API Gateway vs Reverse Proxy PDF

210 API Gateway vs. Reverse Proxy API Gateway and Reverse Proxy are both architectural components that manage incoming requests, * *...

210 API Gateway vs. Reverse Proxy API Gateway and Reverse Proxy are both architectural components that manage incoming requests, * * * ** ** * *** but they serve different purposes and operate in somewhat different contexts. *** * * * * API Gateway ** Purpose: An API Gateway is a management tool that acts as a single entry point for a defined ** * * * ** ** group of microservices, handling requests and routing them to the appropriate service. * * * ** Functionality: ** ** Routing: Routes requests to the correct microservice. ** * * ** Aggregation: Aggregates results from multiple microservices. ** * * ** Cross-Cutting Concerns: Handles cross-cutting concerns like ** * authentication, * * authorization, * * rate limiting, * and logging. * * ** Protocol Translation: Can translate between web protocols (HTTP, WebSockets) and ** * * * * ** ** ** ** *** backend protocols. *** ** Use Cases: Typically used in microservices architectures to provide a unified interface to a set ** *** *** * of independently deployable services. * *** Example: In a microservices-based e-commerce application, the API Gateway would be the *** *** *** *** single entry point for all client requests. It would handle user authentication, then route *** * * *** *** *** product search requests to the search service, cart management requests to the cart service, *** *** *** etc. Reverse Proxy ** Purpose: A Reverse Proxy is a type of proxy server that retrieves resources on behalf of a client ** * * * from one or more servers. It sits between the client and the backend services or servers. * ** Functionality: ** ** Load Balancing: Distributes client requests across multiple servers to balance load and ** * * * * ensure reliability.  ** Security: Provides an additional layer of defense (hides the identities of backend servers). ** * * ** Caching: Can cache content to reduce server load and improve performance. ** * * ** SSL Termination: Handles SSL encryption and decryption, offloading that responsibility ** *** *** *** *** * from backend servers. * ** Use Cases: Commonly used in both monolithic and microservices architectures to enhance ** * * *** *** *** *** * security, load balancing, and caching. * * * * * *** Example: A website with high traffic might use a reverse proxy to *** *** *** * distribute requests across multiple application servers, * * cache content for faster retrieval, * and manage SSL connections. * * Key Differences ** Primary Role: ** An API Gateway primarily facilitates and manages application-level traffic, acting as a ** ** * * *** gatekeeper for microservices. *** A Reverse Proxy focuses more on network-level concerns like ** ** * * * load balancing, * * security, * and caching for a wider range of applications. * * ** Complexity and Functionality: ** ** API Gateways are more sophisticated in functionality, often providing additional features like ** * * * * * request transformation, * * API orchestration, * and rate limiting. * * ** Reverse Proxies tend to be simpler and more focused on network and server efficiency and ** * * security. Conclusion While both API Gateways and Reverse Proxies manage traffic, they cater to different needs. * * * * * * An API Gateway is more about managing, routing, and orchestrating API calls in a microservices ** ** * * architecture, * whereas a Reverse Proxy is about general server efficiency, security, and network traffic * ** ** * management. * * In practice, many modern architectures might use both, * * with an API Gateway handling application-specific routing ** ** ** ** * and a Reverse Proxy managing general traffic and security concerns. ** ** * ** ** *