# Before you begin

Type of document: Concept
Product: NGINX Ingress Controller

---


Use a Policy resource to define reusable configuration, such as access control, CORS, egress mTLS, and WAF. Attach that configuration to [VirtualServer and VirtualServerRoute resources](/nic/configuration/virtualserver-and-virtualserverroute-resources.md) or [Ingress resources](/nic/configuration/ingress-resources).

A Policy resource is a [Custom Resource](https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/extend-kubernetes/api-extension/custom-resources/).

A Policy resource works together with [VirtualServer and VirtualServerRoute resources](/nic/configuration/virtualserver-and-virtualserverroute-resources.md) and [Ingress resources](/nic/configuration/ingress-resources). Create these resources separately before you attach a policy to them.

## What's next

Learn about the [policy specification](/nic/configuration/policy-resource/policy-specification.md) and the supported policy types.