Varnish Gateway
Varnish Gateway: An open-source Kubernetes Gateway API implementation with caching and weighted traffic splitting. Ranked #19 of 28 in Kubernetes Ingress Controllers by our editors (7.4/10); pricing: Free plan; best for teams prioritizing HTTP caching at the gateway.
At a glance
- Editor score7.4 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forTeams prioritizing HTTP caching at the gateway
- Free planYes
- Paid fromFree
- Ingress API modelGateway
- Facts checked23 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Routes HTTP traffic through Kubernetes Gateway and HTTPRoute resources.
- Supports weighted traffic splitting for canary deployments.
- Offers configurable caching, custom VCL, and a built-in dashboard.
Where it doesn't
- Uses self-hosted deployment, so teams manage it in their Kubernetes cluster.
- TLS certificates come from Kubernetes Secrets; automated issuance is not documented.
- Support channels are community and documentation.
Our verdict on Varnish Gateway
Varnish Gateway is an open-source Kubernetes Gateway API implementation that uses Varnish as its data plane. It is aimed at teams that want HTTP routing and caching at the gateway, including small, mid-market, and enterprise organizations comfortable with self-hosting. An operator manages Varnish deployments and routing configuration, and routing can match requests by host, path, headers, and query parameters. Installation is available through Helm or kubectl, with Gateway and HTTPRoute resources defining routes.
Caching is a central differentiator: teams can configure built-in HTTP caching with VarnishCachePolicy and add custom VCL for caching or request logic beyond the Gateway API. The product also supports weighted traffic splitting for canary deployments, multiple Gateway listeners on different ports, and TLS termination using Kubernetes TLS Secrets, with certificate hot reload. Its dashboard provides backend health and live events, while live routing tables draw from HTTPRoutes and EndpointSlices. These capabilities make it a fit where cache policy and route control matter together.
The deployment model is self-hosted, and the published offering is open source with a free plan. Support channels are community and documentation; official launch material describes Enterprise support as planned. TLS handling uses supplied Kubernetes Secrets, while automated certificate issuance is not documented. Choose Varnish Gateway when Gateway API routing, caching and VCL customization are priorities and operating an in-cluster component is acceptable. Teams seeking ingress functionality beyond this narrower focus, or needing a documented automated certificate issuance path, should compare alternatives.
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Varnish Gateway pricing
Varnish Gateway fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Free |
| Ingress API model | Gateway |
| TLS automation | No |
| Canary routing | Yes |
| Rate limiting | Not verified |
| Web application firewall | Not verified |
| Auth policies | Yes |
| Deployment model | Self-hosted |
| Deployment | Self-hosted |
| Support | Community, Docs |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan |
| Website | gateway.varnish.org |
| Facts checked | 23 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to Varnish Gateway
- Traefik ProxyA broad self-hosted ingress proxy with discovery, multi-protocol routing, and observability.9.3
- NGINX Ingress ControllerA free, self-hosted controller for routing, TLS, traffic policies, and edge integrations.9.2
- Kong Ingress ControllerA free, extensible choice for Kong-centered Kubernetes API platforms.9.1
See all Varnish Gateway alternatives →
Also Ranked In
Varnish Gateway is ranked in 2 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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