page_title: Service Defaults Configuration Reference
description: ->
Use the service-defaults configuration entry to set default configurations for services, such as upstreams, protocols, and namespaces. Learn how to configure service-defaults.
This topic describes how to configure service defaults configuration entries. The service defaults configuration entry contains common configuration settings for service mesh services, such as upstreams and gateways. Refer to [Define service defaults](/consul/docs/services/usage/define-services#define-service-defaults) for usage information.
"protocol": "<protocol for the upstream listener>",
"connectTimeoutMs": 5000,
"meshGateway": {
"mode": "<type of mesh gateway>"
},
"balanceOutboundConnections": "exact_balance",
"limits": {
"maxConnections": 0,
"maxPendingRequests": 0,
"maxConcurrentRequests": 0
},
"passiveHealthCheck": {
"interval": "0s",
"maxFailures": 0,
"enforcingConsecutive5xx": 100
}
}
],
"defaults": {
"protocol": "<protocol for the upstream listener>",
"connectTimeoutMs": 5000,
"meshGateway": {
"mode": "<type of mesh gateway>"
},
"balanceOutboundConnections": "exact_balance",
"limits": {
"maxConnections": 0,
"maxPendingRequests": 0,
"maxConcurrentRequests": 0
},
"passiveHealthCheck": {
"interval": "0s",
"maxFailures": 0,
"enforcingConsecutive5xx": 100
}
}
},
"transparentProxy": {
"outboundListenerPort": 15001,
"dialedDirectly": false
},
"destination": {
"addresses": [
"<First hostname or IP address>",
"<Second hostname or IP address>"
],
"port": 0
},
"maxInboundConnections": 0,
"meshGateway": {
"mode": "<type of mesh gateway>"
},
"externalSNI": "<name of TLS SNI outside o f the mesh>",
"expose": {
"checks": false,
"paths": [
{
"path": "<HTTP path to expose through Envoy>",
"localPathPort": 0,
"listenerPort": 0,
"protocol": "http"
}
]
}
}
}
```
</Tab>
</Tabs>
## Specification
This section provides details about the fields you can configure in the service defaults configuration entry.
<Tabs>
<Tab heading="HCL" group="hcl">
### `Kind`
Specifies the configuration entry type.
#### Values
- Default: none
- This field is required.
- Data type: String value that must be set to `service-defaults`.
### `Name`
Specifies the name of the service you are setting the defaults for.
#### Values
- Default: none
- This field is required.
- Data type: string
### `Namespace` <Enterprise/>
Specifies the Consul namespace that the configuration entry applies to.
#### Values
- Default: `default`
- Data type: string
### `Partition` <Enterprise/>
Specifies the name of the name of the Consul admin partition that the configuration entry applies to. Refer to [Admin Partitions](/consul/docs/enterprise/admin-partitions) for additional information.
#### Values
- Default: `default`
- Data type: string
### `Meta`
Specifies a set of custom key-value pairs to add to the [Consul KV](/consul/docs/dynamic-app-config/kv) store.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: Map of one or more key-value pairs.
- keys: string
- values: string, integer, or float
### `Protocol`
Specifies the default protocol for the service. In service mesh use cases, the `protocol` configuration is required to enable the following features and components:
You can set the global protocol for proxies in the [`proxy-defaults`](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/proxy-defaults#default-protocol) configuration entry, but the protocol specified in the `service-defaults` configuration entry overrides the `proxy-defaults` configuration.
#### Values
- Default: `tcp`
- You can speciyf one of the following string values:
- `tcp` (default)
- `http`
- `http2`
- `grpc`
Refer to [Set the default protocol](#set-the-default-protocol) for an example configuration.
### `BalanceInboundConnections`
Specifies the strategy for allocating inbound connections to the service across Envoy proxy threads. The only supported value is `exact_balance`. By default, no connections are balanced. Refer to the [Envoy documentation](https://cloudnative.to/envoy/api-v3/config/listener/v3/listener.proto.html#config-listener-v3-listener-connectionbalanceconfig) for details.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `Mode`
Specifies a mode for how the service directs inbound and outbound traffic.
