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Path Routing

This page contains examples demonstrating different path matching strategies in Gateway API: prefix matching, exact matching, and multiple path rules.

Path Matching Types

Gateway API supports three types of path matching:

  1. PathPrefix - Matches any path that starts with the specified prefix
  2. Exact - Matches only the exact path specified
  3. RegularExpression - Matches paths using regular expressions (not shown in these examples)

Examples

Path Prefix Matching

PathPrefix matches any path that starts with the specified prefix. This is the most common type of path matching.

Key Points:

  • Matches: /api, /api/, /api/v1, /api/users/123
  • Doesn't match: /apis, /apiary
  • Use this for routing API endpoints, static file paths, or any hierarchical path structure

Exact Path Matching

Exact matches only the exact path specified. Useful for health checks, metrics endpoints, or specific routes.

Key Points:

  • Matches: /health (exactly)
  • Doesn't match: /health/, /health/check, /healthcheck
  • Use this when you need precise path matching without any sub-paths

Multiple Path Rules

Shows how to route different paths to different services. Rules are evaluated in order - first match wins.

Key Points:

  • Rules are evaluated in order (top to bottom)
  • More specific paths should come before less specific ones
  • The catch-all rule (/) should be last
  • Each rule can route to different backend services

Ingress Equivalent

For comparison, here's the equivalent Nginx Ingress configuration:

Best Practices

  1. Order Matters: Place more specific paths before less specific ones
  2. Use PathPrefix for APIs: Most API routes benefit from prefix matching
  3. Use Exact for Specific Endpoints: Health checks, metrics, and webhooks often need exact matching
  4. Catch-All Last: Always place the default/catch-all rule (/) at the end
  5. Test Path Matching: Verify that your paths match as expected, especially with trailing slashes

Related Documentation

Sources & References

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