API Gateway
Definition:An API Gateway is a server that acts as a single entry point for clients to
access/ requests the microservices in a system. It handles requests by routing them to the
appropriate service and consolidating responses.
o A reverse proxy that sits in front of your microservices.
o Handles routing, authentication, authorization, rate limiting, and other cross-
cutting concerns.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Routing: Directs requests to the correct microservice.
2. Authentication & Authorization: Verifies client identity and grants
[Link] security (e.g., JWT tokens).
3. Request/Response Transformation: Modifies requests or responses as needed
for different microservices. (e.g., aggregating multiple responses).
4. Rate Limiting: Controls the number of requests a client can make. This prevents
abuse and overload
5. Load Balancing: Distributes incoming requests evenly across microservices.
6. Logging & Monitoring: Tracks requests, errors, and performance for debugging
and analysis.
7. Caching: Stores frequently accessed responses for faster delivery.
Benefits:
1. Simplifies Client Interaction: Clients interact with a single entry point, not multiple
microservices.
2. Reduces Latency: Aggregates responses from multiple services into one, reducing the number of
calls.
3. Centralized Management: All cross-cutting concerns like logging, authentication, and caching
are managed centrally.
4. Performance: Improves response times through caching and optimized routing.
5. Decoupling: Clients are decoupled from the internal structure of your microservices.
6. Scalability: Can handle a large number of requests.
Examples:
Apigee
Amazon API Gateway
Azure API Management
simple step-by-step demo of how to set up an API Gateway with two microservices, where
MS1 (Microservice 1) calls MS2 (Microservice 2) using RestTemplate.
Step 1: Set up the Microservices
We’ll need two Spring Boot applications for the microservices and one Spring Boot application
for the API Gateway.
Microservice 1 (MS1)
1. Create a Spring Boot Project for MS1:
o Group: [Link]
o Artifact: ms1
o Dependencies: Spring Web
2. Add Controller in MS1:
In MS1, create a simple REST endpoint that will call MS2.
@RestController
@RequestMapping("/ms1")
public class MS1Controller {
@Autowired
private RestTemplate restTemplate;
@GetMapping("/call-ms2")
public String callMS2() {
String ms2Url = "[Link] // MS2 URL
return [Link](ms2Url, [Link]);
}
@Bean
public RestTemplate restTemplate() {
return new RestTemplate();
}
}
3. Run MS1:
Run the MS1 application on port 8081.
Microservice 2 (MS2)
1. Create a Spring Boot Project for MS2:
o Group: [Link]
o Artifact: ms2
o Dependencies: Spring Web
2. Add Controller in MS2:
In MS2, create a simple REST endpoint that returns a response.
@RestController
@RequestMapping("/ms2")
public class MS2Controller {
@GetMapping("/hello")
public String hello() {
return "Hello from MS2!";
}
}
3. Run MS2:
Run the MS2 application on port 8082.
Step 2: Set up the API Gateway
1. Create a Spring Boot Project for the API Gateway:
o Group: [Link]
o Artifact: api-gateway
o Dependencies: Spring Cloud Gateway, Spring Web
2. Configure API Gateway ([Link]):
In [Link], configure the routing for the API Gateway.
spring:
cloud:
gateway:
routes:
- id: ms1_route
uri: [Link]
predicates:
- Path=/ms1/**
- id: ms2_route
uri: [Link]
predicates:
- Path=/ms2/**
[Link]=api-gateway
[Link]=8080
[Link][0].id=ms1_route
[Link][0].uri=[Link]
[Link][0].predicates[0]=Path=/ms1/**
[Link][1].id=ms2_route
[Link][1].uri=[Link]
[Link][1].predicates[0]=Path=/ms2/**
3. Add Main Application Class ([Link]):
In the API Gateway project, create the ApiGatewayApplication class.
@SpringBootApplication
@EnableDiscoveryClient
public class ApiGatewayApplication {
public static void main(String[] args) {
[Link]([Link], args);
}
}
4. Run the API Gateway:
Run the ApiGatewayApplication on port 8080.
Step 3: Testing the Flow
1. Start all applications:
o MS1 will run on [Link]
o MS2 will run on [Link]
o The API Gateway will run on [Link]
2. Test the API Gateway:
o Open a browser or use a tool like Postman to send a request to the API Gateway:
[Link]
The API Gateway will forward the request to MS1, which will call MS2 using
RestTemplate and return the response from MS2, which should be "Hello from MS2!".
Summary of Flow:
The client hits the API Gateway (/ms1/call-ms2).
The Gateway forwards the request to MS1.
MS1 calls MS2 via RestTemplate and gets a response.
The response from MS2 is sent back to the API Gateway, which then returns it to the
client.