- Default: none
- You can specify the following string values:
- `direct`: The proxy's listeners must be dialed directly by the local application and other proxies.
- `transparent`: The service captures inbound and outbound traffic and redirects it through the proxy. The mode does not enable the traffic redirection. It instructs Consul to configure Envoy as if traffic is already being redirected.
### `UpstreamConfig`
Controls default upstream connection settings and custom overrides for individual upstream services. If your network contains federated datacenters, individual upstream configurations apply to all pairs of source and upstream destination services in the network. Refer to the following fields for details:
Specifies options that override the [default upstream configurations](#upstreamconfig-defaults) for individual upstreams.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: list
### `UpstreamConfig.Overrides[].Name`
Specifies the name of the upstream service that the configuration applies to. We recommend that you do not use the `*` wildcard to avoid applying the configuration to unintended upstreams.
Specifies the namespace containing the upstream service that the configuration applies to. Do not use the `*` wildcard to prevent the configuration from appling to unintended upstreams.
Specifies the protocol to use for requests to the upstream listener.
We recommend configuring the protocol in the main [`Protocol`](#protocol) field of the configuration entry so that you can leverage [L7 features](/consul/docs/connect/l7-traffic). Setting the protocol in an upstream configuration limits L7 management functionality.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `UpstreamConfig.Overrides[].ConnectTimeoutMs`
Specifies how long in milliseconds that the service should attempt to establish an upstream connection before timing out.
We recommend configuring the upstream timeout in the [`connection_timeout`](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/service-resolver#connecttimeout) field of the `service-resolver` configuration entry for the upstream destination service. Doing so enables you to leverage [L7 features](/consul/docs/connect/l7-traffic). Configuring the timeout in the `service-defaults` upstream configuration limits L7 management functionality.
#### Values
- Default: `5000`
- Data type: integer
### `UpstreamConfig.Overrides[].MeshGateway`
Map that contains the default mesh gateway `mode` field for the upstream. Refer to [Connect Proxy Configuration](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/mesh-gateway#connect-proxy-configuration) in the mesh gateway documentation for additional information.
#### Values
- Default: `none`
- You can specify the following string values for the `mode` field:
- `none`: The service does not make outbound connections through a mesh gateway. Instead, the service makes outbound connections directly to the destination services.
- `local`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the same datacenter.
- `remote`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the destination datacenter.
Sets the strategy for allocating outbound connections from the upstream across Envoy proxy threads.
#### Values
The only supported value is `exact_balance`. By default, no connections are balanced. Refer to the [Envoy documentation](https://cloudnative.to/envoy/api-v3/config/listener/v3/listener.proto.html#config-listener-v3-listener-connectionbalanceconfig) for details.
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `UpstreamConfig.Overrides[].Limits`
Map that specifies a set of limits to apply to when connecting to individual upstream services.
#### Values
The following table describes limits you can configure:
| Limit | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `MaxConnections` | Specifies the maximum number of connections a service instance can establish against the upstream. Define this limit for HTTP/1.1 traffic. | integer | `0` |
| `MaxPendingRequests` | Specifies the maximum number of requests that are queued while waiting for a connection to establish. An L7 protocol must be defined in the [`protocol`](#protocol) field for this limit to take effect. | integer | `0` |
| `MaxConcurrentRequests` | Specifies the maximum number of concurrent requests. Define this limit for HTTP/2 traffic. An L7 protocol must be defined in the [`protocol`](#protocol) field for this limit to take effect. | integer | `0` |
Refer to the [upstream configuration example](#upstream-configuration) for additional guidance.
Map that specifies a set of rules that enable Consul to remove hosts from the upstream cluster that are unreachable or that return errors.
