CodersSecret

Course guide

Secure Service-to-Service Communication in Kubernetes

Implement mTLS, workload identity, and authorization policies for secure east-west traffic between Kubernetes services.

By default, Kubernetes services communicate in plaintext. Any pod on the network can intercept traffic between services. NetworkPolicies restrict which pods can communicate, but they do not encrypt traffic or verify identity.

The Three Layers of Secure Communication

  • Identity (SPIFFE/SPIRE): Every service gets a cryptographic certificate proving who it is
  • Encryption (mTLS): All traffic is encrypted and both sides verify each other
  • Authorization (OPA): Policies control which services can access which endpoints

Learn This - Free

Our Cloud Native Security Engineering course covers secure communication across Modules 5-8 with full lab environments.

Learning path

Continue from concept to implementation

These course modules place this topic in context, connect it to adjacent decisions, and provide the practical next step.

Module 4

Kubernetes Authentication & Authorization

Service accounts, OIDC, RBAC deep dive, and identity in distributed systems

3 hours | 4 learning objectives

Module 5

Zero Trust Security Fundamentals

Identity-based security, mTLS, trust domains, and microsegmentation for cloud-native systems

3 hours | 4 learning objectives

Module 6

SPIFFE & SPIRE Deep Dive

Production workload identity with the CNCF standard - from concepts to Kubernetes deployment

4 hours | 4 learning objectives

Practical outcomes

What the recommended module teaches

  • Understand Zero Trust principles for cloud-native systems
  • Implement mutual TLS between services
  • Design trust domains and microsegmentation
  • Plan east-west security for Kubernetes clusters