The retirement of NGINX Ingress might sound like just another Kubernetes update, but it reveals a much bigger shift.

As teams start asking what replaces it, deeper questions come up about how traffic should be managed, who owns it, and what “modern” infrastructure actually looks like.

Omer and Mark cover the rise of NGINX, why it became the default for so long, and what changed. They explore the growing ecosystem of alternatives like Traefik and Caddy, the move toward service meshes, and how Gateway API is shaping the next generation of Kubernetes networking.

In this episode, Omer and Mark reflect on AWS re:Invent and what it reveals about the current state of cloud infrastructure, with AI and agentic systems clearly dominating the narrative. They discuss how these trends intersect with DevOps, cost management, and operational complexity, and share reactions to a few standout announcements.

In a special episode, Omer and Mark look back on the themes that defined their year - from the growing influence of AI to the ongoing challenges of cloud infrastructure. The conversation covers shifts in AWS commitments and pricing models, including the move from ARISE to savings plans, and what these changes mean for engineering teams.

The discussion also explores emerging image-streaming technologies like StarGZ and SOCI, along with their impact on running AI and containerized workloads in Kubernetes. Throughout, the episode highlights the need for flexibility as cloud and AI continue to evolve.