#### Values
The following table describes passive health check parameters you can configure:
| Limit | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Interval` | Specifies the time between checks. | string | `0s` |
| `MaxFailures` | Specifies the number of consecutive failures allowed per check interval. If exceeded, Consul removes the host from the load balancer. | integer | `0` |
| `EnforcingConsecutive5xx ` | Specifies a percentage that indicates how many times out of 100 that Consul ejects the host when it detects an outlier status. The outlier status is determined by consecutive errors in the 500-599 response range. | integer | `100` |
### `UpstreamConfig.Defaults`
Specifies configurations that set default upstream settings. For information about overriding the default configurations for in for individual upstreams, refer to [`UpstreamConfig.Overrides`](#upstreamconfig-overrides).
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: map
### `UpstreamConfig.Defaults.Protocol`
Specifies default protocol for upstream listeners.
We recommend configuring the protocol in the main [`Protocol`](#protocol) field of the configuration entry so that you can leverage [L7 features](/consul/docs/connect/l7-traffic). Setting the protocol in an upstream configuration limits L7 management functionality.
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `UpstreamConfig.Defaults.ConnectTimeoutMs`
Specifies how long in milliseconds that all services should continue attempting to establish an upstream connection before timing out.
For non-Kubernetes environments, we recommend configuring the upstream timeout in the [`connection_timeout`](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/service-resolver#connecttimeout) field of the `service-resolver` configuration entry for the upstream destination service. Doing so enables you to leverage [L7 features](/consul/docs/connect/l7-traffic). Configuring the timeout in the `service-defaults` upstream configuration limits L7 management functionality.
- Default: `5000`
- Data type: integer
### `UpstreamConfig.Defaults.MeshGateway`
Specifies the default mesh gateway `mode` field for all upstreams. Refer to [Connect Proxy Configuration](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/mesh-gateway#connect-proxy-configuration) in the mesh gateway documentation for additional information.
You can specify the following string values for the `mode` field:
- `none`: The service does not make outbound connections through a mesh gateway. Instead, the service makes outbound connections directly to the destination services.
- `local`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the same datacenter.
- `remote`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the destination datacenter.
Sets the strategy for allocating outbound connections from upstreams across Envoy proxy threads. The only supported value is `exact_balance`. By default, no connections are balanced. Refer to the [Envoy documentation](https://cloudnative.to/envoy/api-v3/config/listener/v3/listener.proto.html#config-listener-v3-listener-connectionbalanceconfig) for details.
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `UpstreamConfig.Defaults.Limits`
Map that specifies a set of limits to apply to when connecting upstream services. The following table describes limits you can configure:
| Limit | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `MaxConnections` | Specifies the maximum number of connections a service instance can establish against the upstream. Define this limit for HTTP/1.1 traffic. | integer | `0` |
| `MaxPendingRequests` | Specifies the maximum number of requests that are queued while waiting for a connection to establish. An L7 protocol must be defined in the [`protocol`](#protocol) field for this limit to take effect. | integer | `0` |
| `MaxConcurrentRequests` | Specifies the maximum number of concurrent requests. Define this limit for HTTP/2 traffic. An L7 protocol must be defined in the [`protocol`](#protocol) field for this limit to take effect. | integer | `0` |
### `UpstreamConfig.Defaults.PassiveHealthCheck`
Map that specifies a set of rules that enable Consul to remove hosts from the upstream cluster that are unreachable or that return errors. The following table describes the health check parameters you can configure:
| Limit | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Interval` | Specifies the time between checks. | string | `0s` |
| `MaxFailures` | Specifies the number of consecutive failures allowed per check interval. If exceeded, Consul removes the host from the load balancer. | integer | `0` |
| `EnforcingConsecutive5xx ` | Specifies a percentage that indicates how many times out of 100 that Consul ejects the host when it detects an outlier status. The outlier status is determined by consecutive errors in the 500-599 response range. | integer | `100` |
Controls configurations specific to proxies in transparent mode. Refer to [Transparent Proxy](/consul/docs/connect/transparent-proxy) for additional information.
