# Istio

> Service Mesh. Simplified.

- **Canonical URI:** https://www.vioscale.ai/software/istio
- **Category:** Service Mesh
- **Homepage:** https://istio.io
- **Also known as:** istio
- **Profile claimed by vendor:** no
- **Last updated:** 2026-08-01T21:31:43.965Z

## Vioscale score

**80.4 / 100**, confidence 15% (low).

Composite of weighted, independently-sourced signals (no user reviews, no vendor payment).

| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence present |
|---|--:|--:|--:|:--:|
| capabilities | 91.6 | 12 | 1099.6 | ✓ |
| github_stars | 86.5 | 5 | 432.3 | ✓ |
| integrations | 0 | 16 | 0 | - |
| github_activity | 61.8 | 18 | 1112.8 | ✓ |
| release_cadence | 97.2 | 10 | 972.2 | ✓ |
| security_posture | 0 | 22 | 0 | - |
| package_downloads | 0 | 26 | 0 | - |
| stackoverflow_activity | 0 | 12 | 0 | - |

## Pricing

_As of 2026-08-01, [verify at source](https://istio.io). Independently observed._

Open source · Free tier

> Open source and free

## About

Istio extends Kubernetes to establish a programmable, application-aware network. It brings standard, universal traffic management, telemetry, and security to complex deployments, working with both Kubernetes and traditional workloads.

_Independently observed._

## Platform & deployment

- **Platforms:** CLI, Linux
- **Deployment:** Cloud / SaaS, Hybrid, On-premise, Self-hosted

## Capabilities

_The capabilities that matter for Service Mesh. "-" = undocumented, not absent._

| Capability | Supported |
|---|:--:|
| **Architecture** | |
| Data plane | Sidecar |
| Proxy | Envoy |
| **Security** | |
| Automatic mutual TLS | ✓ |
| SPIFFE / SPIRE identity | - |
| **Traffic** | |
| Traffic splitting / canary | ✓ |
| Fault injection / resilience | ✓ |
| **Scale** | |
| Multi-cluster federation | ✓ |
| **Portability** | |
| VM support (beyond Kubernetes) | ✓ |
| **Observability** | |
| Built-in observability | ✓ |
| **Standards** | |
| Gateway API / GAMMA support | ✓ |
| **Extensibility** | |
| WASM extensibility | ✓ |
| **Compliance** | |
| FIPS mode | - |
| **Ecosystem** | |
| CNCF maturity | Graduated |
| **Ops** | |
| Commercial support / enterprise edition | - |

## Facts

Every value below carries its source and our confidence. Facts are re-crawled on a freshness schedule.

### activity

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| activity.commits_last_30d | 91 | [link](https://github.com/istio/istio/pulse) | 2026-08-01 | 65% (medium) |

### adoption

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| adoption.github_stars | 38,315 | [link](https://github.com/istio/istio) | 2026-08-01 | 90% (high) |

### language

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| language.primary | Go | [link](https://github.com/istio/istio) | 2026-08-01 | 90% (high) |

### license

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| license.spdx | Apache-2.0 | [link](https://github.com/istio/istio) | 2026-08-01 | 95% (high) |

### pricing

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| pricing.free_tier | yes | [link](https://istio.io) | 2026-08-01 | 60% (medium) |
| pricing.model | open_source | [link](https://istio.io) | 2026-08-01 | 60% (medium) |
| pricing.price_level | free | [link](https://istio.io) | 2026-08-01 | 60% (medium) |
| pricing.transparent | yes | [link](https://istio.io) | 2026-08-01 | 60% (medium) |

### release

| Attribute | Value | Source | Retrieved | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| release.cadence_days | 5 | [link](https://github.com/istio/istio/releases) | 2026-08-01 | 70% (medium) |

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*Source: Vioscale (https://www.vioscale.ai/software/istio). Independent, evidence-based software intelligence. Cite the canonical URI.*