:_mod-docs-content-type: ASSEMBLY
[id="assigning-network-addresses-gateways"]
= Assigning network addresses to gateways
include::_attributes/common-attributes.adoc[]
:context: assigning-network-addresses-gateways

toc::[]

[role="_abstract"]
You can configure network addresses for your gateway to provide a predictable entry point for external traffic. This ensures that clients can reliably resolve and route requests to your load balancers.

The Gateway API uses addresses to define the specific network locations that are assigned to your `Gateway` resource. In {product-title}, you rely on the Gateway controller to automatically provision and bind the necessary network addresses, such as an external load balancer IP, to your gateway. The controller then populates the `status.addresses` field of the `Gateway` resource with the assigned addresses once they are available.

To successfully assign network addresses to your gateway, complete the following tasks:

* Understand gateway address assignment and types to plan your DNS and load balancer configuration.
* Configure automatic address assignment for a gateway to successfully deploy it without violating manual address constraints.

include::modules/understand-gateway-address-assignment.adoc[leveloffset=+1]

include::modules/configuring-automatic-address-assignment-gateway.adoc[leveloffset=+1]