You can configure the following parameters in the `TransparentProxy` block:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `OutboundListenerPort` | Specifies the port that the proxy listens on for outbound traffic. This must be the same port number where outbound application traffic is redirected. | integer | `15001` |
| `DialedDirectly` | Enables transparent proxies to dial the proxy instance's IP address directly when set to `true`. Transparent proxies commonly dial upstreams at the `"virtual"` tagged address, which load balances across instances. Dialing individual instances can be helpful for stateful services, such as a database cluster with a leader. | boolean | `false` |
List of extensions to modify Envoy proxy configuration. Refer to [Envoy Extensions](/consul/docs/connect/proxies/envoy-extensions) for additional information.
You can configure the following parameters in the `EnvoyExtensions` block:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Name` | Name of the extension. | string | `""` |
| `Required` | When Required is true and the extension does not update any Envoy resources, an error is returned. Use this parameter to ensure that extensions required for secure communication are not unintentionally bypassed. | string | `""` |
| `Arguments` | Arguments to pass to the extension executable. | map | `nil` |
Configures the destination for service traffic through terminating gateways. Refer to [Terminating Gateway](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/terminating-gateway) for additional information.
You can configure the following parameters in the `Destination` block:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Address` | Specifies a list of addresses for the destination. You can configure a list of hostnames and IP addresses. Wildcards are not supported. | list | none |
| `Port` | Specifies the port number of the destination. | integer | `0` |
### `MaxInboundConnections`
Specifies the maximum number of concurrent inbound connections to each service instance.
- Default: `0`
- Data type: integer
### `LocalConnectTimeoutMs`
Specifies the number of milliseconds allowed for establishing connections to the local application instance before timing out.
- Default: `5000`
- Data type: integer
### `LocalRequestTimeoutMs`
Specifies the timeout for HTTP requests to the local application instance. Applies to HTTP-based protocols only. If not specified, inherits the Envoy default for route timeouts.
- Default: Inherits `15s` from Envoy as the default
- Data type: string
### `MeshGateway`
Specifies the default mesh gateway `mode` field for the service. Refer to [Connect Proxy Configuration](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/mesh-gateway#connect-proxy-configuration) in the mesh gateway documentation for additional information.
You can specify the following string values for the `mode` field:
- `none`: The service does not make outbound connections through a mesh gateway. Instead, the service makes outbound connections directly to the destination services.
- `local`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the same datacenter.
- `remote`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the destination datacenter.
### `ExternalSNI`
Specifies the TLS server name indication (SNI) when federating with an external system.
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `Expose`
Specifies default configurations for exposing HTTP paths through Envoy. Exposing paths through Envoy enables services to listen on localhost only. Applications that are not Consul service mesh-enabled can still contact an HTTP endpoint. Refer to [Expose Paths Configuration Reference](/consul/docs/connect/registration/service-registration#expose-paths-configuration-reference) for additional information and example configurations.
- Default: none
- Data type: map
### `Expose.Checks`
Exposes all HTTP and gRPC checks registered with the agent if set to `true`. Envoy exposes listeners for the checks and only accepts connections originating from localhost or Consul's [`advertise_addr`](/consul/docs/agent/config/config-files#advertise_addr). The ports for the listeners are dynamically allocated from the agent's [`expose_min_port`](/consul/docs/agent/config/config-files#expose_min_port) and [`expose_max_port`](/consul/docs/agent/config/config-files#expose_max_port) configurations.
We recommend enabling the `Checks` configuration when a Consul client cannot reach registered services over localhost, such as when Consul agents run in their own pods in Kubernetes.
- Default: `false`
- Data type: boolean
### `Expose.Paths[]`
Specifies a list of configuration maps that define paths to expose through Envoy when `Expose.Checks` is set to `true`. You can configure the following parameters for each map in the list:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Path` | Specifies the HTTP path to expose. You must prepend the path with a forward slash (`/`). | string | none |
| `LocalPathPort` | Specifies the port where the local service listens for connections to the path. | integer | `0` |
| `ListenPort` | Specifies the port where the proxy listens for connections. The port must be available. If the port is unavailable, Envoy does not expose a listener for the path and the proxy registration still succeeds. | integer | `0` |
| `Protocol` | Specifies the protocol of the listener. You can configure one of the following values: <li>`http`</li><li>`http2`: Use with gRPC traffic</li> | integer | `http` |
</Tab>
<Tab heading="YAML" group="yaml">
### `apiVersion`
Specifies the version of the Consul API for integrating with Kubernetes. The value must be `consul.hashicorp.com/v1alpha1`. The `apiVersion` field is not supported for non-Kubernetes deployments.
