docs(proposal): Gateway API annotation placement clarity proposal

[lexfrei]

Summary

Addresses #5901
Related: #4056

Proposes comprehensive solutions for Gateway API annotation placement confusion, including both short-term documentation improvements and long-term annotation inheritance strategy.

Background

Users frequently misconfigure annotations when using Gateway API sources:

1. Issue Documentation gap: Provider-specific annotations placement for Gateway API sources #5901: Platform engineer placed cloudflare-proxied annotation on Gateway, expecting it to apply to all Routes, but it was silently ignored (annotations must be on Route resources)
2. Issue Question: Gatway-api target on HTTPRoute #4056: User tried to override target annotation on HTTPRoute to specify different targets per Route, but target only works on Gateway

This proposal addresses both use cases.

Proposed Solutions

Solution 1: Documentation Improvements (Quick Win)

Status: Already proposed in PR #5918 for quick merge.

Adds clear documentation to annotations.md and gateway-api.md explaining:

• Which annotations go on Gateway (only target)
• Which annotations go on Routes (everything else: hostname, ttl, provider-specific)
• Examples for Cloudflare and AWS providers
• Common mistakes to avoid

Note: If Solution 2 is implemented, the documentation from PR #5918 will need updates to reflect the new inheritance behavior.

Solution 2: Annotation Inheritance and Merging (Long-term)

Implement annotation merging where:

• Gateway annotations serve as defaults for all Routes
• Route annotations override Gateway defaults
• Enables centralized configuration without losing flexibility

Example:

kind: Gateway
metadata:
  annotations:
    # Default for all Routes using this Gateway
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/cloudflare-proxied: "true"
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/ttl: "300"
---
kind: HTTPRoute
metadata:
  annotations:
    # Override: disable proxying for this specific Route
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/cloudflare-proxied: "false"
    # Inherits: ttl=300 from Gateway

Alternatives Considered

1. Do nothing - Users continue experiencing confusion ❌
2. Move all annotations to Gateway only - Breaks Gateway API architecture ❌
3. Support both with strict validation - Complex without solving core UX issue ⚠️
4. Create dedicated GatewayDNSConfig CRD - Significant effort, scope too large ⚠️
5. Wait for PR docs(proposal): annotations support graduation to beta #5080 - Timeline uncertain, doc improvements valuable now ⚠️

Recommendation

Phased approach:

1. Immediate: Merge PR docs(gateway-api): clarify annotation placement for sources #5918 (documentation improvements)
2. Future: Re-evaluate annotation merging after gathering user feedback and assessing compatibility with annotation standardization efforts

Request for Feedback

This proposal seeks maintainer input on:

1. Is the current behavior (annotations split between Gateway/Route) intentional design?
2. Would annotation inheritance/merging be acceptable, or does it conflict with future plans?
3. Should we prioritize documentation alone, or is feature enhancement warranted?

---

Related PRs:

• PR docs(gateway-api): clarify annotation placement for sources #5918 - Documentation improvements (proposed separately for quick merge)

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[szuecs]

@lexfrei do we need this proposal if we have #5918 ?

[lexfrei]

@szuecs Good question!

Short answer: #5918 (documentation) is a quick fix for the immediate problem. This proposal discusses whether we want to go further.

The difference:

PR #5918 (documentation hotfix):

• Documents current behavior: target on Gateway, everything else on Routes
• Helps users avoid confusion right now
• Doesn't change any code behavior

This proposal (long-term discussion):

• Solution 1 is just docs(gateway-api): clarify annotation placement for sources #5918 (documentation) - already covered ✅
• Solution 2 (annotation merging/inheritance) is the interesting part:
  • Allows setting defaults on Gateway that apply to all Routes
  • Routes can override Gateway defaults when needed
  • Makes external-dns more flexible for users managing many Routes

Example use case for Solution 2:

# Today: must repeat annotations on EVERY Route
kind: HTTPRoute
metadata:
  annotations:
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/cloudflare-proxied: "true"
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/ttl: "300"
---
kind: HTTPRoute  
metadata:
  annotations:
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/cloudflare-proxied: "true"  # repeated
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/ttl: "300"  # repeated

# With Solution 2: set once on Gateway, apply to all Routes
kind: Gateway
metadata:
  annotations:
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/cloudflare-proxied: "true"  # default for all
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/ttl: "300"  # default for all
---
kind: HTTPRoute
metadata:
  annotations:
    external-dns.alpha.kubernetes.io/cloudflare-proxied: "false"  # override for this one

What I'm asking:

1. Is docs(gateway-api): clarify annotation placement for sources #5918 (documentation) enough? → If yes, close this proposal
2. Would annotation inheritance (Solution 2) be useful? → If yes, I can implement it
3. Are there concerns with Solution 2? → Let's discuss alternatives

I'm fine with just merging #5918 and closing this proposal if you think documentation alone solves the problem. This proposal is mainly to gauge interest in the more flexible approach.

[mloiseleur]

Is the current behavior (annotations split between Gateway/Route) intentional design?

Yes, we try to stick and be aligned as much as possible with Gateway API design.
See #5319 (comment)
One can check PRs history; some PRs have been refused because of this.

Would annotation inheritance/merging be acceptable, or does it conflict with future plans?

At first glance, it looks good and makes sense to me. You'll need to include ListenerSet in your design.
But maybe I missed something, anything to add, @abursavich ?

Should we prioritize documentation alone, or is feature enhancement warranted?

• We should always prioritize clear and concise documentation
• It's Open Source, it comes with no warranty