> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ngrok.com/docs/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Serving Static Responses with Custom Response Policies > Configure static responses in Kubernetes to return predefined responses directly from the gateway without backend calls. There are scenarios where you may want to issue static responses directly from the API Gateway rather than forwarding requests to an upstream service. This allows you to handle specific request patterns efficiently without consuming backend resources. By defining custom response rules, you can: 🛠 Return predefined error messages, such as a common 404 Not Found page.
⚡ Reduce backend load by handling certain requests at the gateway level.
🚀 Improve response times for static responses, such as maintenance messages.
## 🔍 What are the benefits of static responses? Instead of routing every request to your upstream services, certain requests can be handled at the gateway layer, improving efficiency and reducing unnecessary backend calls. Key Benefits: * **Reduce Backend Load:** Offload simple responses without hitting your backend. * **Improve Performance:** Serve common responses instantly at the edge. * **Standardize Error Handling:** Return the same response across multiple applications. * **Enhance Availability:** Provide a fallback response if your backend is unavailable. * **Handle Maintenance Windows Gracefully:** Display a scheduled maintenance message without modifying backend applications. ## Static response examples The following examples create an endpoint that returns a custom HTML maintenance page back for all requests to your endpoint. Check out the [custom response Traffic Policy action](/traffic-policy/actions/custom-response/) page for more details about how it functions and the parameters it accepts. ```yaml theme={null} apiVersion: ngrok.k8s.ngrok.com/v1alpha1 kind: AgentEndpoint metadata: name: example-agent-endpoint spec: url: https://example-hostname.ngrok.io upstream: url: http://my-service.my-namespace:8080 trafficPolicy: inline: on_http_request: - actions: - type: custom-response config: status_code: 503 body:

Service Unavailable

Our servers are currently down for maintenance. Please check back later.

headers: content-type: text/html ``` ```yaml theme={null} apiVersion: ngrok.k8s.ngrok.com/v1alpha1 kind: CloudEndpoint metadata: name: example-cloud-endpoint spec: url: https://example-hostname.ngrok.io trafficPolicy: policy: on_http_request: - actions: - type: custom-response config: status_code: 503 body:

Service Unavailable

Our servers are currently down for maintenance. Please check back later.

headers: content-type: text/html ``` 💡 `Ingress` resources do not natively support serving custom responses, but they can be extended using a Traffic Policy. ### 1. Create an `NgrokTrafficPolicy` ```yaml theme={null} apiVersion: ngrok.k8s.ngrok.com/v1alpha1 kind: NgrokTrafficPolicy metadata: name: example-tp namespace: default spec: policy: on_http_request: - actions: - type: custom-response config: status_code: 503 body:

Service Unavailable

Our servers are currently down for maintenance. Please check back later.

headers: content-type: text/html ``` ### 2. Use the `NgrokTrafficPolicy` on an `Ingress` ```yaml theme={null} apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1 kind: Ingress metadata: annotations: k8s.ngrok.com/traffic-policy: example-tp name: example-ingress namespace: default spec: ingressClassName: ngrok rules: - host: example-hostname.ngrok.io http: paths: - path: / pathType: Prefix backend: service: name: example-service port: number: 80 ``` 💡 Gateway API resources do not natively support serving custom responses, but they can be extended using a Traffic Policy. ### 1. Create an `NgrokTrafficPolicy` ```yaml theme={null} apiVersion: ngrok.k8s.ngrok.com/v1alpha1 kind: NgrokTrafficPolicy metadata: name: example-tp namespace: default spec: policy: on_http_request: - actions: - type: custom-response config: status_code: 503 body:

Service Unavailable

Our servers are currently down for maintenance. Please check back later.

headers: content-type: text/html ``` ### 2. Use the `NgrokTrafficPolicy` on a `Gateway` The following example showcases supplying the `NgrokTrafficPolicy` on a `Gateway` resource. All requests to the `Gateway` will run the Traffic Policy. If you prefer, `NgrokTrafficPolicy` can also be used on the route level by using an `externalRef` filter on an `HTTPRoute`. See the [using Gateway API guide](/k8s/guides/using-gwapi) for examples. ```yaml theme={null} apiVersion: gateway.networking.k8s.io/v1 kind: Gateway metadata: name: example-gateway namespace: default annotations: k8s.ngrok.com/traffic-policy: example-tp spec: gatewayClassName: ngrok listeners: - name: example-hostname hostname: "example-hostname.ngrok.io" port: 443 protocol: HTTPS ```