** Istio Introduces Ambient Mesh, a Sidecar-Free Service Mesh Alternative for Kubernetes

Istio has introduced Ambient Mesh, a new service mesh architecture that simplifies security and traffic management for Kubernetes clusters. Unlike traditional sidecar-based models, Ambient Mesh uses zero-trust tunnels (ztunnels) on each node to create a secure Layer 4 overlay network, reducing resource demands and operational complexity.

Ambient Mesh allows teams to adopt a zero-trust foundation with minimal overhead, making it suitable for organizations looking to implement a robust security architecture. The feature also provides fine-grained control over traffic management, enabling teams to incrementally scale mesh adoption as needed.

**

Source: https://dev.to/uripld/achieve-sidecar-less-mtls-for-k8s-pods-with-istios-ambient-mesh-28k