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Forward Proxy Advanced

The Forward Proxy plugin allows Kong to connect to intermediary transparent HTTP proxies, instead of directly to the upstream_url, when forwarding requests upstream. This is useful in environments where Kong sits in an organization’s internal network, the upstream API is available via the public internet, and the organization proxies all outbound traffic through a forward proxy server.

Configuration Reference

This plugin is compatible with DB-less mode.

In DB-less mode, you configure Kong Gateway declaratively. Therefore, the Admin API is mostly read-only. The only tasks it can perform are all related to handling the declarative config, including:

  • Setting a target's health status in the load balancer
  • Validating configurations against schemas
  • Uploading the declarative configuration using the /config endpoint

Enable the plugin on a service

For example, configure this plugin on a service by making the following request:

curl -X POST http://{HOST}:8001/services/{SERVICE}/plugins \
    --data "name=forward-proxy"  \
    --data "config.http_proxy_host=http://example.com" \
    --data "config.http_proxy_port=80" \
    --data "config.proxy_scheme=http" \
    --data "config.auth_username=example_user" \
    --data "config.auth_password=example_pass" \
    --data "config.https_verify=false"

SERVICE is the id or name of the service that this plugin configuration will target.

First, create a KongPlugin resource:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongPlugin
metadata:
  name: <forward-proxy-example>
config: 
  http_proxy_host: http://example.com
  http_proxy_port: 80
  proxy_scheme: http
  auth_username: example_user
  auth_password: example_pass
  https_verify: false
plugin: forward-proxy

Next, apply the KongPlugin resource to a Service by annotating the Service as follows:

apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: {SERVICE}
  labels:
    app: {SERVICE}
  annotations:
    konghq.com/plugins: <forward-proxy-example>
spec:
  ports:
  - port: 80
    targetPort: 80
    protocol: TCP
    name: {SERVICE}
  selector:
    app: {SERVICE}

{SERVICE} is the id or name of the service that this plugin configuration will target.

Note: The KongPlugin resource only needs to be defined once and can be applied to any service, consumer, or route in the namespace. If you want the plugin to be available cluster-wide, create the resource as a KongClusterPlugin instead of KongPlugin.

For example, configure this plugin on a service by adding this section to your declarative configuration file:

plugins:
- name: forward-proxy
  service: {SERVICE}
  config: 
    http_proxy_host: http://example.com
    http_proxy_port: 80
    proxy_scheme: http
    auth_username: example_user
    auth_password: example_pass
    https_verify: false

SERVICE is the id or name of the service that this plugin configuration will target.

Configure this plugin on a service:

  1. In Konnect Cloud, select the service on the ServiceHub page.
  2. Scroll down to Versions and select the version.
  3. Scroll down to Plugins and click New Plugin.
  4. Find and select the Forward Proxy Advanced plugin.

  5. Enter the following parameters, updating the default or sample values as needed:

    • Config.Proxy Scheme: http
    • Config.Https Verify: clear checkbox
  6. Click Create.

Configure this plugin on a service:

  1. In Kong Manager, select the workspace.
  2. From the Dashboard, scroll down to Services and click View for the service row.
  3. Scroll down to plugins and click Add Plugin.

  4. Find and select the Forward Proxy Advanced plugin.

    Note: If the plugin is greyed out, then it is not available for your product tier. See Kong Gateway tiers.
  5. If the option is available, select Scoped.
  6. Add the service name and ID to the Service field if it is not already prefilled.

  7. Enter the following parameters, updating the default or sample values as needed:

    • Config.Proxy Scheme: http
    • Config.Https Verify: clear checkbox
  8. Click Create.

Enable the plugin on a route

For example, configure this plugin on a route with:

$ curl -X POST http://{HOST}:8001/routes/{ROUTE}/plugins \
    --data "name=forward-proxy"  \
    --data "config.http_proxy_host=http://example.com" \
    --data "config.http_proxy_port=80" \
    --data "config.proxy_scheme=http" \
    --data "config.auth_username=example_user" \
    --data "config.auth_password=example_pass" \
    --data "config.https_verify=false"

ROUTE is the id or name of the route that this plugin configuration will target.

First, create a KongPlugin resource:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongPlugin
metadata:
  name: <forward-proxy-example>
config: 
  http_proxy_host: http://example.com
  http_proxy_port: 80
  proxy_scheme: http
  auth_username: example_user
  auth_password: example_pass
  https_verify: false
plugin: forward-proxy

Then, apply it to an ingress (Route or Routes) by annotating the ingress as follows:

apiVersion: networking/v1beta1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: {ROUTE}
  annotations:
    kubernetes.io/ingress.class: kong
    konghq.com/plugins: <forward-proxy-example>
spec:
  rules:
  - host: examplehostname.com
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /bar
        backend:
          serviceName: echo
          servicePort: 80

ROUTE is the id or name of the route that this plugin configuration will target.

