Why Is Istio That Shape? A Case Study in Software Architecture and Evolution
by Matt Turner
In this session, Matt will look at Istio, a Service Mesh, but no prior knowledge of Istio or the space is needed.
Istio is a “smart network” comprising traffic switches and controllers. It’s had about four different architectures over time, and we’ll look at what problem each solved, and the challenges that eventually led to it being changed. We’ll talk about how the different approaches each optimised performance, scalability, and redundancy.
We’ll explore analogies between the shapes of Istio and common patterns – three-tier web apps, big network routers, etc – and how Istio’s lessons are broadly applicable.