Use the NGINX Ingress controller to implement canary releases and blue-green releases - Container Service for Kubernetes

Background information

You can implement a canary release or a blue-green release to publish applications of an earlier and a new version to identical production environments. In this case, when users send requests, ACK routes some requests to the earlier version based on specific rules. If the new version runs as normal for a period of time, you can switch all traffic from the earlier version to the new version.

A/B testing is a way of implementing canary releases. In A/B testing, some users use the earlier version, and requests from the other users are forwarded to the new version. If the new version runs as normal for a period of time, you can gradually switch all traffic to the new version.

You can configure how to implement canary releases by using one of the following methods in the ACK console:

Use canary-* annotations: You can use canary-* annotations to configure how to implement blue-green releases and canary releases. canary-* annotations are used by Kubernetes.
Use service-* annotations: You can use service-* annotations to configure how to implement blue-green releases and canary releases. service-* annotations are used by early NGINX Ingress controller versions to implement canary releases. The service-match and service-weight features are no longer maintained and will be deprecated soon. service-* annotations can still be used.

Scenarios

Traffic splitting based on requests

For example, you have already created Service A in your production environment to provide Layer 7 access for users. When new features are available, you want to create Service A' for the new application version. If you want to keep Service A for external access, you can forward requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match bar or whose values of the foo parameters in the cookies match bar to Service A'. If the new version stably runs for a period of time, you can switch all traffic from Service A to Service A'. Then, you can delete Service A. Solution 1

Traffic splitting based on Service weights

For example, you have already created Service B in your production environment to provide Layer 7 access for users. When some issues are fixed, you want to create Service B' for the new application version. If you want to keep Service B for external access, you can switch 20% of traffic to Service B'. If the new version stably runs for a period of time, you can switch all traffic from Service B to Service B'. Then, you can delete Service B. Scenario 2

Ingress controllers of ACK provide the following traffic splitting methods to support the preceding requirements of application releases.

Traffic splitting based on request headers. This method applies to scenarios where canary releases or A/B testing is required.
Traffic splitting based on cookies. This method applies to scenarios where canary releases or A/B testing is required.
Traffic splitting based on query parameters. This method applies to scenarios where canary releases or A/B testing is required.
Traffic splitting based on Service weights. This method applies to scenarios where blue-green releases are required.

Use canary-* annotations

Annotations

The following table describes the canary-* annotations that are used by the NGINX Ingress controller to implement canary releases.


Annotation	Description	Applicable NGINX Ingress controller version
nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary	You must set the value to `true`. If you do not set the value to true, other rules do not take effect. Valid values: `true`: enables the `canary` feature. `false`: disables the `canary` feature.	≥ 0.22.0
nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header	Implements canary releases based on request headers. The following special values are supported: `always`: forwards all traffic to the new application version. `never`: does not forward traffic to the new application version. If you do not specify a header, all requests with headers are forwarded.	≥ 0.22.0
nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header-value	Implements canary releases based on request header values. You must use this annotation with the `canary-by-header` annotation.	≥ 0.30.0
nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header-pattern	Implements canary releases based on whether request header values match the specified regular expression. You must use this annotation with the `canary-by-header` annotation. Set the value to a regular expression that you want to use to match request header values.	≥ 0.44.0
nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-cookie	Implements canary releases based on cookies. The following special values are supported: `always`: forwards all traffic to the new application version. `never`: does not forward traffic to the new application version. If you do not specify a cookie, all requests with cookies are forwarded.	≥ 0.22.0
nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-weight	Implements canary releases based on weights. Valid values: 0 to the total weight. The default total weight is 100.	≥ 0.22.0
nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-weight-total	The total weight. The default total weight is 100.	≥ .1.1.2

The preceding annotations take effect in descending order of precedence:

canary-by-header>canary-by-cookie>canary-weight

Note You can specify only one canary Ingress in an Ingress rule. If you specify more than one canary Ingress, only one canary Ingress is used to implement canary releases.

Procedure

Step 1: Deploy an application

Create an NGINX application and deploy the NGINX Ingress controller to enable Layer 7 access to the application by using domain names.

Create a Deployment and a Service.

Create a file named nginx.yaml.

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: old-nginx
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      run: old-nginx
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        run: old-nginx
    spec:
      containers:
      - image: registry.cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/acs-sample/old-nginx
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        name: old-nginx
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
          protocol: TCP
      restartPolicy: Always
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: old-nginx
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 80
    protocol: TCP
    targetPort: 80
  selector:
    run: old-nginx
  sessionAffinity: None
  type: NodePort

Run the following command to create the Deployment and Service:
```
kubectl apply -f nginx.yaml
```

Create an Ingress.

Create a file named ingress.yaml.

