00:00 - 00:04

previously I made a video on the Journey

00:02 - 00:05

of a request where we traced how a

00:04 - 00:07

client request travels from the front

00:05 - 00:10

end to the back end covering key

00:07 - 00:13

components like load balancers gateways

00:10 - 00:15

and apis some of you raised excellent

00:13 - 00:18

questions about the placement and roles

00:15 - 00:21

of load balancers and API gateways when

00:18 - 00:23

to use one both or neither so in this

00:21 - 00:25

video we'll break down some of the most

00:23 - 00:26

common patterns in Cloud native

00:25 - 00:28

architectures I'll cover the

00:26 - 00:30

similarities and differences between

00:28 - 00:32

load balancers and gateways their key

00:30 - 00:34

features and how to combine them

00:32 - 00:38

effectively depending on your business

00:34 - 00:38

and Technical needs so let's

00:39 - 00:45

start both load balancers and API

00:42 - 00:46

gateways functions as reverse proxies a

00:45 - 00:49

concept I have covered in detail in one

00:46 - 00:51

of my previous videos but let's break

00:49 - 00:53

down their roles and features at a high

00:51 - 00:56

level load balances ensure system

00:53 - 00:58

reliability and scalability by

00:56 - 01:00

Distributing incoming traffic across

00:58 - 01:03

multiple servers the prevent any single

01:00 - 01:05

server from being overwhelmed making the

01:03 - 01:07

system more resilient they also run

01:05 - 01:09

health checks to detect server failures

01:07 - 01:12

and automatically redirect traffic to

01:09 - 01:14

healthy instances as traffic grows they

01:12 - 01:17

allow more backend servers to be added

01:14 - 01:19

dynamically ensuring

01:17 - 01:22

scalability and there are two main types

01:19 - 01:24

Network load balancers work at layer 4

01:22 - 01:27

or at the transport layer for ultra low

01:24 - 01:29

latency and high throughput it's ideal

01:27 - 01:31

for real-time applications like gaming

01:29 - 01:34

or financial Trading ing application

01:31 - 01:37

load balancer or elb operates at ler 7

01:34 - 01:39

or at the application ler and supports

01:37 - 01:43

Advance request routing based on content

01:39 - 01:46

like URL paths or HTTP headers it is

01:43 - 01:49

perfect for web and microservices based

01:46 - 01:51

architectures now NLB and ALB might seem

01:49 - 01:54

Advanced for now but I'll cover them in

01:51 - 01:56

detail in a future video for now just

01:54 - 01:59

remember nlv is best for low latency

01:56 - 02:01

high throughput workloads and alv is

01:59 - 02:03

best for smart request routing like URL

02:01 - 02:05

based traffic some of the popular

02:03 - 02:07

examples of load balancers are Amazon

02:05 - 02:10

elastic load balancer Google Cloud load

02:07 - 02:12

balancer engine X and ha proxy API

02:10 - 02:14

gateways on the other hand serve as

02:12 - 02:17

centralized entry point for managing

02:14 - 02:19

apis they handle incoming client request

02:17 - 02:21

route them to the appropriate backend

02:19 - 02:23

services and even perform tasks like

02:21 - 02:26

authentication authorization and rate

02:23 - 02:29

limiting to control request volumes they

02:26 - 02:31

can also transform data adjust headers

02:29 - 02:33

paths or payload formats to ensure

02:31 - 02:36

compatibility some of the popular

02:33 - 02:38

examples here are AWS API Gateway Kong

02:36 - 02:41

API Gateway and APG by

02:38 - 02:43

Google both API gateways and load

02:41 - 02:45

balancers distribute incoming traffic to

02:43 - 02:47

prevent servers from getting overbed

02:45 - 02:49

they most support request routing for

02:47 - 02:52

example load balancers uses IP address

02:49 - 02:55

or ports while API gateways rely on API

02:52 - 02:57

endpoints and request headers both of

02:55 - 02:59

them enable fall tolerance by detecting

02:57 - 03:02

unhealthy services and rerouting traffic

02:59 - 03:04

to to healthy ones now while both

03:02 - 03:07

components share some similarities like

03:04 - 03:09

load balancing and request routing their

03:07 - 03:11

roles differs significantly in modern

03:09 - 03:14

Cloud architectures load balancers focus

03:11 - 03:16

on Distributing Network traffic across

03:14 - 03:18

multiple backend servers ensuring High

03:16 - 03:22

availability scalability and fall

03:18 - 03:24

tolerance whereas API gateways route API

03:22 - 03:26

request to the right back and service

03:24 - 03:28

while adding features like

03:26 - 03:30

authentication rate limiting and data

03:28 - 03:32

transformation there are more API

03:30 - 03:35

specific managing entire request life

03:32 - 03:38

cycle and enabling integration across

03:35 - 03:40

microservices in short load balancers

03:38 - 03:42

manage raw traffic distribution while

03:40 - 03:44

API gateways provide a feature Rich API

03:42 - 03:46

management layer on top when deciding

03:44 - 03:48

how to arrange load balancer and API

03:46 - 03:51

gateways you should consider your system

03:48 - 03:53

needs if scaling and high availability

03:51 - 03:55

of the API Gateway itself are critical

03:53 - 03:57

placing a load balancer in front makes

03:55 - 04:00

sense it evenly distributes traffic

