Istio is the most widely used service mesh platform in the world. In September 2022, Google and Solo.io announced the release of Istio Ambient Mesh to the community. Ambient offers a revolutionary data-plane architecture that allows service mesh users to ditch sidecars. It slashes operational complexity and enables incremental mesh adoption, all while reducing cost and computational overhead within a service mesh.

Injected sidecars can be replaced by two new components. First is a node-level zero-trust-tunnel (ztunnel) that provides mTLS and Layer-4 capabilities. A service-account-level proxy called a waypoint leverages Envoy to deliver Layer-7 capabilities.

This talk will help you understand both the why and how of Istio Ambient Mesh. It includes a demo showcasing the new capabilities, including on-boarding new services without sidecars and mixing Ambient with traditional sidecar-injected services. It will also provide pointers to further no-cost educational opportunities and user certification options.