Clusters that run Kubernetes versions earlier than 1.19Clusters that run Kubernetes 1.19 and later versions

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: old-nginx
          servicePort: 80

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: old-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific

Run the following command to create the Ingress:
```
kubectl apply -f ingress.yaml
```

Test access to the Ingress.
1. Run the following command to query the IP address of the Ingress for external access:
```
kubectl get ingress
```
2. Run the following command to access the Ingress:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com"  http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
old
```

Step 2: Implement a canary release of the application

Release a new NGINX application version and configure Ingress rules.

Create a Deployment and a Service for the new application version.

Create a file named nginx1.yaml.

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: new-nginx
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      run: new-nginx
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        run: new-nginx
    spec:
      containers:
      - image: registry.cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/acs-sample/new-nginx
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        name: new-nginx
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
          protocol: TCP
      restartPolicy: Always
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: new-nginx
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 80
    protocol: TCP
    targetPort: 80
  selector:
    run: new-nginx
  sessionAffinity: None
  type: NodePort

Run the following command to deploy a Deployment and a Service for the new application version:
```
kubectl apply -f nginx1.yaml
```

Configure Ingress rules for the new application version.

ACK provides the following types of Ingress rules. Select a type of Ingress rule based on your requirements.

Configure Ingress rules to forward requests that match the rules to the new application version. In the following example, only requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new application version.

Create an Ingress named gray-release-canary to meet the requirements for forwarding requests.

Clusters that run Kubernetes versions earlier than 1.19Clusters that run Kubernetes 1.19 and later versions

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release-canary
  annotations:
    # Enable the canary release feature. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary: "true"
    # Set the request header to foo. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header: "foo"
    # Only requests whose headers are foo and header values are bar are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header-value: "bar"
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: new-nginx
          servicePort: 80

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release-canary
  annotations:
    # Enable the canary release feature. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary: "true"
    # Set the request header to foo. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header: "foo"
    # Only requests whose headers are foo and header values are bar are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header-value: "bar"
    
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: new-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific

Test access to the Ingress.
- Run the following command to access the NGINX application:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com"  http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
old
```
- Run the following command to access the NGINX application by using a request whose value of the foo parameter in the request header matches the regular expression bar:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com" -H "foo: bar" http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
new
```
You can run the preceding commands again to test the access. The result shows that only requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new application version.

Configure Ingress rules to forward a specific proportion of requests that match the rules to the new application version. In the following example, only 50% of the requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new application version.

Perform the following steps to modify the Ingress that you created in 2.

Clusters that run Kubernetes versions earlier than 1.19Clusters that run Kubernetes 1.19 and later versions

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release-canary
  annotations:
    # Enable the canary release feature. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary: "true"
    # Set the request header to foo. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header: "foo"
    # Only requests whose headers are foo and header values are bar are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header-value: "bar"
    # Only 50% of the requests that match the preceding rule are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-weight: "50"
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: new-nginx
          servicePort: 80

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release-canary
  annotations:
    # Enable the canary release feature. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary: "true"
    # Set the request header to foo. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header: "foo"
    # Only requests whose headers are foo and header values are bar are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-by-header-value: "bar"
    # Only 50% of the requests that match the preceding rule are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-weight: "50"
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: new-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific

Test access to the Ingress.
- Run the following command to access the NGINX application:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com"  http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
old
```
- Run the following command to access the NGINX application by using a request whose value of the foo parameter in the request header matches the regular expression bar:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com" -H "foo: bar" http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
new
```
You can run the preceding commands again to test the access. The result shows that only 50% of the requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new application version.

Configure Ingress rules to forward a specific proportion of requests to the new application version. In the following example, only 50% of requests are forwarded to the new application version.

Modify the Ingress that is created in 2 based on the following content:

Clusters that run Kubernetes versions earlier than 1.19Clusters that run Kubernetes 1.19 and later versions

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release-canary
  annotations:
    # Enable the canary release feature. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary: "true"
    # Only 50% of requests are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    # The default total weight is 100. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-weight: "50"
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: new-nginx
          servicePort: 80

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release-canary
