Network Policy Management
Architecture quick reference: see references/profiles.md
See references/profiles.md for the full profile selection table, access label catalog, drop classification table, and Hubble command reference.
Workflow: Deploy App with Network Policy
Choose a profile (see references/profiles.md) -> apply label to namespace -> add access labels for shared resources -> verify connectivity.
Apply profile label in kubernetes/platform/namespaces.yaml (committed to git, not kubectl apply):
- name: my-app
labels:
network-policy.homelab/profile: standard
access.network-policy.homelab/postgres: "true" # if DB access needed
access.network-policy.homelab/dragonfly: "true" # if cache access needed
access.network-policy.homelab/garage-s3: "true" # if S3 access needed
access.network-policy.homelab/kube-api: "true" # if kube-api access neededAfter deployment, check for drops:
hubble observe --verdict DROPPED --namespace my-app --since 5mRun scripts/hubble-debug.sh my-app 5m for the full structured debug sequence.
Workflow: Debug Blocked Traffic
Identify drops -> classify against profiles.md drop table -> verify specific flows with scripts/hubble-debug.sh -> check policy status:
kubectl get cnp -n my-app
kubectl get ccnp | grep -E 'baseline|profile'
kubectl get namespace my-app --show-labels | grep network-policyWorkflow: Emergency Escape Hatch
Use only when network policies block legitimate traffic and you need immediate relief.
Step 1: Disable Enforcement
kubectl label namespace <ns> network-policy.homelab/enforcement=disabledThis triggers alerts:
NetworkPolicyEnforcementDisabled(warning) after 5 minutesNetworkPolicyEnforcementDisabledLong(critical) after 24 hours
Step 2: Verify Traffic Flows
hubble observe --namespace <ns> --since 1mStep 3: Investigate Root Cause
Use the debug workflow above to identify the missing or misconfigured policy.
Step 4: Fix the Policy (via GitOps)
Apply the fix through a PR.
Step 5: Re-enable Enforcement
kubectl label namespace <ns> network-policy.homelab/enforcement-See docs/runbooks/network-policy-escape-hatch.md for the full procedure.
Workflow: Add Platform Namespace CNP
Platform namespaces need hand-crafted CNPs. Create in kubernetes/platform/config/network-policy/platform/.
Every platform CNP must include: DNS egress to kube-system/kube-dns (53 UDP/TCP), Prometheus scrape ingress from monitoring, health probe ingress from health entity and 169.254.0.0/16, and HBONE rules (port 15008) if the namespace participates in the Istio mesh.
---
apiVersion: cilium.io/v2
kind: CiliumNetworkPolicy
metadata:
name: <namespace>-default
namespace: <namespace>
spec:
description: "<Namespace purpose>: describe allowed traffic"
endpointSelector: {}
ingress:
- fromEntities: [health]
- fromCIDR: ["169.254.0.0/16"]
- fromEndpoints:
- matchLabels:
io.kubernetes.pod.namespace: monitoring
app.kubernetes.io/name: prometheus
toPorts:
- ports:
- port: "<metrics-port>"
protocol: TCP
# HBONE (if mesh participant)
- fromEndpoints:
- matchLabels:
io.kubernetes.pod.namespace: istio-system
app: ztunnel
toPorts:
- ports:
- port: "15008"
protocol: TCP
egress:
- toEndpoints:
- matchLabels:
io.kubernetes.pod.namespace: kube-system
k8s-app: kube-dns
toPorts:
- ports:
- port: "53"
protocol: UDP
- port: "53"
protocol: TCP
# HBONE (if mesh participant)
- toEndpoints:
- matchLabels:
io.kubernetes.pod.namespace: istio-system
app: ztunnel
toPorts:
- ports:
- port: "15008"
protocol: TCPAfter creating, add to kubernetes/platform/config/network-policy/platform/kustomization.yaml.
Anti-Patterns
- NEVER create explicit
default-denypolicies — baselines provide implicit deny - NEVER use profiles for platform namespaces — they need custom CNPs
- NEVER hardcode IP addresses — use endpoint selectors and entities
- NEVER allow
anyport — always specify explicit port lists - NEVER disable enforcement without following the escape hatch runbook
Cross-References
- references/profiles.md — Profile table, access labels, Hubble commands
- network-policy/CLAUDE.md — Full architecture and directory structure
- docs/runbooks/network-policy-escape-hatch.md — Emergency bypass procedure