Cloud Native 4 min read

How to Rewrite URL Paths and Hostnames with Envoy Gateway

This guide shows how to configure Envoy Gateway's URLRewrite filter to transform request prefixes, replace full paths, and rewrite hostnames, providing step‑by‑step YAML examples, kubectl commands, and validation screenshots for microservice integration on Kubernetes.

Linux Ops Smart Journey

Dec 11, 2025

How to Rewrite URL Paths and Hostnames with Envoy Gateway

Scenario 1: Rewrite URL Prefix Path

In a microservice architecture, the frontend may call /api/v1/who while the backend service expects /who. The goal is to let the gateway automatically rewrite /api/v1/who to /who.

cat <<'EOF' | kubectl apply -f -
apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: HTTPRoute
metadata:
  name: simple
spec:
  hostnames:
  - example.local
  parentRefs:
  - group: gateway.networking.k8s.io
    kind: Gateway
    name: simple-gw
  rules:
  - matches:
    - path:
        type: PathPrefix
        value: /api/v1/who  # Browser request path
    filters:
    - type: URLRewrite
      urlRewrite:
        path:
          type: ReplacePrefixMatch
          replacePrefixMatch: /who  # Path seen by the service
    backendRefs:
    - name: simple
      port: 80
EOF

Apply the manifest with kubectl apply -f - and verify that the service receives the rewritten path.