open-consul/website/content/docs/api-gateway/usage/usage.mdx

---
layout: docs
page_title: Use Consul API Gateway
description: >-
  Learn how to apply a configured Consul API Gateway to your Kubernetes cluster, review the required fields for rerouting HTTP requests, and troubleshoot an error message.
---

# Basic Consul API Gateway Usage

This topic describes how to use Consul API Gateway.

## Requirements

Complete the following steps to use Consul API Gateway in your network.

1. Verify that the [requirements](/docs/api-gateway/tech-specs) have been met.
1. Verify that the Consul API Gateway CRDs and controller have been installed and applied. Refer to [Installation](/docs/api-gateway/install) for details.

## Configuration

Configure your [`Gateway`](/docs/api-gateway/configuration/gateway) and [`Routes`](/docs/api-gateway/configuration/routes) as described in [Consul API Gateway Configuration](/docs/api-gateway/configuration).

  <CodeBlockConfig hideClipboard filename="values.yaml">

    ```yaml
      apiGateway:
        enabled: true
        managedGatewayClass:
    ```

  </CodeBlockConfig>

## Apply configurations

Issue the `kubectl apply` command to implement the configurations:

  ```shell-session
    $ kubectl apply -f gateway.yaml routes.yaml
  ```


<!--- Commented out per https://github.com/hashicorp/consul/pull/11951/files#r791204596

### Using the Consul API Gateway Binary

You can download the Consul API Gateway binary and use it to manually start the control plane server.

1. Download the binary from the [Consul API Gateway repository](https://github.com/hashicorp/consul-api-gateway).
1. Navigate to the `consul-api-gateway-main` directory and build the binary:

```shell-session
$ go build
```

1.  (Optional) Copy the binary to the execution path, e.g.:

```shell-session
$ cp consul-api-gateway /usr/bin
```

1.  Use the `server` command to interact with the Consul API Gateway binary:

```shell-session
$ ./consul-api-gateway server <options>
```

The following options are supported:

| Option                 | Description                                                                                                                                                                           | Required | Default                                                                 |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `-ca-file`             | String value that specifies the path to the CA for the Consul server.                                                                                                                 | Required | none                                                                    |
| `-ca-secret`           | String value that specifies the CA secret for the Consul server.                                                                                                                      | Required | none                                                                    |
| `-ca-secret-namespace` | String value that specifies the CA secret namespace for the Consul server.                                                                                                            | Required | none                                                                    |
| `-k8-context`          | String value that specifies the Kubernetes context to use when starting the Consul server.                                                                                            | Optional | current context                                                         |
| `-k8-namespace`        | String value that specifies the Kubernetes namespace to use when starting the Consul server.                                                                                          | Optional | `default`                                                               |
| `-log-json`            | Boolean value that enables or disables JSON format for the log output.                                                                                                                | Required | `false`                                                                 |
| `-log-level`           | String value that specifies the logging level. The following values are supported: <br/>- `trace` (highest level of detail) <br/>- `debug` <br/>- `info` <br/>- `warn` <br/>- `error` | Optional | `info`                                                                  |
| `-metrics-port`        | Integer value that specifies the port number for collecting metrics.                                                                                                                  | Optional | none                                                                    |
| `-pprof`               | Integer value that specifies the Go pprof port number for collecting metrics.                                                                                                         | Optional | none                                                                    |
| `-sds-server-host`     | String value that specifies the host server for the secret discovery service (SDS).                                                                                                   | Optional | `consul-api-gateway-controller.default.`<br/>`svc.cluster.`<br/>`local` |
| `-sds-server-host`     | Integer value that specifies the port number for the secret discovery service (SDS).                                                                                                  | Optional | `9090`                                                                  |

You can also issue the `version` command to print the Consul API Gateway version to the console:

```shell-session
$ ./consul-api-gateway version
consul-api-gateway 0.1.0
```
--->