations
- F5 describes IngressLink as coordinating BIG-IP CIS with NGINX Ingress Controller, and lists overlay integrations including OpenShift SDN, Flannel, and Calico.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- CIS integrates container orchestration environments with F5 BIG-IP to dynamically create L4/L7 services and load balance traffic as container applications change.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Routing and forwarding
- CIS can forward traffic from BIG-IP to Kubernetes clusters through NodePort or ClusterIP and supports F5 AS3 declarations.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- F5 documents securing CIS BIG-IP credentials by storing them in HashiCorp Vault and synchronizing them to a Kubernetes Secret with External Secrets Operator.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Support boundary
- CIS is a control-plane component; the FAQ says traffic is not impacted during a CIS outage and that a replacement replica gathers cluster state and reapplies it to BIG-IP.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Traffic management
- CIS supports HTTP and URI routing, load balancing, scaling, health monitoring, and Blue/Green and A/B traffic management for app versions.checked 4 Oct 2026
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