Explain the API gateway pattern.
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mediumSystem Design
What is an API gateway?
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api-gateway
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What Is an API Gateway? (Beginner-Friendly Guide)
Target Audience: Junior & Senior Software Engineers preparing for System Design Interviews — no prior system design knowledge assumed. Difficulty: Easy to Medium
How to read this doc: Every concept is explained in plain language first. Right after, you
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Gateway routing table (concept)
Run Playground// Match path -> upstream service. Cross-cutting policy applied centrally.
const routes = [
{ prefix: "/auth", upstream: "http://auth-svc:8080" },
{ prefix: "/orders", upstream: "http://orders-svc:8080", auth: true, rateLimit: "100/min" },
{ prefix: "/users", upstream: "http://users-svc:8080", auth: true },
];
// Every request flows through the same pipeline:
// tls -> authenticate -> rateLimit -> route(prefix) -> proxy(upstream)05
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