@ -8,6 +8,8 @@ description: Using Consul API gateway functionality
This topic describes how to use the Consul API Gateway add-on module, which helps users control access to services running within a Consul service mesh. The API gateway enables external network clients to access applications and services running in a Consul datacenter. This type of network traffic is commonly referred to as "north-south" network traffic as it refers to the flow of data into and out of a specific environment. Requests from clients can also be forwarded based on path or request protocol.
You can learn more about using Consul API Gateway by completing the [Consul API Gateway tutorial](https://learn.hashicorp.com/tutorials/consul/kubernetes-api-gateway).
## Introduction
Consul API Gateway implements the Kubernetes [Gateway API Specification](https://gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io/). This specification defines a set of custom resource definitions (CRD) that can create logical gateways and routes based on the path or protocol of a client request. Consul API Gateway solves two primary use cases:
@ -29,7 +31,7 @@ Your datacenter must meet the following requirements prior to configuring the Co