API gateways sit between clients and microservices, handling authentication, rate limiting, and routing. This centralization simplifies individual services while providing consistent client experiences.
Gateway Responsibilities
Authentication and authorization verify client identity. Rate limiting protects backend services. Request routing directs traffic to appropriate services. Response aggregation combines multiple service responses.
- Implement authentication at the gateway reducing service complexity
- Apply rate limiting per client preventing abuse
- Use request transformation for API versioning
- Aggregate responses reducing client round-trips
- Implement circuit breakers for failing backends
Gateway Options
Kong provides extensive plugin ecosystem. AWS API Gateway offers managed serverless option. Envoy powers service mesh gateways. Choose based on features, operational complexity, and existing infrastructure.