  annotations:
    # Enable the canary release feature. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary: "true"
    # Only 50% of requests are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    # The default total weight is 100. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/canary-weight: "50"
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: new-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific

Run the following command to access the Ingress:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com" http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
You can run the preceding command again to test the access. The result shows that only 50% of the requests are forwarded to the new application version.

Step 3: Delete the earlier application version and the related Service

If the new application version runs as expected for a period of time, you need to bring the earlier application version offline and provide only the new application version for access. To do this, you must use the Service that is related to the Deployment created for the earlier application version to provide access to the Deployment created for the new application version. You must also delete the Deployment created for the earlier application version and the Service that is created for the Deployment created for the new application version.

Modify the Service that is created for the earlier application version.

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: old-nginx
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 80
    protocol: TCP
    targetPort: 80
  selector:
    # Specify a selector that is used to select the Deployment created for the new application version. 
    run: new-nginx
  sessionAffinity: None
  type: NodePort

Run the following command to access the Ingress:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com" http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
Expected output:
```
new
```
You can run the preceding command again to test the access. The result shows that all the requests are forwarded to the new application version.
Run the following command to delete the gray-release-canary canary Ingress:
```
kubectl delete ingress gray-release-canary
```
Delete the Deployment that is created for the earlier application version and the Service that is created for the new application version.
1. Run the following command to delete the Deployment created for the earlier application version:
```
kubectl delete deploy old-nginx
```
2. Run the following command to delete the Service that is created for the new application version:
```
kubectl delete svc new-nginx
```

service-* annotations

Annotations

The following list describes the service-* annotations that are used by the NGINX Ingress controller to implement canary releases:

nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-match

This annotation is used to configure match rules for requests to the Service that is created for the new application version.

nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-match: | 
    <service-name>: <match-rule>
# Parameters
# service-name: the name of a Service. Requests that match the rules specified by match-rule are forwarded to the Service. 
# match-rule: the match rules for requests.
#
# Match rules:
# 1. The following types of match rules are supported:
# - header: matches requests based on the request header. Regular expressions and exact match rules are supported. 
# - cookie: matches requests based on the cookie. Regular expressions and exact match rules are supported. 
# - query: based on the query parameters. Regular expressions and exact match rules are supported. 
#
# 2. The following match methods are supported:
# - Regular expressions: /{regular expression}/. A regular expression is enclosed within forward slashes (/). 
# - Exact match rules:"{exact expression}". An exact match rule is enclosed within quotation marks (").

Examples of match rules:

# If the value of the foo parameter in the request header matches the regular expression ^bar$, the request is forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
new-nginx: header("foo", /^bar$/)
# If the value of the foo parameter in the request header exactly matches the value bar, the request is forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
new-nginx: header("foo", "bar")
# If the value of the foo parameter in the cookie matches the regular expression ^sticky-.+$, the request is forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
new-nginx: cookie("foo", /^sticky-.+$/)
# If the value of the foo parameter in the query parameters exactly matches the value bar, the request is forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
new-nginx: query("foo", "bar")

nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-weight

This annotation is used to set the weights of the Services that are created for the earlier and new application versions.

nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-weight: | 
    <new-svc-name>:<new-svc-weight>, <old-svc-name>:<old-svc-weight>
Parameter description:
new-svc-name: the name of the Service that is created for the new application version.
new-svc-weight: the traffic weight of the Service that is created for the new application version.
old-svc-name: the name of the Service that is created for the earlier application version.
old-svc-weight: the traffic weight of the Service that is created for the earlier application version.

Example of Service weight configurations:

nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-weight: | 
    new-nginx: 20, old-nginx: 60

Procedure

Step 1: Deploy an application

Create an NGINX application and deploy the NGINX Ingress controller to enable Layer 7 access to the application by using domain names.

Create a Deployment and a Service.

Create a file named nginx.yaml.

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: old-nginx
spec:
  replicas: 2
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      run: old-nginx
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        run: old-nginx
    spec:
      containers:
      - image: registry.cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/acs-sample/old-nginx
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        name: old-nginx
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
          protocol: TCP
      restartPolicy: Always
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: old-nginx
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 80
    protocol: TCP
    targetPort: 80
  selector:
    run: old-nginx
  sessionAffinity: None
  type: NodePort

Run the following command to create the Deployment and Service:
```
kubectl apply -f nginx.yaml
```

Create an Ingress.

Create a file named ingress.yaml.

Clusters that run Kubernetes versions earlier than 1.19Clusters that run Kubernetes 1.19 and later versions

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: old-nginx
          servicePort: 80

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: old-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific

Run the following command to create the Ingress:
```
kubectl apply -f ingress.yaml
```

Test access to the Ingress.
1. Run the following command to query the IP address of the Ingress for external access:
```
kubectl get ingress
```
2. Run the following command to access the Ingress:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com"  http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
old
```

