How to find which mode kube-proxy is running in

Question

By default, when no value is specified in the configuration, kube-proxy might be running in either iptables or userspace mode:

--proxy-mode ProxyMode

Which proxy mode to use: 'userspace' (older) or 'iptables' (faster) or 'ipvs' or 'kernelspace' (windows). If blank, use the best-available proxy (currently iptables). If the iptables proxy is selected, regardless of how, but the system's kernel or iptables versions are insufficient, this always falls back to the userspace proxy .

doc

Since both, userspace and iptables mode, seem to create iptables rules on the node, is there any reliable way to find out which proxy mode kube-proxy defaulted to?

Answer 1

The Mode which kube-proxy comes up with is mentioned in kube-proxy log file.

W0322 08:09:44.312816       1 server_others.go:578] Unknown proxy mode "", assuming iptables proxy
I0322 08:09:44.313052       1 server_others.go:185] Using iptables Proxier.

Check in Code https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/blob/master/cmd/kube-proxy/app/server_others.go

func getProxyMode(proxyMode string, canUseIPVS bool, kcompat iptables.KernelCompatTester) string {
    switch proxyMode {
    case proxyModeUserspace:
        return proxyModeUserspace
    case proxyModeIPTables:
        return tryIPTablesProxy(kcompat)
    case proxyModeIPVS:
        return tryIPVSProxy(canUseIPVS, kcompat)
    }
    klog.Warningf("Unknown proxy mode %q, assuming iptables proxy", proxyMode)
    return tryIPTablesProxy(kcompat)
}

func tryIPTablesProxy(kcompat iptables.KernelCompatTester) string {
    // guaranteed false on error, error only necessary for debugging
    useIPTablesProxy, err := iptables.CanUseIPTablesProxier(kcompat)
    if err != nil {
        utilruntime.HandleError(fmt.Errorf("can't determine whether to use iptables proxy, using userspace proxier: %v", err))
        return proxyModeUserspace
    }
    if useIPTablesProxy {
        return proxyModeIPTables
    }
    // Fallback.
    klog.V(1).Infof("Can't use iptables proxy, using userspace proxier")
    return proxyModeUserspace
}