API Gateway in System Integration and Architecture
An API Gateway acts as a centralized entry point in distributed system architectures, managing and routing API requests between clients and multiple backend services.
Summary
An API Gateway acts as a centralized entry point in distributed system architectures, managing and routing API requests between clients and multiple backend services. It simplifies system complexity by providing a single interface that handles request routing, protocol translation, and aggregates responses from different microservices. Key security features include authentication, authorization, and throttling to protect backend systems. Additionally, API Gateways perform request transformations such as data format conversions and request filtering, support load balancing, and implement caching to enhance system performance. They also facilitate monitoring and logging for operational insights and debugging. Popular tools used as API Gateways include Kong, Amazon API Gateway, and Apigee. By unifying service endpoints and centralizing API management, API Gateways improve scalability, reliability, and security, enabling more flexible and efficient integration in microservices and hybrid cloud environments.
| Feature | Functionality | Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Routing | Directs API calls to appropriate backend services | Simplifies communication flow |
| Security | Provides authentication and throttling | Protects backend systems |
| Request Transformation | Converts data formats and filters requests | Enhances compatibility |
| Load Balancing & Caching | Distributes load and stores responses | Improves performance |
Common Misconceptions:
- API Gateways are just proxies; they actually provide advanced features like security and load balancing.
🧠 Key Concepts
- API Gateway
- Request Routing
- Authentication
- Load Balancing
- Request Transformation
- Throttling
- Microservices Integration
- Caching
- Monitoring
- API Security
🧠 Quick Check
See what you remember from the summary.
What primary role does an API Gateway serve in system integration?
Ready to quiz yourself?
Test what you remember with a full practice quiz on this note. Create a free account and start in seconds.
Full Notes
Read the original note content before deciding whether to save or study from it.
API Gateway in System Integration and Architecture
📘 Overview An API Gateway acts as a centralized entry point for managing, routing, and securing API requests in distributed system architectures. It streamlines communication between clients and multiple backend services, enhancing scalability and maintainability of complex IT systems.
🧠 Key Idea An API Gateway serves as a single interface that manages client requests and coordinates responses from multiple backend services, simplifying system complexity and enabling centralized control over security, routing, and API management.
⚔️ Core Details: - API Gateway handles request routing, protocol translation, and aggregation of multiple microservice responses. - It provides security features including authentication, authorization, and throttling to protect backend services. - API Gateways often perform request transformations such as data format conversion or request filtering. - They support load balancing and can implement caching to improve system performance. - Common API Gateway tools include Kong, Amazon API Gateway, and Apigee. - API Gateway facilitates monitoring and logging of API calls for operational insights and debugging.
🎯 Why It Matters: - API Gateways reduce client complexity by encapsulating multiple service endpoints into a unified API interface. - They enable flexible and secure access control mechanisms essential in modern distributed IT environments. - Centralized API management improves system reliability, scaling, and rapid deployment of updates. - They simplify integration and communication in microservices and hybrid cloud architectures.
🧠 Quick Recall: - API Gateway - centralized entry point for API requests - Functions - routing, security, request transformation, load balancing - Popular tools - Kong, Amazon API Gateway, Apigee - Security features - authentication, authorization, throttling - Role in microservices - simplifies communication and integration
Practice modes available when you copy this note
Copy this note into your library to unlock focused, exam-style practice sessions.
Answer all questions first, then see feedback at the end — the way real exams work.
Focuses each session on what you got wrong, not what you already know.
Full timed exam with all questions, no pausing, and results at the end. Built for board exam prep.
More Information Technology notes
View all →Load Balancing in System Integration and Architecture
System Integration & Architecture
Load balancing is a pivotal technique in system architecture that distributes network traffic or computational tasks across multiple servers or resources. This process enhances sys...
OAuth Protocol in System Integration and Architecture
System Integration & Architecture
OAuth is an open standard protocol for access delegation that enables secure token-based authentication and authorization without exposing user passwords. It is widely used in syst...
Query Optimization in Database Systems
Database Systems
Query optimization is a critical process in database management systems that determines the most efficient method to execute queries, focusing on reducing resource consumption such...
Indexing in Database Systems
Copy this note to your library and get the full Study Pack instantly — summary, key concepts, and practice quiz included.