| name | linkerd-patterns |
| description | Production patterns for Linkerd service mesh - the lightweight, security-first service mesh for Kubernetes. |
| type | skill |
| created | 2026-02-27T00:00:00.000Z |
| domain | software-development |
| category | architecture |
| risk | critical |
| source | community |
| tags | ["skill","software-development","architecture","linkerd"] |
Linkerd Patterns
Production patterns for Linkerd service mesh - the lightweight, security-first service mesh for Kubernetes.
Do not use this skill when
- The task is unrelated to linkerd patterns
- You need a different domain or tool outside this scope
Instructions
- Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
- Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
- Provide actionable steps and verification.
- If detailed examples are required, open
resources/implementation-playbook.md.
Use this skill when
- Setting up a lightweight service mesh
- Implementing automatic mTLS
- Configuring traffic splits for canary deployments
- Setting up service profiles for per-route metrics
- Implementing retries and timeouts
- Multi-cluster service mesh
Core Concepts
1. Linkerd Architecture
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Control Plane │
│ ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────────┐ │
│ │ destiny │ │ identity │ │ proxy-inject │ │
│ └─────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Data Plane │
│ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ ┌─────┐ │
│ │proxy│────│proxy│────│proxy│ │
│ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ ┌──┴──┐ ┌──┴──┐ ┌──┴──┐ │
│ │ app │ │ app │ │ app │ │
│ └─────┘ └─────┘ └─────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
2. Key Resources
| Resource | Purpose |
|---|
| ServiceProfile | Per-route metrics, retries, timeouts |
| TrafficSplit | Canary deployments, A/B testing |
| Server | Define server-side policies |
| ServerAuthorization | Access control policies |
Templates
Template 1: Mesh Installation
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSfL https://run.linkerd.io/install | sh
linkerd check --pre
linkerd install --crds | kubectl apply -f -
linkerd install | kubectl apply -f -
linkerd check
linkerd viz install | kubectl apply -f -