- Default: none
- This field is required.
- String value that must be set to `consul.hashicorp.com/v1alpha1`.
### `kind`
Specifies the configuration entry type. Must be ` ServiceDefaults`.
- Required: required
- String value that must be set to `ServiceDefaults`.
### `metadata`
Map that contains the service name, namespace, and admin partition that the configuration entry applies to.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Map containing the following strings:
- [`name`](#name)
- [`namespace`](#namespace)
- [`partition`](#partition)
### `metadata.name`
Specifies the name of the service you are setting the defaults for.
#### Values
- Default: none
- This field is required
- Data type: string
### `metadata.namespace` <Enterprise/>
Specifies the Consul namespace that the configuration entry applies to. Refer to [Consul Enterprise](/consul/docs/k8s/crds#consul-enterprise) for information about how Consul namespaces map to Kubernetes Namespaces. Open source Consul distributions (Consul OSS) ignore the `metadata.namespace` configuration.
- Default: `default`
- Data type: string
### `spec`
Map that contains the details about the `ServiceDefaults` configuration entry. The `apiVersion`, `kind`, and `metadata` fields are siblings of the `spec` field. All other configurations are children.
### `spec.protocol`
Specifies the default protocol for the service. In service service mesh use cases, the `protocol` configuration is required to enable the following features and components:
You can set the global protocol for proxies in the [`ProxyDefaults` configuration entry](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/proxy-defaults#default-protocol), but the protocol specified in the `ServiceDefaults` configuration entry overrides the `ProxyDefaults` configuration.
#### Values
- Default: `tcp`
- You can specify one of the following string values:
- `tcp`
- `http`
- `http2`
- `grpc`
Refer to [Set the default protocol](#set-the-default-protocol) for an example configuration.
### `spec.balanceInboundConnections`
Specifies the strategy for allocating inbound connections to the service across Envoy proxy threads. The only supported value is `exact_balance`. By default, no connections are balanced. Refer to the [Envoy documentation](https://cloudnative.to/envoy/api-v3/config/listener/v3/listener.proto.html#config-listener-v3-listener-connectionbalanceconfig) for details.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `spec.mode`
Specifies a mode for how the service directs inbound and outbound traffic.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Required: optional
- You can specified the following string values:
- `direct`: The proxy's listeners must be dialed directly by the local application and other proxies.
- `transparent`: The service captures inbound and outbound traffic and redirects it through the proxy. The mode does not enable the traffic redirection. It instructs Consul to configure Envoy as if traffic is already being redirected.
### `spec.upstreamConfig`
Specifies a map that controls default upstream connection settings and custom overrides for individual upstream services. If your network contains federated datacenters, individual upstream configurations apply to all pairs of source and upstream destination services in the network.
Specifies options that override the [default upstream configurations](#spec-upstreamconfig-defaults) for individual upstreams.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: list
### `spec.upstreamConfig.overrides[].name`
Specifies the name of the upstream service that the configuration applies to. Do not use the `*` wildcard to prevent the configuration from applying to unintended upstreams.
Specifies the namespace containing the upstream service that the configuration applies to. Do not use the `*` wildcard to prevent the configuration from applying to unintended upstreams.
Specifies the protocol to use for requests to the upstream listener. We recommend configuring the protocol in the main [`protocol`](#protocol) field of the configuration entry so that you can leverage [L7 features](/consul/docs/connect/l7-traffic). Setting the protocol in an upstream configuration limits L7 management functionality.
#### Values
- Default: inherits the main [`protocol`](#protocol) configuration
Specifies how long in milliseconds that the service should attempt to establish an upstream connection before timing out.
