What does an Api Gateway do?

An API gateway accepts API requests from a client, processes them based on defined policies, directs them to the appropriate services, and combines the responses for a simplified user experience.

An API gateway is a component of application delivery (the combination of services that serve an application to users) and acts as a reverse proxy to accept all application programming interface (API) calls, aggregate the various services required to fulfill them, and return the appropriate result.

How do API Gateways Work?

The beauty of modern-day software systems lies in their ability to handle complex operations with ease.

The introduction of an API Gateway is no different. This innovative technology acts as a buffer between clients and backend services, taking care of all error-detection procedures while also granting access privileges where needed.

API Gateway creates RESTful APIs that:

Are HTTP-based.

Enable stateless client-server communication.

Implement standard HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE.

Other Functions that API Gateways handle!

Other important functions related to Microservices that API gateways often handle include,

Protocol translation

Service discovery for identifying the location of service instances.

Building basic business logic within each service

Authentication and security policy enforcements

Stabilization and load balancing

Cache management

Monitoring, logging and analytics

Microservices challenges and how API gateways can help

Modern cloud native applications based on a microservices architecture frequently utilize API gateways.

Handling requests

Microservices enable you to easily develop, deploy, and maintain different application functions, but they also make it difficult for external users to quickly and securely access the application.

Routing traffic

An API gateway provides a management interface for many important aspects of the application. It serves as the main proxy that connects customers to services, supporting security and administration functions such as metric collection, authentication, response transformation, and input validation.