03:57 - 04:02

across multiple API Gateway instances

04:00 - 04:05

ensuring fall tolerance and reducing

04:02 - 04:06

downtime the setup also adds Extra

04:05 - 04:09

Protection with features like DDS

04:06 - 04:11

prevention and web application firewalls

04:09 - 04:13

on the other hand if your system needs

04:11 - 04:16

Advanced features like authentication

04:13 - 04:17

reest transformation or API level rate

04:16 - 04:19

limiting before reaching backend

04:17 - 04:22

Services the API Gateway should come

04:19 - 04:23

first this is common in microservices

04:22 - 04:26

architecture where the Gateway routes

04:23 - 04:29

request to specific backend clusters

04:26 - 04:31

based on defined rules in practice many

04:29 - 04:33

are architectures combine both setups

04:31 - 04:35

for maximum flexibility performance and

04:33 - 04:37

security so let's break down some of the

04:35 - 04:41

common setups when to use them and why

04:37 - 04:43

they work so well so here in this setup

04:41 - 04:46

the client request first hits a load

04:43 - 04:49

balancer like AWS ALB it manages initial

04:46 - 04:51

tasks like SSL termination by decrypting

04:49 - 04:53

incoming encrypted traffic it also does

04:51 - 04:55

traffic distribution such as sending

04:53 - 04:58

request to available API Gateway

04:55 - 05:01

instances and once the request reaches

04:58 - 05:03

the API Gateway it performs API specific

05:01 - 05:06

tasks like authentication and

05:03 - 05:07

authorization to ensure secure access

05:06 - 05:10

thus rate limiting to prevent system

05:07 - 05:12

overload and also does the routing logic

05:10 - 05:14

by forwarding request to the currect

05:12 - 05:16

backend service the structure simplifies

05:14 - 05:19

the client's entry point with a single

05:16 - 05:21

public domain and offloads early request

05:19 - 05:23

handling task like SSL termination from

05:21 - 05:26

the API Gateway in this configuration

05:23 - 05:28

the API Gateway act as the front line

05:26 - 05:31

ensuring only secure authorized and

05:28 - 05:33

validated request proceed further after

05:31 - 05:35

passing the API Gateway it goes to the

05:33 - 05:37

internal load balances which distribute

05:35 - 05:39

traffic across different backend

05:37 - 05:41

clusters such as microservices running

05:39 - 05:43

in kubernetes ECS or even private

05:41 - 05:45

vpcs this is ideal when different

05:43 - 05:47

backend Services need custom load

05:45 - 05:50

balancing configurations or run in

05:47 - 05:52

isolated networks the API Gateway

05:50 - 05:53

handles all client facing concerns

05:52 - 05:56

leaving load balancing task to back and

05:53 - 05:58

focus services and if performance is

05:56 - 06:00

your top priority adding a Content

05:58 - 06:03

delivery Network or CD like Cloud fair

06:00 - 06:06

or AWS Cloud F at the edge can reduce

06:03 - 06:09

latency and offload significant amount

06:06 - 06:11

of traffic here the CDN caches static

06:09 - 06:14

assets like images CSS files or even

06:11 - 06:16

Dynamic Pages request for non-cash

06:14 - 06:17

resources go to a load balancer which

06:16 - 06:19

then forwards them to the API Gateway

06:17 - 06:22

for request handling and traffic

06:19 - 06:23

management the structure boost Global

06:22 - 06:26

performance while still maintaining

06:23 - 06:28

control of API specific business logic

06:26 - 06:30

now some API gateways such as Kong

06:28 - 06:33

engine X and APG come with Native load

06:30 - 06:36

balancing features this means you might

06:33 - 06:38

skip external load balancer and request

06:36 - 06:40

are directly routed to backend services

06:38 - 06:42

with internal load balancing logic and

06:40 - 06:43

this is perfect for smaller setups or

06:42 - 06:45

simpler architectures where reducing

06:43 - 06:48

infrastructure complexity

06:45 - 06:50

matters for high performance setups you

06:48 - 06:52

should consider a multi-tier

06:50 - 06:55

architecture for instance you can have a

06:52 - 06:57

network load balancer or NLB which comes

06:55 - 07:00

first and handles ultr low latency high

06:57 - 07:03

throughput traffic it operates at layer

07:00 - 07:05

4 making it fast but it is limited to

07:03 - 07:08

transport level routing and then we have

07:05 - 07:10

API Gateway it comes next to apply

07:08 - 07:11

security policies request transformation

07:10 - 07:14

and API specific

07:11 - 07:17

Logic the final routing layer is the

07:14 - 07:19

application load balancer at ler 7 it

07:17 - 07:21

distribute request to specific backend

07:19 - 07:23

Services based on paths headers or

07:21 - 07:24

content types this pattern separates

07:23 - 07:26

responsibility into different layers

07:24 - 07:28

optimizing performance and simplifying

07:26 - 07:31

service management so when to choose

07:28 - 07:33

which setup you go API Gateway first if

07:31 - 07:35

API level tasks like authentication

07:33 - 07:38

authorization and rate limiting need to

07:35 - 07:40

happen early you go load balancer first

07:38 - 07:43

if Global traffic management SSL

07:40 - 07:46

termination or DDOS protection is

07:43 - 07:48

essential before any API processing you

07:46 - 07:51

