APISIX Traffic Splitting Guide

Introduction

Traffic splitting in APISIX enables gradual rollouts and A/B testing of your services. This guide covers implementation strategies and best practices.

Prerequisites:

APISIX installed and configured
Basic understanding of APISIX routes and upstream concepts
Two versions of your service running

Basic Traffic Splitting

Weight-based Routing

{
    "uri": "/api/v1/*",
    "upstream": {
        "nodes": {
            "service-v1:8080": 90,
            "service-v2:8080": 10
        },
        "type": "roundrobin"
    }
}

Implementing Canary Releases

Canary Deployment Configuration

Canary releases allow you to test new versions with a subset of users before full deployment.

{
    "uri": "/api/v1/*",
    "plugins": {
        "traffic-split": {
            "rules": [
                {
                    "match": [
                        {
                            "vars": [
                                ["http_user", "==", "beta-user"]
                            ]
                        }
                    ],
                    "weighted_upstreams": [
                        {
                            "upstream": {
                                "name": "new-version",
                                "type": "roundrobin",
                                "nodes": {
                                    "service-v2:8080": 1
                                }
                            },
                            "weight": 100
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    }
}

Pro Tip: Start with a small percentage (1-5%) of traffic and gradually increase based on monitoring results.

A/B Testing Strategies

Configuring A/B Tests

Test different versions of your API to measure performance and user engagement.

{
    "uri": "/api/v1/*",
    "plugins": {
        "traffic-split": {
            "rules": [
                {
                    "match": [
                        {
                            "vars": [
                                ["arg_version", "==", "B"]
                            ]
                        }
                    ],
                    "weighted_upstreams": [
                        {
                            "upstream": {
                                "name": "version-b",
                                "type": "roundrobin",
                                "nodes": {
                                    "service-b:8080": 1
                                }
                            },
                            "weight": 100
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    }
}

Advanced Routing Rules

Complex Traffic Splitting

Implement sophisticated routing based on multiple conditions:

Header-based routing
Cookie-based splitting
Geographic distribution
Device type targeting

{
    "uri": "/api/v1/*",
    "plugins": {
        "traffic-split": {
            "rules": [
                {
                    "match": [
                        {
                            "vars": [
                                ["http_device", "==", "mobile"],
                                ["http_region", "==", "us-west"]
                            ]
                        }
                    ],
                    "weighted_upstreams": [
                        {
                            "upstream": {
                                "name": "mobile-optimized",
                                "type": "roundrobin",
                                "nodes": {
                                    "mobile-service:8080": 1
                                }
                            },
                            "weight": 100
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ]
        }
    }
}

Monitoring and Analytics

Tracking Split Traffic

Essential metrics to monitor:

Response time per version
Error rates comparison
Traffic distribution accuracy
User engagement metrics
Resource utilization

{
    "plugins": {
        "prometheus": {},
        "traffic-split": {
            "rules": [...],
            "metrics": {
                "enable": true,
                "prefix": "apisix_traffic_split"
            }
        }
    }
}

Best Practices and Guidelines

Implementation Guidelines

Gradual Rollout: Start with a small percentage and increase gradually
Monitoring: Set up comprehensive monitoring before splitting traffic
Fallback Strategy: Always have a rollback plan ready
Documentation: Maintain clear documentation of split configurations
Testing: Thoroughly test configurations in staging environment

Common Pitfalls

Insufficient monitoring setup
Lack of proper error handling
Missing fallback configurations
Incomplete testing scenarios
Poor documentation of split rules

Troubleshooting Guide

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
Uneven Traffic Distribution	Incorrect weight configuration	Verify and adjust weights in configuration
Rules Not Matching	Syntax errors in match conditions	Double-check rule syntax and test with curl
High Latency	Network issues or service overload	Monitor upstream service health and adjust capacity