ClusterNetworkPolicy in GKE: Balancing control and autonomy for your microservices

Managing network security in a multi-tenant Kubernetes environment typically requires balancing two distinct needs: developers need their microservices to communicate effectively, while platform and security teams must maintain compliance, prevent lateral movement, and establish cluster-wide guardrails. Historically, the standard Kubernetes NetworkPolicy has been the primary tool for this. While effective for single-namespace isolation, standard NetworkPolicy is scoped strictly to individual namespaces and designed around developer self-service.