can also go for multiple tiers of load

07:48 - 07:53

balancers if you are in multi- region or

07:51 - 07:55

multicluster deployments where traffic

07:53 - 07:58

distribution requires highly specialized

07:55 - 08:00

rules and finally in microservices heavy

07:58 - 08:03

environments us a service mesh like is

08:00 - 08:04

or Linker enables Advanced traffic

08:03 - 08:07

management dest retries and

08:04 - 08:08

observability inside the network if

08:07 - 08:10

you're interested in learning more check

08:08 - 08:12

out my previous videos where I explained

08:10 - 08:15

service mesh and how companies like

08:12 - 08:16

Netflix leverage it to scale globally

08:15 - 08:18

understanding these combinations will

08:16 - 08:20

help you design more scalable secure and

08:18 - 08:22

resilient Cloud native applications and

08:20 - 08:24

if you found this video helpful hit the

08:22 - 08:25

like subscribe and ring the bell so you

08:24 - 08:29

don't miss the next Deep dive where

08:25 - 08:32

we'll explore nlbs and alvs in detail

08:29 - 08:35

see you unit day

08:32 - 08:35

[Music]

Exploring Load Balancers and API Gateways in Cloud Native Architectures

In the video, we delved into the journey of a request, uncovering the path it travels from the front end to the back end, touching upon crucial components like load balancers, gateways, and APIs. While discussing load balancers and API gateways, we unraveled the common patterns in Cloud native architectures, emphasizing their roles and how they can be effectively combined based on business and technical needs.

Load Balancers and API Gateways: Understanding the Basics

Both load balancers and API gateways function as reverse proxies, ensuring system reliability and scalability by efficiently distributing incoming traffic across multiple servers. Load balancers play a pivotal role in preventing server overload, running health checks to detect failures, and dynamically adding backend servers to ensure scalability.

Types of Load Balancers

  • Network Load Balancers (NLB): Operate at layer 4, ideal for low latency and high throughput applications like gaming or financial trading.
  • Application Load Balancers (ALB): Work at layer 7, offering advanced request routing based on content, perfect for web and microservices architectures.

API Gateways: Centralized Entry Point for Managing APIs

API gateways serve as the centralized entry point for managing APIs, handling client requests, routing them to backend services, and incorporating tasks like authentication, authorization, and rate limiting. They enable data transformation, ensuring compatibility across systems and providing a feature-rich API management layer.

Differentiating Load Balancers and API Gateways

While both components share similarities like load balancing and request routing, their roles differ significantly. Load balancers focus on traffic distribution, high availability, and scalability, whereas API gateways handle API-specific tasks such as authentication, rate limiting, and data transformation, managing the entire request lifecycle and facilitating integration across microservices.

Combining Load Balancers and API Gateways for Optimal Performance

In Cloud architectures, the strategic placement of load balancers and API gateways is crucial. By considering system needs, you can determine the most effective setup. For enhanced scalability and high availability of the API Gateway, placing a load balancer in front can ensure even traffic distribution and add extra protection features.

Alternatively, if your system requires advanced API-specific features, such as authentication and request transformation, leading with the API Gateway is recommended. Many architectures blend both setups to maximize flexibility, performance, and security.

Choosing the Right Setup

When structuring load balancers and API gateways, factors like system needs, performance priorities, and infrastructure complexity come into play. It's essential to select the setup that aligns with your specific requirements, whether it involves prioritizing API-level tasks, implementing multi-tier architectures, or incorporating load balancing for optimized traffic distribution.

By understanding the interplay between load balancers and API gateways in Cloud native architectures, you can design more scalable, secure, and resilient applications tailored to your business needs.

In conclusion, mastering the art of load balancers and API gateways is key to architecting robust Cloud native solutions. Whether it's optimizing traffic distribution, enhancing security, or streamlining API management, the synergy between these components empowers businesses to build efficient and reliable systems in the digital landscape.

Remember, in the realm of Cloud architecture, the seamless integration of load balancers and API gateways can pave the way for enhanced performance, scalability, and security. Dive into your architectural blueprint, balance the loads, and gateway to success!


By exploring the interplay between load balancers and API gateways, you can build a robust Cloud architecture that meets both functional and performance requirements. Mastering these components is pivotal in creating scalable, secure, and efficient systems in the digital era.