Extend waypoints with WebAssembly plugins

Istio provides the ability to extend its functionality using WebAssembly (Wasm). One of the key advantages of Wasm extensibility is that extensions can be loaded dynamically at runtime. This document outlines how to extend ambient mode within Istio with Wasm features. In ambient mode, Wasm configuration must be applied to the waypoint proxy deployed in each namespace.

Install Ambient Mode and deploy test applications

Follow the Ambient Getting Started Guide to install Istio in ambient mode. Deploy the sample applications required for exploring waypoint proxy extensibility via Wasm. Make sure to add the sample applications to the mesh before proceeding further.

Apply Wasm configuration at the Gateway

With Kubernetes Gateway API, Istio provides a centralized entry point for managing traffic into the service mesh. We will configure a WasmPlugin at the gateway level, ensuring that all traffic passing through the gateway is subject to the extended authentication rules.

Configure WasmPlugin for Gateway

In this example, you will add a HTTP Basic auth module to your mesh. You will configure Istio to pull the Basic auth module from a remote image registry and load it. It will be configured to run on calls to /productpage. Steps are more or less similar as Istio / Distributing WebAssembly Modules, only difference being the recommended usage of targetRefs instead of labelSelectors in WasmPlugin.

To configure a WebAssembly filter with a remote Wasm module, create a WasmPlugin resource targeting the bookinfo-gateway:

$ kubectl get gateway
NAME               CLASS            ADDRESS                                            PROGRAMMED   AGE
bookinfo-gateway   istio            bookinfo-gateway-istio.default.svc.cluster.local   True         42m

$ kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: extensions.istio.io/v1alpha1
kind: WasmPlugin
metadata:
  name: basic-auth-at-gateway
spec:
  targetRefs:
    - kind: Gateway
      group: gateway.networking.k8s.io
      name: bookinfo-gateway # gateway name retrieved from previous step
  url: oci://ghcr.io/istio-ecosystem/wasm-extensions/basic_auth:1.12.0
  phase: AUTHN
  pluginConfig:
    basic_auth_rules:
      - prefix: "/productpage"
        request_methods:
          - "GET"
          - "POST"
        credentials:
          - "ok:test"
          - "YWRtaW4zOmFkbWluMw=="
EOF

An HTTP filter will be injected at the gateway as an authentication filter. The Istio agent will interpret the WasmPlugin configuration, download remote Wasm modules from the OCI image registry to a local file, and inject the HTTP filter at the gateway by referencing that file.

Verify the traffic via the Gateway

1. Test /productpage without credentials

   $ kubectl exec deploy/sleep -- curl -s -w "%{http_code}" -o /dev/null "http://bookinfo-gateway-istio.default.svc.cluster.local/productpage"
   401
   

2. Test /productpage with credentials configured in the WasmPlugin resource

   $ kubectl exec deploy/sleep -- curl -s -o /dev/null -H "Authorization: Basic YWRtaW4zOmFkbWluMw==" -w "%{http_code}" "http://bookinfo-gateway-istio.default.svc.cluster.local/productpage"
   200
   

Apply Wasm Configuration at Waypoint Proxy

Waypoint proxies play a crucial role in Istio’s ambient mode, facilitating secure and efficient communication within the service mesh. Below, we will explore how to apply Wasm configuration to the waypoint, enhancing the proxy functionality dynamically.

Deploy a waypoint proxy

Follow the waypoint deployment instructions to deploy a waypoint proxy in the bookinfo namespace.

$ istioctl x waypoint apply --enroll-namespace --wait

Verify traffic without WasmPlugin at the waypoint

$ kubectl exec deploy/sleep -- curl -s -w "%{http_code}" -o /dev/null http://productpage:9080/productpage
200

Apply WasmPlugin at waypoint proxy

To configure a WebAssembly filter with a remote Wasm module, create a WasmPlugin resource targeting the waypoint gateway:

$ kubectl get gateway
NAME               CLASS            ADDRESS                                            PROGRAMMED   AGE
bookinfo-gateway   istio            bookinfo-gateway-istio.default.svc.cluster.local   True         23h
waypoint           istio-waypoint   10.96.202.82                                       True         21h

$ kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: extensions.istio.io/v1alpha1
kind: WasmPlugin
metadata:
  name: basic-auth-at-waypoint
spec:
  targetRefs:
    - kind: Gateway
      group: gateway.networking.k8s.io
      name: waypoint # gateway name retrieved from previous step
  url: oci://ghcr.io/istio-ecosystem/wasm-extensions/basic_auth:1.12.0
  phase: AUTHN
  pluginConfig:
    basic_auth_rules:
      - prefix: "/productpage"
        request_methods:
          - "GET"
          - "POST"
        credentials:
          - "ok:test"
          - "YWRtaW4zOmFkbWluMw=="
EOF

View the configured WasmPlugin

$ kubectl get wasmplugin
NAME                     AGE
basic-auth-at-gateway    28m
basic-auth-at-waypoint   14m

Verify the traffic via waypoint proxy

1. Test internal /productpage without credentials

   $ kubectl exec deploy/sleep -- curl -s -w "%{http_code}" -o /dev/null http://productpage:9080/productpage
   401
   

2. Test internal /productpage with credentials

   $ kubectl exec deploy/sleep -- curl -s -w "%{http_code}" -o /dev/null -H "Authorization: Basic YWRtaW4zOmFkbWluMw==" http://productpage:9080/productpage
   200
   

Apply WasmPlugin for a specific Service using Waypoint

To configure a WebAssembly filter with a remote Wasm module for a specific service, create a WasmPlugin resource targeting the specific service directly.

Create a WasmPlugin targeting the reviews service so that the extension applies only to the reviews service. In this configuration, the authentication token and the prefix are tailored specifically for the reviews service, ensuring that only requests directed towards it are subjected to this authentication mechanism.

$ kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: extensions.istio.io/v1alpha1
kind: WasmPlugin
metadata:
  name: basic-auth-for-service
spec:
  targetRefs:
    - kind: Service
      group: ""
      name: reviews
  url: oci://ghcr.io/istio-ecosystem/wasm-extensions/basic_auth:1.12.0
  phase: AUTHN
  pluginConfig:
    basic_auth_rules:
      - prefix: "/reviews"
        request_methods:
          - "GET"
          - "POST"
        credentials:
          - "ok:test"
          - "MXQtaW4zOmFkbWluMw=="
EOF

Verify the traffic targeting the Service

1. Test internal /productpage with credentials configured at the generic waypoint proxy

   $ kubectl exec deploy/sleep -- curl -s -w "%{http_code}" -o /dev/null -H "Authorization: Basic YWRtaW4zOmFkbWluMw==" http://productpage:9080/productpage
   200
   

2. Test internal /reviews with credentials configured at the specific reviews-svc-waypoint proxy

   $ kubectl exec deploy/sleep -- curl -s -w "%{http_code}" -o /dev/null -H "Authorization: Basic MXQtaW4zOmFkbWluMw==" http://reviews:9080/reviews/1
   200
   

3. Test internal /reviews without credentials

   $ kubectl exec deploy/sleep -- curl -s -w "%{http_code}" -o /dev/null http://reviews:9080/reviews/1
   401
   

When executing the provided command without credentials, it verifies that accessing the internal /productpage results in a 401 unauthorized response, demonstrating the expected behavior of failing to access the resource without proper authentication credentials.

Cleanup

1. Remove WasmPlugin configuration:

   $ kubectl delete wasmplugin basic-auth-at-gateway basic-auth-at-waypoint basic-auth-for-service
   

2. Follow the ambient mode uninstall guide to remove Istio and sample test applications.