API Gateway Types and Benefits | Monolithic Architecture to Microservices

Monoliths to Microservices Architectures: How API Gateways Can Help Your Business Thrive

As businesses grow, so does the complexity of their software systems. One common challenge is the management of large monolithic applications, which can become difficult to maintain and scale over time. This is where microservices come in, offering a more flexible and scalable approach. However, implementing microservices can be a daunting task.

That’s where API gateways come into play, providing a unified entry point for all microservices and allowing businesses to take full advantage of their benefits. In this article, we will explore how API gateways can help businesses transition from monolithic architectures to microservices and thrive in the process.

What are APIs and why businesses need a API Gateway

API stands for Application Programming Interface. An API is a set of rules, protocols, and tools for building software applications that define how different software components should interact with each other. APIs can be used to expose a software service’s functionality, data, or logic to other software applications.

The need for API gateways arises when organizations have multiple services or microservices that they want to expose to clients in a consistent and secure manner. An API gateway acts as an intermediary between the client and the backend services, providing a single point of entry to the backend services, regardless of how many services are involved.

Benefits of API Gateway

API gateways offer several benefits, including:

Simplified client access: API gateways provide a unified entry point for all incoming requests, regardless of how many backend services are involved. This simplifies client access to the backend services and improves the overall developer experience.
Improved security: Provides a centralized location for managing security and other cross-cutting concerns, such as authentication, authorization, and rate limiting. This makes it easier to secure the backend services and protects them from unauthorized access.
Service discovery: API gateways can also be used to discover the available services, such as through service registries, making it easier to manage and scale the backend services.
Load balancing and performance: Help distribute incoming requests to the appropriate backend services, based on factors such as load, availability, and response time. This improves the overall performance and availability of the backend services.
Simplified service management: To abstract the complexity of managing multiple backend services, by providing a single point of control for managing service routing, versioning, and deployment.

API gateways are an important part of modern software architecture, particularly in microservices-based environments, as they provide a simplified and secure way to expose backend services to clients.

API gateways can handle various types of APIs, including:

RESTful APIs: Representational State Transfer (REST) APIs are the most common type of API that is handled by an API gateway. REST APIs use HTTP methods (such as GET, POST, PUT, DELETE, etc.) to perform operations on resources.
GraphQL APIs: GraphQL APIs allow clients to query a server for specific data by specifying the required data fields in the request. API gateways can be used to route requests to the appropriate GraphQL server and perform authentication and authorization.
SOAP APIs: Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) is a messaging protocol that uses XML to format messages between client and server applications. API gateways can be used to route SOAP requests to the appropriate backend SOAP server and handle security and other cross-cutting concerns.
WebSockets: WebSockets are used to enable real-time communication between the client and the server. API gateways can be used to route WebSocket connections to the appropriate backend server and perform load balancing and other functions.
gRPC: gRPC is a high-performance, open-source framework for building remote procedure call (RPC) APIs. API gateways can be used to route gRPC requests to the appropriate backend gRPC server and handle security and other cross-cutting concerns.

Use Cases – With and Without API Gateway

Without API Gateway

A simple website built with a single backend API server, such as a weather app that provides current weather data for a given location. In this case, the client (i.e., the user) communicates directly with the backend API server to request weather data.
A mobile app that communicates with a backend API server to retrieve and store user data, such as a social media app. In this case, the client (i.e., the mobile app) communicates directly with the backend API server to send and retrieve data related to user accounts, posts, and other social media-related data.

With API Gateway

A large e-commerce website built with a microservices-based backend API infrastructure. In this case, the API Gateway provides a unified entry point for all incoming requests, and routes requests to the appropriate microservices based on the URL path. For example, the product listing service, the shopping cart service, and the payment service.
An IoT platform that collects data from various sensors and devices. In this case, the API Gateway serves as a centralized location for collecting and managing data from the various devices, and routes requests to the appropriate backend microservices that handle data ingestion, processing, and analysis.
A travel booking platform that aggregates data from multiple third-party APIs, such as airlines, hotels, and car rental services. In this case, the API Gateway serves as a facade for the third-party APIs, abstracting the complexity of integrating with multiple external services and providing a simplified interface for client applications.

What are the different types of API Gateway

Following are the types of API Gateway ;

Cloud-Based API Gateway : A cloud-based API gateway is a fully managed service provided by a cloud provider, which typically includes features such as load balancing, security, and analytics. It can be easily scaled and managed, and it is a good choice for organizations that want to focus on developing their APIs instead of managing infrastructure.
- Platform Examples: Amazon API Gateway, Microsoft Azure API Management, Google Cloud Endpoints
- Use Cases : E-commerce applications, IoT applications, and mobile applications

On-Premises API Gateway : An on-premises API gateway is a software or hardware appliance that is installed on-premises within an organization’s network. It is typically used when an organization has strict data security requirements or when it needs to integrate with legacy systems that cannot be easily moved to the cloud.
- Platform Examples : Apigee Edge, Kong, Tyk
- Use Cases : Banking applications, government applications, and healthcare applications

Hybrid API Gateway : A hybrid API gateway is a combination of cloud-based and on-premises API gateways, which can be used to provide the benefits of both approaches. It can be used when an organization needs to integrate with both on-premises and cloud-based systems or when it needs to provide high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.
- Platform Examples : IBM API Connect, MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, WSO2 API Manager
- Use Cases : Manufacturing applications, logistics applications, and e-commerce applications

Open Source API Gateway : An open-source API gateway is a free and open-source software that can be used to manage and secure APIs. It is typically used when an organization has specialized requirements or when it needs to customize the API gateway for its specific needs.
- Platform Examples : NGINX, HAProxy, Ambassador
- Use Cases : Developer tools, small and medium-sized businesses, and educational institutions