We recommend configuring the upstream timeout in the [`connectTimeout`](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/service-resolver#connecttimeout) field of the `ServiceResolver` CRD for the upstream destination service. Doing so enables you to leverage [L7 features](/consul/docs/connect/l7-traffic). Configuring the timeout in the `ServiceDefaults` upstream configuration limits L7 management functionality.
Map that contains the default mesh gateway `mode` field for the upstream. Refer to [Connect Proxy Configuration](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/mesh-gateway#connect-proxy-configuration) in the mesh gateway documentation for additional information.
#### Values
You can specify the following string values for the `mode` field:
- `none`: The service does not make outbound connections through a mesh gateway. Instead, the service makes outbound connections directly to the destination services.
- `local`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the same datacenter.
- `remote`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the destination datacenter.
Sets the strategy for allocating outbound connections from the upstream across Envoy proxy threads. The only supported value is `exact_balance`. By default, no connections are balanced. Refer to the [Envoy documentation](https://cloudnative.to/envoy/api-v3/config/listener/v3/listener.proto.html#config-listener-v3-listener-connectionbalanceconfig) for details.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `spec.upstreamConfig.overrides[].limits`
Map that specifies a set of limits to apply to when connecting to individual upstream services.
#### Values
The following table describes limits you can configure:
| Limit | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `maxConnections` | Specifies the maximum number of connections a service instance can establish against the upstream. Define this limit for HTTP/1.1 traffic. | integer | `0` |
| `maxPendingRequests` | Specifies the maximum number of requests that are queued while waiting for a connection to establish. An L7 protocol must be defined in the [`protocol`](#protocol) field for this limit to take effect. | integer | `0` |
| `maxConcurrentRequests` | Specifies the maximum number of concurrent requests. Define this limit for HTTP/2 traffic. An L7 protocol must be defined in the [`protocol`](#protocol) field for this limit to take effect. | integer | `0` |
Map that specifies a set of rules that enable Consul to remove hosts from the upstream cluster that are unreachable or that return errors.
#### Values
The following table describes passive health check parameters you can configure:
| Limit | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `interval` | Specifies the time between checks. | string | `0s` |
| `maxFailures` | Specifies the number of consecutive failures allowed per check interval. If exceeded, Consul removes the host from the load balancer. | integer | `0` |
| `enforcingConsecutive5xx ` | Specifies a percentage that indicates how many times out of 100 that Consul ejects the host when it detects an outlier status. The outlier status is determined by consecutive errors in the 500-599 response range. | integer | `100` |
### `spec.upstreamConfig.defaults`
Map of configurations that set default upstream configurations for the service. For information about overriding the default configurations for in for individual upstreams, refer to [`spec.upstreamConfig.overrides`](#spec-upstreamconfig-overrides).
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: list
### `spec.upstreamConfig.defaults.protocol`
Specifies default protocol for upstream listeners. We recommend configuring the protocol in the main [`Protocol`](#protocol) field of the configuration entry so that you can leverage [L7 features](/consul/docs/connect/l7-traffic). Setting the protocol in an upstream configuration limits L7 management functionality.
Specifies how long in milliseconds that all services should continue attempting to establish an upstream connection before timing out.
We recommend configuring the upstream timeout in the [`connectTimeout`](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/service-resolver#connecttimeout) field of the `ServiceResolver` CRD for upstream destination services. Doing so enables you to leverage [L7 features](/consul/docs/connect/l7-traffic). Configuring the timeout in the `ServiceDefaults` upstream configuration limits L7 management functionality.
Specifies the default mesh gateway `mode` field for all upstreams. Refer to [Connect Proxy Configuration](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/mesh-gateway#connect-proxy-configuration) in the mesh gateway documentation for additional information.
#### Values
You can specify the following string values for the `mode` field:
- `none`: The service does not make outbound connections through a mesh gateway. Instead, the service makes outbound connections directly to the destination services.
- `local`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the same datacenter.
- `remote`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the destination datacenter.
Sets the strategy for allocating outbound connections from upstreams across Envoy proxy threads. The only supported value is `exact_balance`. By default, no connections are balanced. Refer to the [Envoy documentation](https://cloudnative.to/envoy/api-v3/config/listener/v3/listener.proto.html#config-listener-v3-listener-connectionbalanceconfig) for details.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `spec.upstreamConfig.defaults.limits`
Map that specifies a set of limits to apply to when connecting upstream services.
