---
title: Ambient
test: n/a
---

Ambient mode refers to a [data plane mode](/docs/reference/glossary/#data-plane-mode) consisting of a per-node and optionally a per-namespace component. The mesh created when Istio is installed in ambient *mode* can be referred to as an ambient *mesh*.
Ambient mode is an alternative to a [sidecar mode](/docs/reference/glossary/#sidecar) deployment.