Contour is an open-source Kubernetes ingress controller that provides dynamic configuration updates and makes use of the Envoy proxy as a data plane1. Envoy is an open-source edge and service proxy that can handle large volumes of network traffic between services in a cloud-native environment2. Contour leverages Envoy’s advanced features such as load balancing, health checking, dynamic service discovery, circuit breaking, rate limiting, and more3. Contour also integrates with Envoy’s external authorization filter to support external authentication and authorization providers4.
The other options are incorrect because:
NSX Load Balancer is a VMware solution that provides L4 and L7 load balancing and ingress control for Kubernetes clusters5. It is not the data plane for Contour.
Istio is an open-source service mesh that provides a uniform way to connect, secure, control, and observe services in a distributed system6. It is not the data plane for Contour.
Prometheus is an open-source systems monitoring and alerting toolkit that can collect metrics from various sources, including Kubernetes clusters7. It is not the data plane for Contour.
References: Contour Overview, Envoy Overview, Contour Architecture, External Authorization Support, NSX Advanced Load Balancer, Istio Overview, Prometheus Overview
