HashiCorp, the popular infrastructure automation software provider, has released an upgraded version of its popular service mesh platform, Consul. Consul 1.15 features several new improvements aimed at enhancing service mesh functionality, including an enhanced system for interacting with Envoy, a Consul Envoy extension tool, and a new extension system that allows operators to easily modify Consul-generated Envoy resources.
Improved Envoy interactions
Consul 1.15 introduces several improvements to Envoy access logging, allowing for a more comprehensive understanding of incoming traffic patterns to the proxy. The tool provides in-depth details that make it easier for operators to understand how their service mesh is operating, thus enabling them to make better decisions.
Consul Envoy extensions
The release introduces Consul Envoy extensions, which permit operators to modify Consul-generated Envoy resources. This feature is an excellent addition to the architecture, as it will enable operators to work around the limitations of the system without modifying the Consul binary. Envoy extensions can be configured through the “EnvoyExtensions” field, which streamlines the process of modifying resources.
Extension system
Improving the Consul-generated Envoy extensions was an essential task for the developers. To that end, a new extension system is now part of Consul 1.15, featuring necessary changes that help operators adjust Consul-generated Envoy resources without customizing the Consul binary. It’s a more effective way to modify configurations, making it simpler for developers to make changes.
Service-to-service troubleshooting tool
To help diagnose and resolve issues, Consul 1.15 introduced a new built-in tool for service-to-service troubleshooting. This new feature will verify Envoy configurations on both upstream and downstream proxies, making it easier for operators to find and resolve issues.
The tool will validate the Envoy configurations on both the upstream and downstream proxies for both VM and Kubernetes setups. This feature will help operators identify issues and resolve them more effectively.
Consul dataplane and rate-limiting functionality
Consul 1.14 introduced a new feature, Consul Dataplane, which eliminates the need for deploying the Consul client agent when using Kubernetes. In Consul 1.15, the Consul server has added support for rate-limiting, which is a fundamental mechanism in managing the service mesh.
Consul 1.15 is now generally available to users. HashiCorp has continued to introduce necessary upgrades to the service mesh platform, providing operators with powerful tools that streamline the management and troubleshooting of service mesh issues, and make it easier to use Consul and deploy it within a Kubernetes context. The improved Envoy interaction, Consul Envoy extensions, the new extension system, and rate-limiting functionality all make Consul 1.15 a worthwhile upgrade for anybody working with service mesh platforms.