Route overview

In this lesson, we explore how users access applications by leveraging OpenShift Routes. OpenShift Routes serve as a gateway, exposing internal Services to external users via a specified hostname.

Imagine a user who needs to access an application. The user opens a device—be it a computer, tablet, or mobile—and navigates to a URL. This URL either directs the user to an error page or to the live application, depending on whether the required Service is correctly exposed.

Within OpenShift, a Route exposes a Service running on the platform to a specific hostname. For instance, you can configure a Route to expose a Service at "www.example.com" or "www.google.com". In a hypothetical scenario where Google is hosted on OpenShift, its underlying Pods (or containers) would be managed by a Service that the Route externally exposes.

From a Kubernetes perspective, setting up a Route mirrors configuring a load balancer. Both systems ensure that external requests are properly routed to the internal Service, making applications accessible using various DNS names or IP addresses.

For more information, explore the Kubernetes Basics and further documentation on OpenShift Routes.