envoyproxy/envoy ? reverse-engineered prompt

Build me a cloud native proxy server inspired by Envoy. I want a working first version that can sit in front of apps or between microservices and route traffic based on a simple config file.

It should be fast, reliable, and written in modern C++. Please include basic listener setup, routing to backend services, simple load balancing, health checks, logging, and useful stats so operators can see what’s happening. I’d also like safe restart behavior so config changes don’t require dropping traffic if that’s reasonable for the first pass.

Make it easy to run locally with example configs and clear docs for someone trying it for the first time. Include tests for the core routing behavior and a developer guide that explains how to build and run it. Look up current proxy and Envoy docs online if you need to, but keep the first version focused and usable.