Skip to main content
minecraft-gateway discovers game server Services automatically using the discovery section of a NetworkInfrastructure. Discovered services are written into status.backendRefs and become available as backends in your routes.

​
How discovery works

The NetworkInfrastructureReconciler watches Services, Gateways, and EndpointSlices. When it reconciles, it:
  1. Determines which namespaces to search based on discovery.namespaceSelector.
  2. Lists all Services in those namespaces that match discovery.labelSelector.
  3. For each matching Service, selects a port using the priority rules below.
  4. Writes the result into status.backendRefs.

​
Configuring discovery

spec:
  discovery:
    namespaceSelector:
      from: Same           # Same | All | Selector
    labelSelector:
      matchLabels:
        minefleet.dev/gameserver: "true"

​
Namespace scope

from valueBehavior
SameOnly the namespace where the NetworkInfrastructure lives.
AllAll namespaces in the cluster.
SelectorNamespaces whose labels match namespaceSelector.selector.

​
Label selector

Any standard Kubernetes label selector. Services must have all required labels to be included. 
labelSelector:
  matchLabels:
    minefleet.dev/gameserver: "true"
    minefleet.dev/environment: production

​
Port selection

For each discovered Service, the controller selects a port in this priority order:
  1. A TCP port named minecraft
  2. TCP port number 25565
  3. The first TCP port found on the Service
Services with no TCP ports are excluded.

​
Labelling your Services

Add the label that matches your discovery.labelSelector to any Service you want the gateway to discover: 
kubectl label service my-gameserver minefleet.dev/gameserver=true
Or set it in your Service manifest: 
apiVersion: v1
kind: Service
metadata:
  name: survival-server
  labels:
    minefleet.dev/gameserver: "true"
spec:
  ports:
    - name: minecraft
      port: 25565
      protocol: TCP
  selector:
    app: survival-server

​
Checking discovered backends

After the controller reconciles, check the NetworkInfrastructure status to see what was discovered: 
kubectl get networkinfrastructure my-infrastructure -o jsonpath='{.status.backendRefs}'

​
Using discovered services in routes

Discovered services can be referenced by name in backendRefs: 
backendRefs:
  - name: survival-server
    port: 25565
The controller validates that the referenced service exists in the gateway’s namespace (or the route’s namespace if no namespace is specified).

​
Dynamic updates

The controller re-reconciles automatically when Services gain or lose the discovery label, when EndpointSlices change (for fallback route fallbackFor resolution), or when a NetworkInfrastructure is updated. There is no need to restart anything after adding a new game server.
Last modified on April 19, 2026