Deploy NGINX Ingress Controller on AWS EKS with HTTP and TCP Routing via Single LoadBalancer

In AWS EKS, exposing each application with its own LoadBalancer is costly and inefficient. A smarter approach is using an NGINX Ingress Controller, which allows routing multiple applications through a single LoadBalancer — using host-based HTTP routing and TCP port-based routing.

This guide explains how to:

• Deploy NGINX Ingress Controller via Helm
• Set up host-based routing for HTTP apps
• Configure TCP routing for non-HTTP services
• Map domains via Cloudflare
• Reference official docs

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Why Use NGINX Ingress Controller in AWS EKS ?

Benefits
One LoadBalancer for many services
Lower costs
Host & path-based routing
Supports TCP & HTTP apps
Works with Cloudflare
Centralized config

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Prerequisites

• EKS Cluster
• Helm, kubectl, eksctl
• Cloudflare account
• Domain for your app
• Applications/services already deployed in Kubernetes

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Step 1: Install NGINX Ingress Controller on EKS using Helm

Copyhelm repo add ingress-nginx https://kubernetes.github.io/ingress-nginx
helm repo update

helm install ingress-nginx ingress-nginx/ingress-nginx \
  --create-namespace \
  --namespace ingress-nginx \
  --set controller.service.type=LoadBalancer

For advanced configurations, refer to the official NGINX Ingress Helm chart documentation.

This exposes the controller via a single ELB.

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Step 2: Get ELB DNS for Ingress Controller

Copykubectl get svc -n ingress-nginx

Note the external ELB DNS, e.g.:

Copya1b2c3d4e5f6g7.elb.amazonaws.com

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Step 3: Configure DNS for NGINX Ingress with Cloudflare

1. Go to DNS settings
2. Add a record:
   • Type: CNAME or A
   • Name: your-subdomain.yourdomain.com
   • Target: ELB DNS
   • Proxy status: DNS Only or Proxied

For Cloudflare-specific optimizations, check Cloudflare’s Kubernetes integration guide.

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Step 4: HTTP Host-Based Ingress Example

Here's a sample Ingress manifest:

CopyapiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: Ingress
metadata:
  name: pubggpiro9ypjn-ing  
  namespace: pubggpiro9ypjn  
  annotations:
    nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/rewrite-target: /
spec:
  ingressClassName: nginx
  rules:
  - host: metube-app-622604.clb2.nifetency.com  
    http:
      paths:
      - path: /
        pathType: Prefix
        backend:
          service:
            name: service-f35714cd-4cb5-4f7e-b9db-4daa699640b3  
            port:
              number: 8081

Apply the file:

Copykubectl apply -f ingress.yaml

Learn more about Ingress annotations in the Kubernetes Ingress documentation.

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Step 5: Enable TCP Routing in NGINX Ingress (Optional)

Step 5.1: Create TCP ConfigMap

CopyapiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: tcp-services
  namespace: ingress-nginx
data:
  "5432": "my-namespace/postgres-service:5432"

Step 5.2: Upgrade Controller to Load TCP ConfigMap

Copyhelm upgrade ingress-nginx ingress-nginx/ingress-nginx \
  --namespace ingress-nginx \
  --set controller.extraArgs.tcp-services-configmap=ingress-nginx/tcp-services

Or during first install:

Copyhelm install ingress-nginx ingress-nginx/ingress-nginx \
  --namespace ingress-nginx \
  --set controller.extraArgs.tcp-services-configmap=ingress-nginx/tcp-services \
  --set controller.service.type=LoadBalancer

For troubleshooting TCP routing, see NGINX’s TCP/UDP passthrough guide.

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Step 6: Expose TCP Port in LoadBalancer

Edit the controller service:

Copykubectl edit svc ingress-nginx-controller -n ingress-nginx

Add:

Copyports:
  - name: postgres
    port: 5432
    targetPort: 5432
    protocol: TCP

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Routing Overview

Type	Uses	Ingress Object?	ConfigMap?	DNS
HTTP	Web apps, APIs	Yes	No	Subdomain
TCP	PostgreSQL, Redis	No	Yes	Same ELB + Port

Tips

• Use ingressClassName: nginx to prevent conflicts.
• Use cert-manager for HTTPS/TLS termination.
• Isolate apps using namespaces.
• Annotate Ingress for rewrites, caching, rate-limiting, etc.

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Conclusion: Unified HTTP and TCP Routing on EKS with Ingress

With this setup, you can serve both HTTP and TCP apps in your EKS cluster using a single LoadBalancer, simplifying your architecture and saving costs. HTTP traffic is managed using Ingress resources with host rules, while TCP apps like databases are handled using a custom ConfigMap.

This architecture is production-ready when combined with Cloudflare for DNS, TLS, and protection.

For cluster management solutions, explore our Nife's Managed Clusters platform.

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Ready to deploy? Check out the Nife documentation:

• Kubernetes Deployment Guide
• Application Types
• Deploy Your First App