#### Values
The following table describes limits you can configure:
| Limit | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `maxConnections` | Specifies the maximum number of connections a service instance can establish against the upstream. Define this limit for HTTP/1.1 traffic. | integer | `0` |
| `maxPendingRequests` | Specifies the maximum number of requests that are queued while waiting for a connection to establish. An L7 protocol must be defined in the [`protocol`](#protocol) field for this limit to take effect. | integer | `0` |
| `maxConcurrentRequests` | Specifies the maximum number of concurrent requests. Define this limit for HTTP/2 traffic. An L7 protocol must be defined in the [`protocol`](#protocol) field for this limit to take effect. | integer | `0` |
Map that specifies a set of rules that enable Consul to remove hosts from the upstream cluster that are unreachable or that return errors.
#### Values
The following table describes the health check parameters you can configure:
| Limit | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `interval` | Specifies the time between checks. | string | `0s` |
| `maxFailures` | Specifies the number of consecutive failures allowed per check interval. If exceeded, Consul removes the host from the load balancer. | integer | `0` |
| `enforcingConsecutive5xx ` | Specifies a percentage that indicates how many times out of 100 that Consul ejects the host when it detects an outlier status. The outlier status is determined by consecutive errors in the 500-599 response range. | integer | `100` |
### `spec.transparentProxy`
Map of configurations specific to proxies in transparent mode. Refer to [Transparent Proxy](/consul/docs/connect/transparent-proxy) for additional information.
#### Values
You can configure the following parameters in the `TransparentProxy` block:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `outboundListenerPort` | Specifies the port that the proxy listens on for outbound traffic. This must be the same port number where outbound application traffic is redirected. | integer | `15001` |
| `dialedDirectly` | Enables transparent proxies to dial the proxy instance's IP address directly when set to `true`. Transparent proxies commonly dial upstreams at the `"virtual"` tagged address, which load balances across instances. Dialing individual instances can be helpful for stateful services, such as a database cluster with a leader. | boolean | `false` |
List of extensions to modify Envoy proxy configuration. Refer to [Envoy Extensions](/consul/docs/connect/proxies/envoy-extensions) for additional information.
#### Values
You can configure the following parameters in the `EnvoyExtensions` block:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `name` | Name of the extension. | string | `""` |
| `required` | When Required is true and the extension does not update any Envoy resources, an error is returned. Use this parameter to ensure that extensions required for secure communication are not unintentionally bypassed. | string | `""` |
| `arguments` | Arguments to pass to the extension executable. | map | `nil` |
Map of configurations that specify one or more destinations for service traffic routed through terminating gateways. Refer to [Terminating Gateway](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/terminating-gateway) for additional information.
You can configure the following parameters in the `Destination` block:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `address` | Specifies a list of addresses for the destination. You can configure a list of hostnames and IP addresses. Wildcards are not supported. | list | none |
| `port` | Specifies the port number of the destination. | integer | `0` |
### `spec.maxInboundConnections`
Specifies the maximum number of concurrent inbound connections to each service instance.
#### Values
- Default: `0`
- Data type: integer
### `spec.localConnectTimeoutMs`
Specifies the number of milliseconds allowed for establishing connections to the local application instance before timing out.
#### Values
- Default: `5000`
- Data type: integer
### `spec.localRequestTimeoutMs`
Specifies the timeout for HTTP requests to the local application instance. Applies to HTTP-based protocols only. If not specified, inherits the Envoy default for route timeouts.
#### Values
- Default of `15s` is inherited from Envoy
- Data type: string
### `spec.meshGateway.mode`
Specifies the default mesh gateway `mode` field for the service. Refer to [Connect Proxy Configuration](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/mesh-gateway#connect-proxy-configuration) in the mesh gateway documentation for additional information.
#### Values
You can specify the following string values for the `mode` field:
- `none`: The service does not make outbound connections through a mesh gateway. Instead, the service makes outbound connections directly to the destination services.
