Kubernetes sets 2026 deadline for Ingress NGINX retirement

Kubernetes maintainers set a firm retirement date for Ingress NGINX, urging teams to shift away before support ends in March 2026. They point to mounting technical debt, shrinking maintainer capacity, and growing security concerns as reasons to close the project. Teams now face a two-year window to assess alternatives, with many expected to adopt Gateway API–based controllers to modernize traffic management and reduce long-term operational risk.