Jan 16
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Are you preparing for system design interviews or learning how to architect robust microservices? This video is your complete, interview-focused guide to understanding API Gateways—a cornerstone pattern in modern backend and cloud architecture! Elevate your tech career with [Scaler](https://www.scaler.com/?unlock_code=MAIL575E)! Join a community dedicated to transforming careers in technology. With over 15,000 successful career transitions and partnerships with 900+ placement partners, [Scaler](https://www.scaler.com/?unlock_code=MAIL575E) offers tailored learning experiences that can help you become part of the top 1% in the tech industry. Explore a variety of programs, participate in live classes, and gain access to valuable resources designed to enhance your skills. Whether you're looking to advance in your current role or pivot to a new career, [Scaler](https://www.scaler.com/?unlock_code=MAIL575E) provides the support and guidance you need to succeed. Don't miss out—book your free live class today! https://programmercave.com/ What is an API Gateway? An API Gateway acts as the single entry point for clients into your system. It sits in front of your microservices, routing each request to the appropriate backend service. Imagine it as the receptionist of a company: rather than clients searching for the right department, they talk to the gateway, which efficiently directs their calls. Key Learning Objectives: Why Use an API Gateway? Simplifies complex microservice architectures with a single, stable endpoint Decouples frontend clients from backend services so you can refactor APIs at will Centralizes cross-cutting concerns: authentication, rate limiting, SSL termination, logging, request transformation How Does an API Gateway Work? Routing Requests: Inspects incoming requests and forwards them to the right microservice based on the URL path or request attributes (e.g., /api/users routes to User Service, /api/orders to Order Service) API Composition & Aggregation: Orchestrates calls to multiple services in parallel and aggregates their responses—perfect for UI pages that require data from many sources Request & Response Transformation: Adapts APIs across multiple client types (e.g., web, mobile, partners) — translates formats like XML to JSON API Gateway vs Load Balancer: Load Balancer (Layer 4/7): Distributes incoming traffic across identical servers to ensure high availability and scalability API Gateway (Layer 7): Routes, manages, and orchestrates traffic to different microservices based on content, not just load Potential Drawbacks (And How to Mitigate Them): Single Point of Failure: If the API Gateway is down, no traffic reaches your backend—avoid this by running multiple gateways behind a load balancer Bottleneck Risk: API Gateways must be high-performance and scalable or they become a traffic bottleneck Development Complexity: Gateways can accumulate complex logic and become hard to maintain if not carefully managed Pro Interview Tips: Always clarify what problems the API Gateway solves in microservices Highlight centralization of cross-cutting concerns (auth, rate limiting, logging) Clearly state the difference between API Gateway & Load Balancer Mention API composition as a performance and client-efficiency booster Address risks (single point of failure, performance) and how you’d mitigate them SEO Keywords For Ranking: API gateway, system design interview, microservices architecture, API gateway tutorial, backend engineering, load balancer vs API gateway, API composition, authentication, rate limiting, system design patterns, backend scalability, cross-cutting concerns, SSL termination, logging, transformation, bottleneck, high availability, cloud design, API gateway best practices Timestamps: 0:00 – Introduction: What is an API Gateway? 2:15 – Why Modern Microservices Need API Gateways 4:00 – API Gateway Features & Benefits 7:10 – Request Routing and Service Aggregation 10:00 – Load Balancer vs API Gateway 12:20 – Drawbacks and Mitigation 15:00 – Key Takeaways for Interviews If you enjoyed this breakdown and want more content on system design, backend architecture, and interview best practices, don’t forget to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and SHARE! Hashtags: #APIGateway #SystemDesign #Microservices #BackendEngineering #TechInterview #InterviewPreparation #ArchitecturePatterns #LoadBalancing #ScalableSystems #CloudEngineering #DevOps #SoftwareDesign #BackendDevelopment #HighAvailability #SystemScalability #BestPractices #RESTfulAPI #Auth #RateLimiting