fix traffic flow to show nginx routes directly to pods not services

- Update mermaid diagrams to show direct pod routing
- Add note that services are used for pod information gathering
- Update sequence diagram to remove service intermediary
- Update process descriptions to show pods reply directly
- Add exhaustive disclaimer to resource creation list

Author: sarthyparty

docs/architecture/gateway-lifecycle.md

@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ Validation Checks:
 ### 3. Kubernetes Resources Created
 
 ```text
-Resources Created:
+Resources Created (not exhaustive):
 ├── Deployment: nginx-gateway-{gateway-name}
 ├── Service: nginx-gateway-{gateway-name}
 ├── ConfigMap: nginx-config-{gateway-name}

docs/architecture/traffic-flow.md

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ This diagram shows how user requests travel through NGINX Gateway Fabric.
 
 ## Simple Overview
 
+**Note:** NGINX routes traffic directly to Pods. Services are used for Pod information gathering, not as routing intermediaries.
+
 ```mermaid
 %%{init: {'theme':'dark', 'themeVariables': {'fontSize': '16px', 'darkMode': true, 'primaryColor': '#4f46e5', 'primaryTextColor': '#e5e7eb', 'primaryBorderColor': '#6b7280', 'lineColor': '#9ca3af', 'secondaryColor': '#1f2937', 'tertiaryColor': '#374151', 'background': '#111827', 'mainBkg': '#1f2937', 'secondBkg': '#374151', 'tertiaryTextColor': '#d1d5db'}}}%%
 graph LR
@@ -22,13 +24,11 @@ graph LR
         end
     end
 
-    %% Simple flow
+    %% Simple flow - NGINX routes directly to Pods
     USER --> NGINX
-    NGINX --> SVC1
-    NGINX --> SVC2
-    SVC1 --> POD1
-    SVC1 --> POD2
-    SVC2 --> POD3
+    NGINX --> POD1
+    NGINX --> POD2
+    NGINX --> POD3
 
     %% Dark-friendly styling
     style USER fill:#fbbf24,stroke:#f59e0b,stroke-width:2px,color:#1f2937
@@ -54,15 +54,15 @@ User Request:
 ```text
 NGINX Gateway:
 ├── Receives request from user
-├── Applies SSL termination
+├── Applies SSL termination (only if a user configures it to do so)
 ├── Matches routing rules
-└── Selects backend service
+└── Selects backend pod
 ```
 
-### 3. Service Processes Request
+### 3. Pod Processes Request
 
 ```text
-Backend Service:
+Backend Pod:
 ├── Receives request from NGINX
 ├── Processes business logic
 ├── Queries database (if needed)
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ Backend Service:
 
 ```text
 Response Flow:
-├── Service → NGINX
+├── Pod → NGINX
 ├── NGINX → User
 └── Request complete
 ```
@@ -86,54 +86,45 @@ Response Flow:
 sequenceDiagram
     participant User
     participant NGINX
-    participant Service as Backend Service
     participant Pod
 
     User->>NGINX: HTTP Request
     NGINX->>NGINX: Route matching
-    NGINX->>Service: Proxy to service
-    Service->>Pod: Forward to pod
+    NGINX->>Pod: Proxy directly to pod
     Pod->>Pod: Process request
-    Pod->>Service: Return response
-    Service->>NGINX: Response
+    Pod->>NGINX: Return response
     NGINX->>User: HTTP Response
 ```
 
 ## Request Routing Logic
 
-### Path-Based Routing
-
-```nginx
-# Generated from HTTPRoute resources
-location /users {
-    proxy_pass http://user-service;
-}
-
-location /orders {
-    proxy_pass http://order-service;
-}
-
-location /products {
-    proxy_pass http://product-service;
-}
-```
-
+Routes use both hostname and path for traffic routing decisions.
 
-### Host-Based Routing
+### Combined Host and Path Routing
 
 ```nginx
-# Different hosts route to different services
+# Routes combine hostname and path matching
 server {
     server_name api.example.com;
-    location / {
-        proxy_pass http://api-service;
+
+    location /users {
+        proxy_pass http://user-service;
+    }
+
+    location /orders {
+        proxy_pass http://order-service;
     }
 }
 
 server {
     server_name admin.example.com;
-    location / {
+
+    location /dashboard {
         proxy_pass http://admin-service;
     }
+
+    location /settings {
+        proxy_pass http://config-service;
+    }
 }
 ```