In addition to handling access control, it allows fast, reliable delivery within large and complex applications.

When requests for information come into an application with microservices, an API gateway provides a streamlined approach to retrieving and returning the data. The microservices are loosely coupled, connect to their own databases and can be deployed, maintained and tested independently. These applications are typically comprised of many independent, autonomous, single-function components (or microservices) - each managed by its own small, self-contained DevOps team. API gateways and microservicesĪPI gateways, sometimes called “edge microservices,” are frequently used in applications created with modern, cloud-native microservices architecture. API gateways can also enable real-time communication between an application’s frontend and backend - for instance, in web chat, stock trading systems and online games. Someone requesting information about a retail store using a web browser, for instance, is shown much more information than someone who requests and views the same store’s data on a mobile phone. Their request is received and executed by an API gateway.īeyond just servicing requests, though, an API gateway also provides value by making data available in a way appropriate for the requestor’s technology.

Using a laptop or cellphone, a user can enter one request and easily access the restaurant’s menu, diners’ photos and reviews, its payment service and a map to check its location, despite all that information being gathered and delivered from different backend microservices or APIs. It accepts requests that come in remotely and returns the requested data.įor example, consider a restaurant’s web application. The value of an API gatewayĪn API gateway provides a single entry point for all API calls that come into an application, whether the app is hosted in an on-premises data center or on the cloud. It also provides analytics, layers of threat protection and other security for the application. Learn how API gateways are helping organizations provide quicker, easier and more secure access to their cloud-based data and services.Īn application programming interface (API) gateway is software that takes an application user’s request, routes it to one or more backend services, gathers the appropriate data and delivers it to the user in a single, combined package.

What is application level gateway