API Gateway Pattern
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An API Gateway Pattern is a microservices architecture pattern that acts as a single entry point for external consumers to access and interact with multiple independent microservices within a system.
- Context:
- It can be seen as a specialized form of a reverse proxy that handles request routing, data aggregation, and protocol translation.
- It can be utilized to implement various cross-cutting concerns like authentication, authorization, rate limiting, caching, and request/response transformation.
- It can serve as a central point for monitoring and logging activities across multiple microservices.
- It can simplify client-side development by exposing a single API that aggregates services from multiple microservices.
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- Example(s):
- Counter-Example(s):
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- See: Backend for Frontend (BFF) Pattern.
References
2023
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- An API Gateway pattern is a design pattern used in microservices architecture to provide a single entry point for external consumers to access and interact with multiple, independent services within the system. It acts as a reverse proxy, aggregating and routing client requests to the appropriate microservices while providing additional functionalities, such as authentication, rate limiting, caching, and request/response transformation. By utilizing the API Gateway pattern, developers can simplify client interactions, improve system security, and enhance performance by reducing the number of round-trip requests between clients and services.
- Some key benefits of the API Gateway pattern include:
- Simplified client-side integration: Clients only need to interact with a single API, rather than keeping track of multiple endpoints for each microservice.
- Centralized authentication and authorization: The API Gateway can handle security measures such as authentication and access control, reducing the need for each microservice to implement these features individually.
- Load balancing and request routing: The API Gateway can efficiently distribute incoming requests to the appropriate microservices, helping to balance the load across the system.
- Rate limiting and throttling: The API Gateway can limit the number of requests from clients, helping to prevent abuse or excessive load on the system.
- Caching: By caching responses, the API Gateway can reduce latency and improve performance, particularly for frequently accessed data.
- Monitoring and logging: The API Gateway can provide a central location for gathering metrics and logs, making it easier to monitor and manage the health of the system.