Protocol Detection: A Deep Dive into How Linkerd Achieves Zero-Config

Dive deep into the mechanics of Linkerd's protocol detection in this 30-minute conference talk by Kevin Leimkuhler from Buoyant. Explore how Linkerd achieves zero-config for most Kubernetes apps, even when dealing with arbitrary TCP protocols. Learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the current implementation, including the handling of server-speaks-first protocols. Discover how Linkerd's protocol detection has evolved to accommodate a wider range of applications and protocols, with the introduction of "skip ports" and "opaque ports." Gain insights into the implementation of opaque ports using ALPN and understand how Linkerd continues to provide mTLS and golden metrics for this type of traffic.