Implementing 2FA Kubernetes Access via Gateway API, Dex and MULTIDIRECTORY
A Russian cybersecurity company replaced static kubeconfig files with corporate accounts and mandatory 2FA for its Talos Linux Kubernetes clusters. The solution routes all authentication through a single FQDN using NGINX Gateway Fabric, Dex as an OIDC provider connected to MULTIDIRECTORY via LDAP, and kube-oidc-proxy for token validation and impersonation. Groups stored in the directory are passed directly into RBAC bindings, eliminating manual certificate management. A lightweight Python service dynamically generates kubeconfig files that contain no secrets. The team documented several Gateway API migration pitfalls including namespace route restrictions and BackendTLSPolicy hostname validation. The approach keeps the entire configuration in Git and avoids modifying kube-apiserver flags.
HabrSep 21, 2026Translated from Russian