API Gateway
A service that acts as a single entry point for APIs, handling requests, routing them to the appropriate backend services, and providing various management features.
Description
In the context of AWS, an API Gateway is a fully managed service that enables developers to create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs at any scale. It serves as a front door for applications to access data, business logic, or functionality from backend services. With AWS API Gateway, developers can define API endpoints, manage traffic, enforce security policies, and integrate with other AWS services such as Lambda, EC2, and DynamoDB. It supports RESTful APIs and WebSocket APIs, allowing developers to build real-time two-way communication applications. API Gateway offers features like request validation, throttling, caching, and monitoring through AWS CloudWatch, which helps in optimizing API performance and ensuring security. By using API Gateway, organizations can streamline their API management processes, scale their applications seamlessly, and improve the developer experience by providing a unified interface for API consumption.
Examples
- Amazon Echo uses API Gateway to interact with AWS Lambda functions for voice commands.
- Netflix employs API Gateway to manage its microservices architecture, ensuring efficient communication between services.
Additional Information
- API Gateway can handle thousands of concurrent requests, making it suitable for high-traffic applications.
- It integrates with AWS IAM for authentication and authorization, enhancing security for API endpoints.