Amazon API Gateway Getting to Know This Service

In the previous article, I talked a bit about AWS Lambda, a service that uses a serverless architecture (AWS Lambda Features, Use Cases and Best Practices). Building on that, today I will discuss API Gateway, which can be used together with AWS Lambda as well as with other services.

To start understanding how “powerful” this service is, let’s first contextualize how it works.

Introduction to Amazon API Gateway

Amazon API Gateway is a serverless service that allows us to create, manage, monitor, and secure APIs at scale. This type of service is widely used as an entry point for API integrations, microservices, and solutions that communicate with various types of backends.

One of its most important features is the ease of integration with native AWS services, accelerating the entire process of developing and deploying solutions.

Key Features and Functionalities

When discussing an API management service, it’s essential to understand the features and functionalities it offers. Below, I describe some of the key features that make Amazon API Gateway an excellent choice for supporting various applications:

• Support for RESTful APIs and WebSocket APIs: It supports different types of APIs to meet a wide range of communication needs.
• Ease of Endpoint Management: Creating APIs and managing communication endpoints is highly simplified, with the ability to integrate with AWS services for managing integrations.
• Monitoring: Through CloudWatch, you can access various metrics and logs to understand the service’s operation and API usage.
• Versioning and Stages: Managing different versions of endpoints and APIs is very intuitive, making it easier to oversee the entire API ecosystem.
• Scalability and Performance: Thanks to the serverless nature of this service, it can handle applications of any size. It also offers features such as caching to reduce overloads and can handle traffic spikes, ensuring high availability.

Challenges and Limitations

• Response Size: The response body has a maximum limit of 10 MB.
• Execution Time: Requests cannot exceed 29 seconds (timeout).
• General Limitations: There are some restrictions related to custom domain sharing and other aspects.

Here, I highlighted only a few points. For more details, I recommend checking out the following link: Important Notes.

Common Use Cases

Creating HTTP APIs

Amazon API Gateway is ideal for building applications that rely on APIs for communication between the front-end and back-end or even in scenarios involving service-to-service communication.

HTTP APIs support OpenID Connect and OAuth 2.0 authorization. Additionally, they have integrated support for cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) and automatic deployments.

Learn more here — REST APIs vs. HTTP APIs.

WebSocket APIs

This is a widely used case today, especially in scenarios involving applications like chat apps, real-time dashboards, and other situations that require bidirectional, real-time communication.

Learn more here — API Gateway WebSocket APIs.

Integration with AWS Services

A common use case — and one I frequently leverage in my study projects — is direct integration with services like AWS Lambda, which simplifies API creation and accelerates the entire development process.

Best Practices

• Identify All APIs: Good control and management of APIs are highly recommended. Effective management also facilitates the implementation of tools for security monitoring and versioning.
• Implement Authentication and Authorization: With the easy integration of authentication and authorization services (such as AWS Cognito), adding this security layer is always advisable.

Of course, these are not the only best practices. For more details on scenarios and best practices, you can refer to this API Gateway documentation.

Conclusion

Amazon API Gateway is a robust service that significantly simplifies the development and management of APIs. Additionally, it offers advanced security features, scalability, and integration with other AWS services. However, it’s always essential to evaluate the project, business, and solution requirements and consider the service’s limitations to ensure it meets all your needs.

Reference Links

API Gateway use cases

API Gateway — Developer Guite

Amazon API Gateway important notes

Five API Gateway Best Practices