In Envoy’s configuration, what does a route define?

A route in Envoy's configuration is crucial because it determines how requests are matched and routed to specific services within a microservices architecture. This matching process is essential for directing incoming traffic to the appropriate backend service based on defined criteria, such as the request's path, headers, and other attributes.

When configuring routes, you can specify various parameters, such as request match conditions, the upstream service to route to, and any necessary transformations that should be applied to the request or response. By doing so, Envoy can efficiently handle and distribute incoming requests, ensuring that they reach the correct endpoint and that the overall service delivery remains robust and responsive.

While security protocols, architecture, and service instance management are all significant aspects of a service mesh, they do not directly address the routing logic like routes do. Therefore, defining routes is fundamental for successful traffic management in Envoy.