Note: The KongPlugin resource only needs to be defined once and can be applied to any service, consumer, or route in the namespace. If you want the plugin to be available cluster-wide, create the resource as a KongClusterPlugin instead of KongPlugin.

For example, configure this plugin on a route by adding this section to your declarative configuration file:

plugins:
- name: forward-proxy
  route: <route>
  config: 
    http_proxy_host: http://example.com
    http_proxy_port: 80
    proxy_scheme: http
    auth_username: example_user
    auth_password: example_pass
    https_verify: false

ROUTE is the id or name of the route that this plugin configuration will target.

Configure this plugin on a route:

  1. In Konnect Cloud, select the service from the ServiceHub page.
  2. Scroll down to Versions and select the version.
  3. Select the route.
  4. Scroll down to Plugins and click Add Plugin.
  5. Find and select the Forward Proxy Advanced plugin.

  6. Enter the following parameters, updating the default or sample values as needed:

    • Config.Proxy Scheme: http
    • Config.Https Verify: clear checkbox
  7. Click Create.

Configure this plugin on a route:

  1. In Kong Manager, select the workspace.
  2. From the Dashboard, select Routes in the left navigation.
  3. Click View for the route row.
  4. Scroll down to plugins and click Add Plugin.

  5. Find and select the Forward Proxy Advanced plugin.

    Note: If the plugin is greyed out, then it is not available for your product tier. See Kong Gateway tiers.
  6. If the option is available, select Scoped.
  7. Add the Route ID if it is not already prefilled.

  8. Enter the following parameters, updating the default or sample values as needed:

    • Config.Proxy Scheme: http
    • Config.Https Verify: clear checkbox
  9. Click Create.

Enabling the plugin on a consumer

For example, configure this plugin on a consumer with:

$ curl -X POST http://{HOST}:8001/consumers/{CONSUMER}/plugins \
    --data "name=forward-proxy"  \
    --data "config.http_proxy_host=http://example.com" \
    --data "config.http_proxy_port=80" \
    --data "config.proxy_scheme=http" \
    --data "config.auth_username=example_user" \
    --data "config.auth_password=example_pass" \
    --data "config.https_verify=false"

CONSUMER is the id or username of the consumer that this plugin configuration will target.

You can combine consumer.id, service.id, or route.id in the same request, to further narrow the scope of the plugin.

First, create a KongPlugin resource:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongPlugin
metadata:
  name: <forward-proxy-example>
config: 
  http_proxy_host: http://example.com
  http_proxy_port: 80
  proxy_scheme: http
  auth_username: example_user
  auth_password: example_pass
  https_verify: false
plugin: forward-proxy

Then, apply it to a consumer by annotating the KongConsumer resource as follows:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongConsumer
metadata:
  name: {CONSUMER}
  annotations:
    konghq.com/plugins: <forward-proxy-example>
    kubernetes.io/ingress.class: kong

CONSUMER is the id or username of the consumer that this plugin configuration will target.

Note: The KongPlugin resource only needs to be defined once and can be applied to any Service, Consumer, or Route in the namespace. If you want the plugin to be available cluster-wide, create the resource as a KongClusterPlugin instead of KongPlugin.

For example, configure this plugin on a consumer by adding this section to your declarative configuration file:

plugins:
- name: forward-proxy
  consumer: {CONSUMER}
  config: 
    http_proxy_host: http://example.com
    http_proxy_port: 80
    proxy_scheme: http
    auth_username: example_user
    auth_password: example_pass
    https_verify: false

CONSUMER is the id or username of the consumer that this plugin configuration will target.

Configure this plugin on a consumer:

  1. In Kong Manager, select the workspace.
  2. From the Dashboard, scroll down to Consumers and click View for the consumer row.
  3. Select the Plugins tab.
  4. Click Add Plugin.

  5. Find and select the Forward Proxy Advanced plugin.

    Note: If the plugin is greyed out, then it is not available for your product tier. See Kong Gateway tiers.
  6. If the option is available, select Global.

  7. Enter the following parameters, updating the default or sample values as needed:

    • Config.Proxy Scheme: http
    • Config.Https Verify: clear checkbox
  8. Click Create.

Enable the plugin globally

A plugin which is not associated to any service, route, or consumer is considered global, and will be run on every request. Read the Plugin Reference and the Plugin Precedence sections for more information.

