> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.opscompendium.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.opscompendium.com/devops/full-stack-and-ops/api-gateway.md).

# API Gateway

[what is](https://www.javatpoint.com/introduction-to-api-gateways)?

### NGINX

1. [NGINX](https://www.nginx.com/resources/glossary/nginx/) is open source software for web serving, reverse proxying, caching, load balancing, media streaming, and more. It started out as a web server designed for maximum performance and stability. In addition to its HTTP server capabilities, NGINX can also function as a proxy server for email (IMAP, POP3, and SMTP) and a reverse proxy and load balancer for HTTP, TCP, and UDP servers.
2. Cloudflare on [what is a reverse proxy](https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/cdn/glossary/reverse-proxy/)
3. "[One advantage of using NGINX as an API gateway ](https://www.nginx.com/blog/deploying-nginx-plus-as-an-api-gateway-part-1/#:~:text=One%20advantage%20of%20using%20NGINX,deploy%20a%20separate%20API%20gateway.)is that it can perform that role while simultaneously acting as a reverse proxy, load balancer, and web server for existing HTTP traffic. If NGINX is already part of your application delivery stack then it is generally unnecessary to deploy a separate API gateway"


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