East-West Traffic - CI/CD Glossary Definition
East-west traffic is service-to-service communication that stays inside the cluster.
East-west traffic is network traffic between services inside the same cluster or data center, as opposed to traffic entering or leaving from outside.
Service meshes primarily govern east-west traffic. Distinguishing it from external traffic clarifies where retries and mTLS apply during a rollout.
Contrast with north-south
East-west is internal service-to-service; north-south enters or exits the cluster. Meshes usually secure and observe east-west flows, while ingress handles north-south.
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