Cianplan

Level 1: Foundations · L1.3 Load balancing, reverse proxies, API gateways

Reverse proxy vs API gateway vs service mesh

Place each component and name what it adds.

13 min · Free

What you take away

  • A reverse proxy fronts your servers: TLS, routing, compression, caching, and hiding the topology behind one address.
  • An API gateway is a reverse proxy that owns API concerns — authentication, keys and quotas, rate limits, per-route policy and versioning.
  • A service mesh moves those controls between your own services, as a sidecar proxy beside every instance.
  • North-south traffic (in from outside) wants a gateway; east-west traffic (service to service) is what a mesh is for.

How the class is laid out

  1. The problem
  2. The simple version
  3. Where each one sits
  4. Check your understanding