API Gateway Concept & Responsibilities
Master the unified entry point for microservices: Request routing, protocol translation (REST/gRPC), authentication, rate limiting, and the BFF pattern.
01.What is an API Gateway?
In a microservices architecture with dozens or hundreds of independent services, allowing client applications (mobile apps, web browsers) to communicate directly with individual microservices creates severe architectural chaos:
- Clients must make dozens of network roundtrips to fetch data for a single UI view.
- Internal microservice protocols (binary gRPC, Thrift) are difficult to consume directly from web browsers.
- Every microservice team must duplicate cross-cutting logic (JWT verification, rate limiting, CORS headers, SSL termination, DDoS protection, audit logging).
- Refactoring internal service boundaries breaks public client contracts.
An API Gateway acts as a single, centralized reverse proxy and orchestration layer that serves as the single public entry point for all external client requests.
Enterprise API Gateway Architecture & Cross-Cutting Concerns 🚪
Enterprise API Gateway Architecture & Cross-Cutting Concerns 🚪
How an API Gateway centralizes authentication, rate limiting, request validation, protocol translation, and observability in front of internal microservice fleets.
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