Step 2: Implement a canary release of the application

Release a new NGINX application version and configure Ingress rules.

Create a Deployment and a Service for the new application version.

Create a file named nginx1.yaml.

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: new-nginx
spec:
  replicas: 1
  selector:
    matchLabels:
      run: new-nginx
  template:
    metadata:
      labels:
        run: new-nginx
    spec:
      containers:
      - image: registry.cn-hangzhou.aliyuncs.com/acs-sample/new-nginx
        imagePullPolicy: Always
        name: new-nginx
        ports:
        - containerPort: 80
          protocol: TCP
      restartPolicy: Always
---
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: new-nginx
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 80
    protocol: TCP
    targetPort: 80
  selector:
    run: new-nginx
  sessionAffinity: None
  type: NodePort

Create a Deployment and a Service for the new application version.
```
kubectl apply -f nginx1.yaml
```

Configure Ingress rules for the new application version.

ACK provides the following types of Ingress rules. Select a type of Ingress rule based on your requirements.

Configure Ingress rules to forward requests that match the rules to the new application version. In the following example, only requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new application version.

Modify the Ingress that is created in 2 based on the following content:

Clusters that run Kubernetes versions earlier than 1.19Clusters that run Kubernetes 1.19 and later versions

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
  annotations:
    # Only requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-match: | 
      new-nginx: header("foo", /^bar$/)
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: old-nginx
          servicePort: 80
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: new-nginx
          servicePort: 80

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
  annotations:
    # Only requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-match: | 
      new-nginx: header("foo", /^bar$/)
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: old-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: new-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific

Test access to the Ingress.
- Run the following command to access the NGINX application:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com"  http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
old
```
- Run the following command to access the NGINX application by using a request whose value of the foo parameter in the request header matches the regular expression bar:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com" -H "foo: bar" http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
new
```
You can run the preceding commands again to test the access. The result shows that only requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new application version.

Configure Ingress rules to forward a specific proportion of requests that match the rules to the new application version. In the following example, only 50% of the requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new application version.

Modify the Ingress that is created in 2 based on the following content:

Clusters that run Kubernetes versions earlier than 1.19Clusters that run Kubernetes 1.19 and later versions

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
  annotations:
    # Only requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-match: |
        new-nginx: header("foo", /^bar$/)
    # Only 50% of the requests that match the preceding rule are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-weight: |
        new-nginx: 50, old-nginx: 50
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: old-nginx
          servicePort: 80
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: new-nginx
          servicePort: 80

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
  annotations:
    # Only requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-match: |
        new-nginx: header("foo", /^bar$/)
    # Only 50% of the requests that match the preceding rule are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-weight: |
        new-nginx: 50, old-nginx: 50
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: old-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: new-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific

Test access to the Ingress.
- Run the following command to access the NGINX application:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com"  http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
old
```
- Run the following command to access Run the following command to access the NGINX application: by using a request whose value of the foo parameter in the request header matches the regular expression bar:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com" -H "foo: bar" http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
  Expected output:
```
new
```
You can run the preceding commands again to test the access. The result shows that only 50% of the requests whose values of the foo parameters in the request headers match the regular expression bar are forwarded to the new application version.

Configure Ingress rules to forward a specific proportion of requests to the new application version. In the following example, only 50% of requests are forwarded to the new application version.

Modify the Ingress that is created in 2 based on the following content:

Clusters that run Kubernetes versions earlier than 1.19Clusters that run Kubernetes 1.19 and later versions

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
  annotations:
      # 50% of requests are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
      nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-weight: |
          new-nginx: 50, old-nginx: 50
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: old-nginx
          servicePort: 80
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: new-nginx
          servicePort: 80

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
  annotations:
      # 50% of requests are forwarded to the new-nginx Service. 
      nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/service-weight: |
          new-nginx: 50, old-nginx: 50
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the earlier application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: old-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: new-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific

Run the following command to access the Ingress:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com" http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
You can run the preceding command again to test the access. The result shows that only 50% of the requests are forwarded to the new application version.

Step 3: Delete the earlier application version and the related Service

If the new application version runs as expected for a period of time, you need to bring the earlier application version offline and provide only the new application version for access.

Modify the Ingress that is created in 2 based on the following content:

Clusters that run Kubernetes versions earlier than 1.19Clusters that run Kubernetes 1.19 and later versions

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          serviceName: new-nginx
          servicePort: 80

apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: gray-release
spec:
  rules:
  - host: www.example.com
    http:
      paths:
      # Information about the Service that is created for the new application version. 
      - path: /
        backend:
          service: 
            name: new-nginx
            port:
              number: 80
        pathType: ImplementationSpecific

Run the following command to access the Ingress:
```
curl -H "Host: www.example.com" http://<EXTERNAL_IP>
```
Expected output:
```
new
```
You can run the preceding command again to test the access. The result shows that all the requests are forwarded to the new application version.
Delete the Deployment and Service that are created for the earlier application version.
1. Run the following command to delete the Deployment that is created for the earlier application version:
```
kubectl delete deploy <Deployment name>
```
2. Run the following command to delete the Service that is created for the earlier application version:
```
kubectl delete svc <Service name>
```