Popular gateways (Kong, AWS API Gateway, Nginx) in Microservices - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is an API Gateway in microservices?

An API Gateway is like a receptionist for your microservices. It receives all requests from clients, then routes them to the right service, handles security, and can manage traffic.

beginner

What is Kong used for?

Kong is an open-source API Gateway that helps manage, secure, and monitor APIs. It acts as a middleman between clients and services, making sure requests are handled smoothly.

beginner

How does AWS API Gateway help developers?

AWS API Gateway lets developers create, publish, and manage APIs easily in the cloud. It handles tasks like traffic management, authorization, and monitoring without needing to manage servers.

intermediate

What role does Nginx play as a gateway?

Nginx is a web server that can also act as a reverse proxy or API Gateway. It routes requests to services, balances load, and improves performance by caching and compressing data.

intermediate

Name one key difference between Kong and AWS API Gateway.

Kong is open-source and can be run anywhere, giving more control. AWS API Gateway is a managed service in the AWS cloud, which means less setup but more dependency on AWS.

Which of these is NOT a function of an API Gateway?

A Managing user interface design

B Monitoring API usage

C Handling security and authorization

D Routing requests to services

API Gateways handle routing, security, and monitoring, but they do not manage user interface design.

What type of software is Kong?

A Cloud storage service

B Open-source API Gateway

C Database management system

D Frontend framework

Kong is an open-source API Gateway used to manage and secure APIs.

AWS API Gateway is best described as:

A A managed cloud service for APIs

B A local web server

C A database service

D A programming language

AWS API Gateway is a managed service in AWS that helps create and manage APIs.

Nginx can be used as:

A An operating system

B A database engine

C A reverse proxy and load balancer

D A programming language

Nginx is commonly used as a reverse proxy and load balancer to route and manage traffic.

Which gateway is cloud-managed and requires less setup?

A Kong

B Nginx

C Apache HTTP Server

D AWS API Gateway

AWS API Gateway is a managed cloud service, so it requires less setup compared to self-managed gateways like Kong or Nginx.

Explain the main roles of an API Gateway in a microservices system.

Think about how a receptionist helps direct visitors and keeps things organized.

Compare Kong and AWS API Gateway in terms of deployment and control.

Consider who manages the service and where it runs.