For example, configure this plugin globally with:

$ curl -X POST http://{HOST}:8001/plugins/ \
    --data "name=forward-proxy"  \
    --data "config.http_proxy_host=http://example.com" \
    --data "config.http_proxy_port=80" \
    --data "config.proxy_scheme=http" \
    --data "config.auth_username=example_user" \
    --data "config.auth_password=example_pass" \
    --data "config.https_verify=false"

Create a KongClusterPlugin resource and label it as global:

apiVersion: configuration.konghq.com/v1
kind: KongClusterPlugin
metadata:
  name: <global-forward-proxy>
  annotations:
    kubernetes.io/ingress.class: kong
  labels:
    global: \"true\"
config: 
  http_proxy_host: http://example.com
  http_proxy_port: 80
  proxy_scheme: http
  auth_username: example_user
  auth_password: example_pass
  https_verify: false
plugin: forward-proxy

For example, configure this plugin using the plugins: entry in the declarative configuration file:

plugins:
- name: forward-proxy
  config: 
    http_proxy_host: http://example.com
    http_proxy_port: 80
    proxy_scheme: http
    auth_username: example_user
    auth_password: example_pass
    https_verify: false

Configure this plugin globally:

  1. In Kong Manager, select the workspace.
  2. From the Dashboard, select Plugins in the left navigation.
  3. Click New Plugin.

  4. Find and select the Forward Proxy Advanced plugin.

    Note: If the plugin is greyed out, then it is not available for your product tier. See Kong Gateway tiers.
  5. If the option is available, set the plugin scope to Global.

  6. Enter the following parameters, updating the default/sample values as needed:

    • Config.Proxy Scheme: http
    • Config.Https Verify: clear checkbox
  7. Click Create.

Parameters

Here's a list of all the parameters which can be used in this plugin's configuration:

Form Parameter Description
name
required

Type: string		 The name of the plugin, in this case forward-proxy.
service.id

Type: string		 The ID of the Service the plugin targets.
route.id

Type: string		 The ID of the Route the plugin targets.
consumer.id

Type: string		 The ID of the Consumer the plugin targets.
enabled
required

Type: boolean

Default value: true		 Whether this plugin will be applied.
config.http_proxy_host
semi-optional

Type: string

The HTTP hostname or IP address of the forward proxy to which to connect. Required if http_proxy_port is set.

At least one of http_proxy_host or https_proxy_host must be specified.
config.http_proxy_port
semi-optional

Type: string

The TCP port of the HTTP forward proxy to which to connect. Required if http_proxy_host is set.

At least one of http_proxy_port or https_proxy_port must be specified.
config.https_proxy_host
semi-optional

Type: string

The HTTPS hostname or IP address of the forward proxy to which to connect. Required if https_proxy_port is set.

At least one of http_proxy_host or https_proxy_host must be specified.
config.https_proxy_port
semi-optional

Type: string

The TCP port of the HTTPS forward proxy to which to connect. Required if https_proxy_host is set.

At least one of http_proxy_port or https_proxy_port must be specified.
config.proxy_host
optional

Type: string

This parameter is deprecated as of Kong Gateway 2.8.0.0 and is planned to be removed in 3.x.x.
Use http_proxy_host or https_proxy_host instead.

The hostname or IP address of the forward proxy to which to connect.
config.proxy_port
optional

Type: string

This parameter is deprecated as of Kong Gateway 2.8.0.0 and is planned to be removed in 3.x.x.
Use http_proxy_host or https_proxy_host instead.

The TCP port of the forward proxy to which to connect.
config.proxy_scheme
required

Type: string

Default value: http

The proxy scheme to use when connecting. Only http is supported.
config.auth_username
optional

Type: string

The username to authenticate with, if the forward proxy is protected by basic authentication.

This field is referenceable, which means it can be securely stored as a secret in a vault. References must follow a specific format.
config.auth_password
optional

Type: string

The password to authenticate with, if the forward proxy is protected by basic authentication.

This field is referenceable, which means it can be securely stored as a secret in a vault. References must follow a specific format.
config.https_verify
required

Type: boolean

Default value: false

Whether the server certificate will be verified according to the CA certificates specified in lua_ssl_trusted_certificate.

The plugin attempts to transparently replace upstream connections made by Kong core, sending the request instead to an intermediary forward proxy. Only transparent HTTP proxies are supported; TLS connections (via CONNECT) are not supported.

Changelog

Kong Gateway 2.8.x (plugin version 1.2.0)

  • Added http_proxy_host, http_proxy_port, https_proxy_host, and https_proxy_port configuration parameters for mTLS support.

    These parameters replace the proxy_port and proxy_host fields, which are now deprecated and planned to be removed in 3.x.x.

  • The auth_password and auth_username configuration fields are now marked as referenceable, which means they can be securely stored as secrets in a vault. References must follow a specific format.

  • Fixed a plugin version in the documentation. Previously, there was a plugin version labelled as 1.0.x. It is now updated to align with the plugin’s actual version, 1.1.x.

Kong Gateway 2.7.x (plugin version 1.1.0)

  • Added auth_username and auth_password parameters for proxy authentication.