Docker network_mode: host

I have currently deployed Home-Assistant to a bare-metal kubernetes cluster and finally added the hostNetwork param to the manifest in order to get the pod to open its 8123 ports.

Is this still a fundamental requirement? If so, can I get help understanding why the container requires host_network? To the extent that enabling host_network is the only way to get the container to perform.

I would have thought that having the capacity to route traffic beyond simple http (i.e. all tcp / udp) to services within the cluster would have sufficed? Nginx Ingress, in this case has been configured to support this. I’m here, asking, because it is clear that there are restrictions that I do not understand yet.

Your help would be greatly appreciated.

Because integrations and discovery open various incoming ports, that would otherwise not be forwarded to the container.

Also for some integrations (Google speakers) HA is using mDNS - and it works in host mode only.

To add to this: it’s my understanding that this is a limitation of Docker networking, not anything to do with HomeAssistant’s design. If I’ve understood correctly, multicast traffic on Docker network types other than host doesn’t forward to the host interface, or at least can’t do so without plugins.

Agree. It’s Docker limitation, but HA relays on mDNS - so it’s combined at the end.

It‘s not Docker, it‘s networking. Unless you configure/inform a routing instance of open service ports, it will not forward incoming requests to the service.