Benefits of using an API Gateway
- Centralized Entry Point
- In complex systems with multiple microservices or backend services, clients (e.g., web or mobile applications) typically need to interact with various endpoints to access different functionalities.
- An API Gateway acts as a single entry point, meaning that clients send their requests to the gateway, and the gateway takes responsibility for routing those requests to the appropriate services.
- Routing and Load Balancing
- API Gateways analyze incoming requests and determine which backend service should handle them based on various factors such as the request’s URL, headers, or even the content of the request.
- Additionally, they can distribute incoming requests evenly across multiple instances of the same service to ensure load balancing.
- Authentication and Authorization
- They can enforce authentication, ensuring that only authorized users or applications can access the services behind the gateway.
- This is typically done using mechanisms like API keys, OAuth tokens, or JWTs. Furthermore, they handle authorization by checking if the authenticated user or application has the necessary permissions to access specific resources.
- Request and Response Transformation
- API Gateways can transform requests and responses as they pass through.
- For example, they can convert data formats (e.g., from JSON to XML or vice versa) to ensure compatibility between different parts of the system.
- They can also aggregate data from multiple services into a single response, providing clients with a unified view.
What is API Gateway | System Design ?
An API Gateway is a key component in system design, particularly in microservices architectures and modern web applications. It serves as a centralized entry point for managing and routing requests from clients to the appropriate microservices or backend services within a system.
Important Topics for API Gateway in System Design
- What is an API Gateway?
- How does API Gateway work?
- How differently API Gateway work with Microservices and Monolith architecture?
- Best Practices for API Gateway
- Benefits of using an API Gateway:
- Challenges of using an API Gateway
- Popular API Gateway Solutions