Logovideo to article
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previously I made a video on the Journey

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of a request where we traced how a

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client request travels from the front

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end to the back end covering key

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components like load balancers gateways

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and apis some of you raised excellent

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questions about the placement and roles

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of load balancers and API gateways when

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to use one both or neither so in this

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video we'll break down some of the most

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common patterns in Cloud native

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architectures I'll cover the

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similarities and differences between

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load balancers and gateways their key

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features and how to combine them

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effectively depending on your business

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and Technical needs so let's

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start both load balancers and API

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gateways functions as reverse proxies a

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concept I have covered in detail in one

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of my previous videos but let's break

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down their roles and features at a high

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level load balances ensure system

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reliability and scalability by

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Distributing incoming traffic across

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multiple servers the prevent any single

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server from being overwhelmed making the

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system more resilient they also run

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health checks to detect server failures

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and automatically redirect traffic to

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healthy instances as traffic grows they

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allow more backend servers to be added

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dynamically ensuring

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scalability and there are two main types

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Network load balancers work at layer 4

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or at the transport layer for ultra low

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latency and high throughput it's ideal

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for real-time applications like gaming

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or financial Trading ing application

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load balancer or elb operates at ler 7

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or at the application ler and supports

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Advance request routing based on content

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like URL paths or HTTP headers it is

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perfect for web and microservices based

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architectures now NLB and ALB might seem

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Advanced for now but I'll cover them in

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detail in a future video for now just

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remember nlv is best for low latency

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high throughput workloads and alv is

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best for smart request routing like URL

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based traffic some of the popular

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examples of load balancers are Amazon

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elastic load balancer Google Cloud load

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balancer engine X and ha proxy API

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gateways on the other hand serve as

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centralized entry point for managing

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apis they handle incoming client request

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route them to the appropriate backend

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services and even perform tasks like

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authentication authorization and rate

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limiting to control request volumes they

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can also transform data adjust headers

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paths or payload formats to ensure

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compatibility some of the popular

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examples here are AWS API Gateway Kong

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API Gateway and APG by

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Google both API gateways and load

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balancers distribute incoming traffic to

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prevent servers from getting overbed

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they most support request routing for

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example load balancers uses IP address

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or ports while API gateways rely on API

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endpoints and request headers both of

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them enable fall tolerance by detecting

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unhealthy services and rerouting traffic

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to to healthy ones now while both

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components share some similarities like

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load balancing and request routing their

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roles differs significantly in modern

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Cloud architectures load balancers focus

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on Distributing Network traffic across

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multiple backend servers ensuring High

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availability scalability and fall

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tolerance whereas API gateways route API

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request to the right back and service

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while adding features like

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authentication rate limiting and data

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transformation there are more API

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specific managing entire request life

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cycle and enabling integration across

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microservices in short load balancers

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manage raw traffic distribution while

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API gateways provide a feature Rich API

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management layer on top when deciding

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how to arrange load balancer and API

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gateways you should consider your system

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needs if scaling and high availability

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of the API Gateway itself are critical

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placing a load balancer in front makes

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sense it evenly distributes traffic

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across multiple API Gateway instances

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ensuring fall tolerance and reducing

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downtime the setup also adds Extra

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Protection with features like DDS

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prevention and web application firewalls

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on the other hand if your system needs

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Advanced features like authentication

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reest transformation or API level rate

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limiting before reaching backend

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Services the API Gateway should come

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first this is common in microservices

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architecture where the Gateway routes

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request to specific backend clusters

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based on defined rules in practice many

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are architectures combine both setups

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for maximum flexibility performance and

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security so let's break down some of the

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common setups when to use them and why

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they work so well so here in this setup

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the client request first hits a load

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balancer like AWS ALB it manages initial

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tasks like SSL termination by decrypting

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incoming encrypted traffic it also does

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traffic distribution such as sending

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request to available API Gateway

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instances and once the request reaches

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the API Gateway it performs API specific

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tasks like authentication and

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authorization to ensure secure access

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thus rate limiting to prevent system

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overload and also does the routing logic

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by forwarding request to the currect

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backend service the structure simplifies

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the client's entry point with a single

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public domain and offloads early request

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handling task like SSL termination from

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the API Gateway in this configuration

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the API Gateway act as the front line

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ensuring only secure authorized and

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validated request proceed further after

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passing the API Gateway it goes to the

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internal load balances which distribute

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traffic across different backend

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clusters such as microservices running

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in kubernetes ECS or even private

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vpcs this is ideal when different

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backend Services need custom load

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balancing configurations or run in

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isolated networks the API Gateway

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handles all client facing concerns

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leaving load balancing task to back and

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focus services and if performance is

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your top priority adding a Content

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delivery Network or CD like Cloud fair

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or AWS Cloud F at the edge can reduce

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latency and offload significant amount

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of traffic here the CDN caches static

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assets like images CSS files or even

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Dynamic Pages request for non-cash

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resources go to a load balancer which

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then forwards them to the API Gateway

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for request handling and traffic

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management the structure boost Global

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performance while still maintaining

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control of API specific business logic

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now some API gateways such as Kong

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engine X and APG come with Native load

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balancing features this means you might

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skip external load balancer and request

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are directly routed to backend services

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with internal load balancing logic and

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this is perfect for smaller setups or

