AWS API Gateway
AWS API Gateway is a fully managed service that makes it easy for developers to create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs at any scale. It acts as a front door for applications to access data, business logic, or functionality from backend services, such as AWS Lambda functions, EC2 instances, or any HTTP endpoint. It handles all the tasks involved in accepting and processing up to hundreds of thousands of concurrent API calls, including traffic management, authorization, access control, monitoring, and API version management.
Developers should use AWS API Gateway when building serverless applications, microservices architectures, or exposing backend services as RESTful or WebSocket APIs, as it simplifies API management, integrates seamlessly with other AWS services like Lambda and DynamoDB, and provides built-in features for security, caching, and throttling. It is particularly valuable for scenarios requiring scalable API endpoints, such as mobile backends, IoT applications, or public-facing web services, where it reduces operational overhead by handling infrastructure concerns automatically.