GatewayClass

Overview

The chart automatically creates a GatewayClass resource when the gateway library is enabled and Gateway API CRDs are installed.

Prerequisites

For the chart to create the GatewayClass, install the Gateway API CRDs (standard channel) first:

kubectl apply -f https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/gateway-api/releases/download/v1.6.0/standard-install.yaml

Check Gateway API releases for newer versions.

If the CRDs are absent, the chart skips the GatewayClass and installs everything else normally. Install the CRDs later and re-run helm upgrade to create it.

Configuration

controller:
  templateLibraries:
    gateway:
      enabled: true

gatewayClass:
  enabled: true
  name: haptic
  default: false
  controllerName: haproxy-haptic.org/controller
  parametersRef:
    group: haproxy-haptic.org
    kind: HAProxyTemplateConfig
    name: ""        # Defaults to controller.crdName
    namespace: ""   # Defaults to Release.Namespace

Creation conditions

The chart creates the GatewayClass only when ALL of the following are true:

1. gatewayClass.enabled: true (default)
2. controller.templateLibraries.gateway.enabled: true (default)
3. The gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1/GatewayClass API exists in the cluster (Gateway API CRDs are installed)

If the API is absent, the chart skips the GatewayClass without error and installs the rest normally.

parametersRef - Controller Configuration Link

The GatewayClass automatically references the HAProxyTemplateConfig created by this chart via parametersRef. This links Gateway API configuration to the controller's template-based configuration system.

How it works:

1. GatewayClass points to HAProxyTemplateConfig via spec.parametersRef
2. Controller reads HAProxyTemplateConfig for template snippets, maps, watched resources, and HAProxy configuration
3. Gateway API consumers get the same routing capabilities as Ingress consumers

Default behavior:

• parametersRef.name defaults to controller.crdName (typically haptic-config)
• parametersRef.namespace defaults to chart's release namespace

Inspect the reference:

kubectl get gatewayclass haptic -o yaml

Multi-Controller Environments

When running multiple Gateway API controllers:

Ensure unique identification:

# Controller 1 (haptic)
gatewayClass:
  name: haptic
  controllerName: haproxy-haptic.org/controller

# Controller 2 (nginx-gateway-fabric)
gatewayClass:
  name: nginx
  controllerName: gateway.nginx.org/nginx-gateway-controller

Only one should be default:

# Set default on one controller only
gatewayClass:
  default: true  # Only on ONE controller

Advanced: Multiple GatewayClasses

You can create multiple GatewayClasses pointing to different HAProxyTemplateConfig resources for different routing scenarios (e.g., internet-facing vs internal):

# Install chart with default config
helm install haproxy-internet oci://registry.gitlab.com/haproxy-haptic/haptic/charts/haptic --version 0.2.0-alpha.1

# Create separate HAProxyTemplateConfig for internal traffic with different templates
kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: haproxy-haptic.org/v1alpha1
kind: HAProxyTemplateConfig
metadata:
  name: haproxy-internal-config
  namespace: default
spec:
  podSelector:
    matchLabels:
      app: haproxy-internal
  # ... different template configuration ...
EOF

# Create additional GatewayClass pointing to the internal config
kubectl apply -f - <<EOF
apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: GatewayClass
metadata:
  name: haproxy-internal
spec:
  controllerName: haproxy-haptic.org/controller
  parametersRef:
    group: haproxy-haptic.org
    kind: HAProxyTemplateConfig
    name: haproxy-internal-config
    namespace: default
EOF

Using GatewayClass

Gateway resources reference the GatewayClass, and HTTPRoutes attach to Gateways:

1. Create a Gateway:

apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Gateway
metadata:
  name: example-gateway
spec:
  gatewayClassName: haptic  # References GatewayClass.metadata.name
  listeners:
    - name: http
      protocol: HTTP
      port: 80

2. Create HTTPRoutes that attach to the Gateway:

apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: HTTPRoute
metadata:
  name: example-route
spec:
  parentRefs:
    - name: example-gateway  # References Gateway.metadata.name
  hostnames:
    - "example.com"
  rules:
    - matches:
        - path:
            type: PathPrefix
            value: /
      backendRefs:
        - name: example-service
          port: 80

Disabling GatewayClass Creation

If you manage GatewayClass resources separately:

gatewayClass:
  enabled: false