Linkerd
Linkerd is a free, open-source service mesh for Kubernetes that adds runtime debugging, observability, reliability, and security without requiring applicatio…
What Linkerd is
Linkerd is a free, open-source service mesh for Kubernetes that adds runtime debugging, observability, reliability, and security without requiring application code changes. It installs into a Kubernetes cluster and injects proxies into workload pods. The mesh handles HTTP, HTTP/2, gRPC, and arbitrary TCP traffic, including TLS connections and WebSockets. It automatically enables mutual TLS between meshed applications and supports authorization policies between services. Metrics include request volume, success rates, and latency distributions for HTTP-family traffic, as well as TCP-level metrics. Traffic controls include load balancing, retries, timeouts, dynamic request routing, traffic splitting, and rate limiting. Linkerd can use Prometheus and Grafana for metrics and dashboards, and it supports distributed tracing. The Prometheus instance included with Linkerd Viz keeps metrics for a short fixed interval, currently six hours, so Linkerd is designed to supplement an existing metrics store. Installation requires a modern Kubernetes cluster and a functioning kubectl command. The project is licensed under Apache 2.0. Buoyant offers enterprise support, training, and architectural reviews.
Good
- Free and Apache 2.0 licensed
- Automatically enables mutual TLS between meshed applications
- Supports HTTP, gRPC, TCP, and WebSockets
- Includes traffic management policies
- Integrates with Prometheus and Grafana
Watch out
- Requires a modern Kubernetes cluster
- Installation requires a functioning kubectl command
- Included metrics retention is currently six hours
Who it suits
It suits teams running workloads on Kubernetes that need service-level traffic controls, metrics, and mutual TLS. It also fits environments with an existing metrics store to supplement.
Verdict
Linkerd brings traffic management, metrics, and service security to Kubernetes workloads without application code changes. Its included metrics retention is short, and installation depends on a modern cluster and kubectl.
Plans and prices
From Linkerd's own pricing page, checked 29 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Linkerd open source | Free | Open source, Apache 2.0 licensed · Requires Kubernetes |
The facts
Each one read from Linkerd's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Commercial support
- Buoyant offers 24x7 enterprise support, training, and architectural reviews for Linkerd.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Deployment
- Linkerd is installed into a Kubernetes cluster and adds its data plane to workloads by injecting proxies into their pods.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Enterprise distribution
- Buoyant Enterprise for Linkerd lists a FIPS-compliant distribution with full L7 visibility and network encryption, authentication, and authorization.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Governance
- Linkerd is a CNCF graduated project licensed under Apache 2.0.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Integrations
- Linkerd can use Prometheus and Grafana for metrics and dashboards, and supports distributed tracing.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Metrics retention
- The Prometheus instance included with Linkerd Viz retains metrics for a short fixed interval, currently six hours, and Linkerd is designed to supplement an existing metrics store.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Observability
- Linkerd records request volume, success rates, and latency distributions for HTTP, HTTP/2, and gRPC traffic, plus TCP-level metrics.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Product
- Linkerd is a service mesh for Kubernetes that adds runtime debugging, observability, reliability, and security without requiring code changes.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Proxy
- Linkerd’s ultralight Linkerd2-proxy is written in Rust and designed specifically for the service mesh sidecar use case.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Requirements
- Linkerd requires a modern Kubernetes cluster and a functioning kubectl command for installation.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Security
- Linkerd automatically enables mutual TLS for communication between meshed applications and supports authorization policies between services.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Security audit
- Linkerd says it completed its 2024 security audit, which included penetration testing and white-box testing.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Traffic management
- Linkerd supports load balancing, retries, timeouts, dynamic request routing, traffic splitting, and rate limiting.checked 29 Sep 2026
- Traffic support
- Linkerd proxies HTTP, HTTP/2, gRPC, and arbitrary TCP traffic, including TLS connections and WebSockets.checked 29 Sep 2026
Alternatives to Linkerd
- 1
Kuma
Free planOpen sourceWebAPILinuxmacOS7.5Free plan - 2
AWS App Mesh
Free planWebAPILinuxmacOS7.1Free plan - 3
Network Service Mesh
Free planOpen sourceAPILinuxSelf-hosted7.0Free plan - 4
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Container Registry
Free planWebAPILinux7.0Free plan - 5
Traefik Mesh
Free planAPILinuxSelf-hosted6.5Free plan - 6
Buoyant Enterprise for Linkerd
Free planWebLinuxSelf-hostedWindows6.3Free plan