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simpler architectures where reducing

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infrastructure complexity

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matters for high performance setups you

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should consider a multi-tier

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architecture for instance you can have a

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network load balancer or NLB which comes

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first and handles ultr low latency high

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throughput traffic it operates at layer

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4 making it fast but it is limited to

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transport level routing and then we have

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API Gateway it comes next to apply

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security policies request transformation

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and API specific

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Logic the final routing layer is the

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application load balancer at ler 7 it

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distribute request to specific backend

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Services based on paths headers or

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content types this pattern separates

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responsibility into different layers

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optimizing performance and simplifying

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service management so when to choose

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which setup you go API Gateway first if

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API level tasks like authentication

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authorization and rate limiting need to

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happen early you go load balancer first

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if Global traffic management SSL

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termination or DDOS protection is

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essential before any API processing you

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can also go for multiple tiers of load

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balancers if you are in multi- region or

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multicluster deployments where traffic

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distribution requires highly specialized

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rules and finally in microservices heavy

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environments us a service mesh like is

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or Linker enables Advanced traffic

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management dest retries and

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observability inside the network if

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you're interested in learning more check

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out my previous videos where I explained

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service mesh and how companies like

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Netflix leverage it to scale globally

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understanding these combinations will

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help you design more scalable secure and

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resilient Cloud native applications and

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if you found this video helpful hit the

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like subscribe and ring the bell so you

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don't miss the next Deep dive where

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we'll explore nlbs and alvs in detail

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see you unit day

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[Music]

Exploring Load Balancers and API Gateways in Cloud Native Architectures

This article delves into the crucial components of load balancers and API gateways in Cloud native architectures, shedding light on their roles, features, and the best practices of combining them for optimal performance and security.

In a Cloud native environment, ensuring system reliability and scalability is paramount. Load balancers play a key role in this by distributing incoming traffic across multiple servers to prevent overload on any single server, thus enhancing system resilience. They also conduct health checks to identify server failures and automatically redirect traffic to healthy instances, ensuring continuous availability. There are two main types of load balancers - Network load balancers (NLB), which operate at layer 4 for ultra-low latency and high throughput, and Application load balancers (ALB), which function at layer 7 and support advanced request routing based on content, making them ideal for web and microservices based architectures.

On the other hand, API gateways function as centralized entry points for managing APIs. They handle incoming client requests, route them to the appropriate backend services, and perform tasks like authentication, authorization, and rate limiting to manage request volumes effectively. Additionally, API gateways facilitate data transformation and ensure compatibility by adjusting headers, paths, or payload formats.

While load balancers and API gateways share similarities in load balancing and request routing, their roles differ significantly in modern Cloud architectures. Load balancers focus on distributing network traffic across multiple backend servers to ensure high availability, scalability, and fault tolerance. On the contrary, API gateways primarily route API requests to the correct backend services while offering additional features like authentication, rate limiting, and data transformation, making them more API-specific.

Combining Load Balancers and API Gateways for Optimal Performance
The optimal configuration of load balancers and API gateways depends on the specific needs of a system. When scalability and high availability of the API gateway are crucial, placing a load balancer in front can ensure traffic distribution across multiple API gateway instances, enhancing fault tolerance and reducing downtime. This setup offers additional protection with features like DDoS prevention and web application firewalls.

Conversely, if advanced features like authentication, request transformation, or API-level rate limiting are essential before reaching the backend services, positioning the API gateway first is more suitable. In practice, many architectures combine both setups to achieve maximum flexibility, performance, and security.

Common Setups and Best Practices

  • Load Balancer First: The client request begins by hitting a load balancer that manages tasks like SSL termination and distributes traffic to available API gateway instances. The API gateway then handles API-specific tasks like authentication and authorization, ensuring secure access, and forwards requests to the correct backend service.

  • API Gateway First: In this scenario, the API gateway acts as the front line, ensuring secure and validated requests proceed further to internal load balancers distributing traffic across different backend clusters, ideal for custom load balancing configurations or isolated networks.

  • Integrated Content Delivery Network (CDN): By adding a CDN like Cloudflare or AWS Cloud Front at the edge, latency is reduced, and traffic is offloaded efficiently. The CDN caches static assets while the load balancer forwards non-cached resources to the API gateway for request handling.

Choosing the Right Setup
When considering load balancer and API gateway configurations, assessing system needs and priorities is crucial. Factors such as performance requirements, security, and scalability should guide the decision-making process to design scalable, secure, and resilient Cloud native applications effectively.

Understanding the nuances of load balancers and API gateways and how they can be optimally combined will empower you to architect robust Cloud solutions tailored to your specific requirements. Dive deeper into the intricacies of NLBs and ALBs to leverage their capabilities fully and enhance your Cloud architecture expertise.

In conclusion, mastering the interplay between load balancers and API gateways is essential for architecting resilient and high-performing Cloud native solutions. Stay tuned for future deep dives to expand your knowledge further in the realm of Cloud architecture and optimization. Remember, embracing a well-thought-out combination of load balancers and API gateways is key to unlocking the full potential of your Cloud infrastructure. So, keep exploring, innovating, and optimizing for success in the Cloud-native landscape. 🚀

“The journey of a request unveils the intricate dance between load balancers and API gateways, shaping resilient Cloud architectures that drive innovation and scalability.”