Glossary
API gateway
The entry point that receives every API request and applies authentication, rate limiting, routing and logging before the request reaches a service.
An API gateway sits in front of one or more backend services and acts as the single controlled entry point for external traffic. Instead of every service implementing authentication, throttling and logging separately, those concerns are handled once at the edge.
In enterprise platforms the gateway also enforces per-consumer entitlements: a partner may be permitted to create transfers but not to read another partner's records, and a read-only reporting integration may be limited to a fraction of the write consumer's rate limit.
What it covers in practice
- Authentication and credential validation
- Rate limiting, quotas and abuse protection
- Request routing and version handling
- Request and response logging for audit