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All glossary terms

Proxy & networking

Sidecar

A sidecar is a helper process or container deployed alongside an application to provide a supporting capability. A sidecar proxy can handle network traffic for the application, allowing some routing or policy behavior to be managed outside the application’s own code.

Also known as sidecar proxy.

Why it matters in practice

Sidecars can simplify integration across services, but add another component to deploy, secure, observe, and update. Their presence does not guarantee that all application traffic passes through them; routing and bypass paths must be verified. Teams should define the boundary between the application, sidecar, and control system.

Example

A workload sends outbound requests through a local sidecar proxy configured as its network gateway.

Educational note

This definition is general information, not legal advice. It may omit facts that matter to a specific situation and does not establish or guarantee compliance.