What is meant by API gateway?

[sulbha]

What is meant by API gateway?

[Maja22]

What is meant by API https://zumbaliciouscrew.com/en/zumba-gold/ gateway?

An API Gateway is a server that acts as an API front-end, receiving API requests, enforcing throttling and security policies, passing requests to the back-end service, and then passing the response back to the requester. It 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.

Here are some key functionalities and purposes of an API Gateway:
Request Routing: API Gateways route incoming API requests to the appropriate microservices or backend servers based on the endpoint, method, or other criteria.
Protocol Translation: They can translate between different protocols. For example, an API Gateway might accept HTTP requests but communicate with backend services using HTTPS or other protocols.
Request Aggregation: An API Gateway can aggregate multiple requests into a single request to reduce chattiness between clients and servers, optimizing network usage.
Security: API Gateways often handle security-related tasks such as authentication, authorization, and encryption. They can enforce security policies, validate API keys, and protect against common web vulnerabilities.
Rate Limiting and Throttling: API Gateways help control the rate at which requests are sent to backend services to prevent overload. This is important for maintaining service availability and preventing abuse.
Monitoring and Analytics: API Gateways provide insights into API usage, performance metrics, and other analytics. This is valuable for tracking API usage patterns, identifying potential issues, and optimizing performance.
Response Aggregation: Similar to request aggregation, an API Gateway can aggregate multiple backend responses into a single response to improve efficiency and reduce the number of round-trips between clients and servers.
Caching: API Gateways can implement caching strategies to store and retrieve frequently requested data, reducing the load on backend services and improving response times.
Logging and Auditing: They can log API requests and responses for monitoring, debugging, and auditing purposes.

API Gateways are commonly used in microservices architectures to simplify the client-side experience, improve security, and provide a centralized point for managing and monitoring APIs. They contribute to the overall efficiency, scalability, and maintainability of distributed systems.