07 AWS Interview Question - What is AWS API Gateway and How does it work with Examples

Summary

This video explains the concept of API Gateways, particularly focusing on AWS API Gateway. It illustrates how API Gateways act as controlled entry points between networks, simplifying communication between applications and backend services. By using AWS API Gateway, developers can create, publish, and manage APIs without writing additional code, handling traffic efficiently and securely. The service supports a variety of APIs (HTTP, REST, TCP) and integrates with other AWS services like Lambda and EC2. The video highlights the benefits of scalability, security, cost efficiency, and caching, making API management easier and more resilient for modern web applications.

Takeaways

• 😀 API Gateway acts as a door between two networks, allowing secure communication between a private and public network.
• 😀 An API (Application Programming Interface) enables applications to communicate with each other by handling requests and responses.
• 😀 Traditional web applications use microservices like login, inventory, and payment, each with its own API endpoint for specific actions (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE).
• 😀 AWS API Gateway simplifies API management by eliminating the need for developers to manually handle routing, scaling, or infrastructure management.
• 😀 AWS API Gateway is a fully managed service that allows developers to easily create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs without writing additional code.
• 😀 API Gateway supports multiple API types including HTTP APIs, REST APIs, and WebSocket APIs, allowing for versatile use cases.
• 😀 AWS API Gateway scales automatically based on traffic and provides features like traffic management, throttling, monitoring, and version management.
• 😀 The service allows you to cache API responses to reduce latency and improve performance for frequently requested data.
• 😀 With API Gateway, you only pay for the API calls received and the amount of data transferred, making it cost-efficient with no minimum fees or startup costs.
• 😀 API Gateway acts as a reverse proxy, forwarding requests to backend services (e.g., Lambda or EC2) while protecting those services from direct exposure.
• 😀 API Gateway can be used for various applications including private applications, IoT devices, web apps, and mobile apps, enabling seamless integration with backend services like DynamoDB or Lambda.

Q & A

What is an API Gateway?

An API Gateway is a device or service that connects two different networks, allowing communication between them. In computing, it acts as a gate between a public network (like the internet) and a private network, providing secure access to backend services.

How does an API Gateway work in terms of application communication?

An API Gateway allows users or applications to make requests to backend services, like databases or microservices. It routes those requests to the appropriate service without requiring extra code for URL management or routing logic. It handles incoming API calls and forwards them to the correct backend resource.

What are the key functions of an AWS API Gateway?

AWS API Gateway helps create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs at any scale. It handles routing API requests to backend services, provides traffic monitoring, ensures security, and allows developers to manage API versions and throttling.

Why is AWS API Gateway considered a fully managed service?

AWS API Gateway is fully managed because AWS takes care of all the infrastructure, scaling, and security. Developers don’t need to worry about maintaining servers or setting up the infrastructure for API calls, allowing them to focus on the core business logic.

What are the different types of APIs supported by AWS API Gateway?

AWS API Gateway supports HTTP APIs, REST APIs, and WebSocket APIs. These allow various communication methods such as request-response cycles, real-time bidirectional communication, and general HTTP-based operations.

How does API Gateway help with security?

API Gateway provides several security features, including encryption, traffic management, and access control. It helps secure APIs by monitoring and controlling access to backend services, ensuring only authorized users can interact with them.

How does API Gateway handle API traffic?

API Gateway manages API traffic by monitoring the number of requests, handling scaling based on demand, and providing performance throttling to prevent server overload. It can also cache responses to improve speed and reduce load.

What does 'pay for what you consume' mean in the context of AWS API Gateway?

With AWS API Gateway, you only pay for the API calls received and the data transferred. There are no minimum fees or startup costs. This pricing model ensures you're billed based on actual usage, making it cost-effective for variable workloads.

What is the significance of API caching in AWS API Gateway?

API caching allows API responses to be stored temporarily with a time-to-live (TTL). This makes it faster to retrieve frequently accessed data, improving performance and reducing the number of backend service calls.

What are the benefits of using AWS API Gateway for microservices architecture?

Using AWS API Gateway in a microservices architecture simplifies the communication between services by managing API calls, routing, and scaling. It reduces the complexity of managing multiple services and helps ensure better performance and security.