software

API Gateway

Definition

An API gateway is a reverse proxy that sits in front of backend services, handling cross-cutting concerns like authentication, rate limiting, request routing, SSL termination, and logging. It provides a single entry point for clients, decoupling client-facing APIs from internal service topology.

Kong, AWS API Gateway, and Nginx are common implementations. API gateways are a critical component in microservice architectures.

Related Terms

REST

Representational State Transfer

Microservices

Microservices Architecture

Rate Limiting

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