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Add an "Implementing a Compatible Data Plane" section to the implementers guide #1143

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AndresGuedez
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This PR adds a section to the implementers guide with an outline for implementing compatible data planes that conform to the Endpoint Picker protocol.

/cc @robscott

@k8s-ci-robot k8s-ci-robot requested a review from robscott July 11, 2025 15:40
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@k8s-ci-robot k8s-ci-robot added the cncf-cla: no Indicates the PR's author has not signed the CNCF CLA. label Jul 11, 2025
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@k8s-ci-robot k8s-ci-robot added needs-ok-to-test Indicates a PR that requires an org member to verify it is safe to test. size/M Denotes a PR that changes 30-99 lines, ignoring generated files. labels Jul 11, 2025
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@AndresGuedez
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/check-cla

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@robscott
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/check-cla

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/ok-to-test

@k8s-ci-robot k8s-ci-robot added ok-to-test Indicates a non-member PR verified by an org member that is safe to test. and removed needs-ok-to-test Indicates a PR that requires an org member to verify it is safe to test. labels Jul 11, 2025
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/easycla

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Thanks @AndresGuedez!

Comment on lines +106 to +107
- From extension to data plane: the metadata contains the selected endpoints.
- From data plane to extension: the metadata contains an optional subset of endpoints that the extension should pick from.
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Unfortunately mkdocs list formatting is pretty unforgiving. Generally need an empty line before any list starts: https://deploy-preview-1143--gateway-api-inference-extension.netlify.app/guides/implementers/#implementing-a-compatible-data-plane. Same comment applies throughout, will likely take some trial and error.

Suggested change
- From extension to data plane: the metadata contains the selected endpoints.
- From data plane to extension: the metadata contains an optional subset of endpoints that the extension should pick from.
- From extension to data plane: the metadata contains the selected endpoints.
- From data plane to extension: the metadata contains an optional subset of endpoints that the extension should pick from.

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Fixed this. The markdown preview I was using seemed fine with the formatting, but I'll rely on the generated site pages going forward to catch this.


Supporting this broad range of extension capabilities (including for inference, as evidenced above) requires hooks into all HTTP stream (i.e., request and response) lifecycle events as well as the corresponding headers, trailers and payload. This is the core value proposition for ext_proc, along with configurable options (such as for buffering and streaming modes) that enable its use across a variety of deployment scenarios and networking topologies.

#### Native Implementations
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Suggested change
#### Native Implementations
#### Open Source Implementations


#### Native Implementations

Several native implementations can be used as references:
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Suggested change
Several native implementations can be used as references:
Several open source implementations can be used as references:

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Done.

The key requirements for implementing the GIE protocol are as follows:
- Relies on the [ext_proc (External Processing)](https://www.envoyproxy.io/docs/envoy/latest/configuration/http/http_filters/ext_proc_filter) protocol as the foundation for exchanging HTTP stream payload and metadata throughout the various HTTP lifecycle events; several key details:
- ext_proc relies on gRPC (bidirectional streaming) as the transport protocol
- ext_proc supports several processing modes, including buffered and streaming options for payload exchange
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Should probably be mentioned that GIE only support FULL_DUPLEX_STREAMED now, full duplex uses specific proto objects so there isn't cross compatibility with the less strict options.

I think that could be changed upstream however.

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Discussed with Kellen offline -- the requirement for FULL_DUPLEX_STREAMED is not well specified right now. Let's deal with this in the EPP protocol proposal itself.

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kfswain commented Jul 12, 2025

/approve

Conceptually looks great! As Rob mentioned, mkdocs can be painful to work with, i reccomend using the link in the netlify comment

Will leave Rob to give the LGTM stamp. Thanks Andres!

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[APPROVALNOTIFIER] This PR is APPROVED

This pull-request has been approved by: AndresGuedez, kfswain

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@k8s-ci-robot k8s-ci-robot added the approved Indicates a PR has been approved by an approver from all required OWNERS files. label Jul 12, 2025
@k8s-ci-robot k8s-ci-robot added cncf-cla: yes Indicates the PR's author has signed the CNCF CLA. and removed cncf-cla: no Indicates the PR's author has not signed the CNCF CLA. labels Jul 18, 2025
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Thanks @AndresGuedez!

/lgtm

@k8s-ci-robot k8s-ci-robot added the lgtm "Looks good to me", indicates that a PR is ready to be merged. label Jul 18, 2025
@k8s-ci-robot k8s-ci-robot merged commit 3a5d807 into kubernetes-sigs:main Jul 18, 2025
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kfswain pushed a commit to kfswain/llm-instance-gateway that referenced this pull request Jul 31, 2025
…ters guide (kubernetes-sigs#1143)

* add an "Implementing a Compatible Data Plane" section to the implementers guide.

* minor cleanup

* update bullet list formatting.

* minor cleanup.
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