Manual Service Routing vs API Gateway

Developers should learn and use Manual Service Routing in scenarios where systems are small-scale, static, or in early development stages, as it simplifies setup and debugging by avoiding the complexity of automated tools meets developers should use an api gateway when building microservices architectures or exposing apis to external clients, as it centralizes cross-cutting concerns like authentication, logging, and throttling. Here's our take.

Manual Service Routing

Nice Pick

Developers should learn and use Manual Service Routing in scenarios where systems are small-scale, static, or in early development stages, as it simplifies setup and debugging by avoiding the complexity of automated tools

Pros

• It is also useful for testing specific service interactions, implementing custom routing logic, or in environments where automated service discovery is not feasible due to constraints like network isolation or legacy systems
• Related to: microservices, api-gateway

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

API Gateway

Developers should use an API Gateway when building microservices architectures or exposing APIs to external clients, as it centralizes cross-cutting concerns like authentication, logging, and throttling

Pros

• It's essential for managing API traffic efficiently, improving security by enforcing policies, and enabling features like versioning and monetization in enterprise applications
• Related to: microservices, rest-api

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Manual Service Routing is a concept while API Gateway is a platform. We picked Manual Service Routing based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Manual Service Routing wins

Based on overall popularity. Manual Service Routing is more widely used, but API Gateway excels in its own space.