14: API security and RBAC

Kubernetes is API-centric and the API is served through the API server. In this chapter, you’ll follow a typical API request as it passes through various security-related checks.

The chapter is divided as follows:

  • API security big picture
  • Authentication
  • Authorization (RBAC)
  • Admission control

See Chapter 15 for an in-depth look at the API.

API security big picture

All of the following make CRUD-style requests to the API server (create, read, update, delete):

  • Operators and developers using kubectl
  • Pods
  • Kubelets
  • Control plane services
  • Kubernetes-native apps

Figure 14.1 shows the flow of a typical API request passing through the standard checks. The flow is the same, no matter where the request originates.

Figure ...

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