Encrypting worker-to-worker traffic with WireGuard

Classic infrastructure Virtual Private Cloud

You can encrypt data that flows between worker nodes in your cluster by using WireGuard.

Note that this feature only encrypts traffic between worker nodes on the same cluster and does not encrypt traffic between different pods on the same worker node.
Worker-to-worker encryption with WireGuard is supported on Kubernetes Service clusters with workers that run Ubuntu 20 or later.
WireGuard is not supported on workers that have user-installed encryption modules on them.
WireGuard is not FIPS or FedRamp compliant.
You cannot alter the WireGuard configuration after it is enabled. However, you can disable it.

For more information on this configuration setting, see Enable WireGuard for a cluster in the Calico documentation.

Enabling WireGuard encryption

Run the following command to enable WireGuard for worker-to-worker traffic.

kubectl patch felixconfiguration default --type='merge' -p '{"spec":{"wireguardEnabled":true}}'

Example output

felixconfiguration.crd.projectcalico.org/default patched

Verify your setup by reviewing the felixconfiguration. In the output, find the WireGuard section and verify that wireguardEnabled: true.

kubectl get felixconfiguration default -o yaml

Example output

apiVersion: crd.projectcalico.org/v1
kind: FelixConfiguration
metadata:
  annotations:
    created-by: IBMCloudKubernetesService
    projectcalico.org/metadata: '{"uid":"8a21b69b-9ffb-451d-9619-0dd1605810dc","creationTimestamp":"2023-09-13T14:00:15Z"}'
  creationTimestamp: "2023-09-13T14:00:15Z"
  generation: 2
  name: default
  resourceVersion: "24839234"
  uid: ff0c79f3-5548-4db4-a22f-2f367282631d
spec:
  bpfLogLevel: ""
  floatingIPs: Disabled
  logSeverityScreen: Info
  natPortRange: 32768:65535
  reportingInterval: 0s
  wireguardEnabled: true

Disabling WireGuard encryption

If you no longer need worker-to-worker encryption in your cluster, you can disable WireGuard.

Run the following command to disable WireGuard.

kubectl patch felixconfiguration default --type='merge' -p '{"spec":{"wireguardEnabled":false}}'

Example output

felixconfiguration.crd.projectcalico.org/default patched

Verify WireGuard is disabled.

kubectl get felixconfiguration default -o yaml

Example output

apiVersion: crd.projectcalico.org/v1
kind: FelixConfiguration
metadata:
  annotations:
    created-by: IBMCloudKubernetesService
    projectcalico.org/metadata: '{"uid":"8a21b69b-9ffb-451d-9619-0dd1605810dc","creationTimestamp":"2023-09-13T14:00:15Z"}'
  creationTimestamp: "2023-09-13T14:00:15Z"
  generation: 3
  name: default
  resourceVersion: "24839453"
  uid: ff0c79f3-5548-4db4-a22f-2f367282631d
spec:
  bpfLogLevel: ""
  floatingIPs: Disabled
  logSeverityScreen: Info
  natPortRange: 32768:65535
  reportingInterval: 0s
  wireguardEnabled: false