- `local`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the same datacenter.
- `remote`: The service mesh proxy makes an outbound connection to a gateway running in the destination datacenter.
### `spec.externalSNI`
Specifies the TLS server name indication (SNI) when federating with an external system.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `spec.expose`
Specifies default configurations for exposing HTTP paths through Envoy. Exposing paths through Envoy enables services to listen on localhost only. Applications that are not Consul service mesh-enabled can still contact an HTTP endpoint. Refer to [Expose Paths Configuration Reference](/consul/docs/connect/registration/service-registration#expose-paths-configuration-reference) for additional information and example configurations.
#### Values
- Default: none
- Data type: string
### `spec.expose.checks`
Exposes all HTTP and gRPC checks registered with the agent if set to `true`. Envoy exposes listeners for the checks and only accepts connections originating from localhost or Consul's [`advertise_addr`](/consul/docs/agent/config/config-files#advertise_addr). The ports for the listeners are dynamically allocated from the agent's [`expose_min_port`](/consul/docs/agent/config/config-files#expose_min_port) and [`expose_max_port`](/consul/docs/agent/config/config-files#expose_max_port) configurations.
We recommend enabling the `Checks` configuration when a Consul client cannot reach registered services over localhost, such as when Consul agents run in their own pods in Kubernetes.
#### Values
- Default: `false`
- Data type: boolean
### `spec.expose.paths[]`
Specifies an list of maps that define paths to expose through Envoy when `spec.expose.checks` is set to `true`.
#### Values
The following table describes the parameters for each map:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `path` | Specifies the HTTP path to expose. You must prepend the path with a forward slash (`/`). | string | none |
| `localPathPort` | Specifies the port where the local service listens for connections to the path. | integer | `0` |
| `listenPort` | Specifies the port where the proxy listens for connections. The port must be available. If the port is unavailable, Envoy does not expose a listener for the path and the proxy registration still succeeds. | integer | `0` |
| `protocol` | Specifies the protocol of the listener. You can configure one of the following values: <li>`http`</li><li>`http2`: Use with gRPC traffic</li> | integer | `http` |
</Tab>
</Tabs>
## Example configurations
The following examples describe common `service-defaults` configurations.
### Set the default protocol
In the following example, protocol for the `web` service in the `default` namespace is set to `http`:
You can also set the global default protocol for all proxies in the [`proxy-defaults` configuration entry](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/proxy-defaults#default-protocol), but the protocol specified for individual service instances in the `service-defaults` configuration entry takes precedence over the globally-configured value set in the `proxy-defaults`.
The following example configures the default connection limits and mesh gateway mode for all of the `counting` service's upstreams. It also overrides the mesh gateway mode used when dialing the `dashboard` service in the `frontend` namespace.
'Specifies the name of the admin partition in which the configuration entry applies. Refer to the [Admin Partitions documentation](/consul/docs/enterprise/admin-partitions) for additional information.',
'If running Consul Open Source, the namespace is ignored (see [Kubernetes Namespaces in Consul OSS](/consul/docs/k8s/crds#consul-oss)). If running Consul Enterprise see [Kubernetes Namespaces in Consul Enterprise](/consul/docs/k8s/crds#consul-enterprise) for more details.',
'Specifies the admin partition in which the configuration will apply. The current partition is used if unspecified. Refer to the [Admin Partitions documentation](/consul/docs/enterprise/admin-partitions) for details. The partitions parameter is not supported in Consul OSS.',
description: ' The number of milliseconds allowed to make connections to the local application instance before timing out. Defaults to 5000.',
type: 'int: 0',
yaml: false,
},
{
name: 'LocalRequestTimeoutMs',
description: ' In milliseconds, the timeout for HTTP requests to the local application instance. Applies to HTTP-based protocols only. If not specified, inherits the Envoy default for route timeouts (15s).',
[expose_min_port](/consul/docs/agent/config/config-files#expose_min_port) to [expose_max_port](/consul/docs/agent/config/config-files#expose_max_port).
