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Next, review deployment complexity such as DB-less versus database-backed deployments. For example, Kong does require running Cassandra or Postgres. Apigee requires Cassandra, Zookeeper, and Postgres to run, while other solutions like Express Gateway and Tyk only require Redis. Apache APISIX uses etcd as its data store, it stores and manages routing-related and plugin-related configurations in etcd in the Data Plane.
Another point to consider is how difficult is it to install the API Gateway or redeploy the gateway when changes are made. Check what installation options are offered. Most modern API Gateways can be installed in many different ways(Package based, Docker, Helm, RPM) in any environment (Linux, Windows, macOS). For example, one of the biggest advantages of Kong is its wide range of installation choices, with pre-made containers such as Docker and Vagrant so you can get a deployment running quickly.
Kong offers an open-sourced Plugin Developer Kit (or “PDK”) in various languages. You can build a Kong plugin with Go, Javascript, Python, and Lua. In Apache APISIX, you can use different Plugin Runners to develop plugins using the programming languages you are familiar with. They also embedded Wasm into APISIX, and you can utilize Wasm to compile Wasm bytecode to run in APISIX.
Next, review deployment complexity such as DB-less versus database-backed deployments. For example, Kong does require running Cassandra or Postgres. Apigee requires Cassandra, Zookeeper, and Postgres to run, while other solutions like Express Gateway and Tyk only require Redis. Apache APISIX uses etcd as its data store, it stores and manages routing-related and plugin-related configurations in etcd in the Data Plane.
Kong offers an open-sourced Plugin Developer Kit (or “PDK”) in various languages. You can build a Kong plugin with Go, Javascript, Python, and Lua. In Apache APISIX, you can use different Plugin Runners to develop plugins using the programming languages you are familiar with. They also embedded Wasm into APISIX, and you can utilize Wasm to compile Wasm bytecode to run in APISIX.
Check what configuration language (JSON/Yaml) and style (Declarative/Imperative) chosen API Gateway support. It is not so crucial but sometimes you might ask: Does it have a user-friendly GUI and drag&drop easy config option? Some open-source projects like Tyk, Krakend.io, and Apache APISIX have built-in no-code possibly visual editing dashboards. You can even import all your APIs descriptions from a JSON.
Next, review deployment complexity such as DB-less versus database-backed deployments. For example, Kong does require running Cassandra or Postgres. Apigee requires Cassandra, Zookeeper, and Postgres to run, while other solutions like Express Gateway and Tyk only require Redis. Apache APISIX uses etcd as its data store, it stores and manages routing-related and plugin-related configurations in etcd in the Data Plane.
Next characteristic of a good API Gateway is effortless integration with more ecosystems. You need to check if it is integrated with other products, tools, platforms, and services. For example, you can investigate if supports several application protocols, and compatibility with third-party identity providers for authentication, and if it provides pre-built connectors that you can easily integrate with Most observability platforms like (Prometheus, Skywalking, ElasticSearch, Opentelemetry, and so on).
Next characteristic of a good API Gateway is effortless integration with more ecosystems. You need to check if it is integrated with other products, tools, platforms, and services. For example, you can investigate if supports several application protocols, and compatibility with third-party identity providers for authentication, and if it provides pre-built connectors that you can easily integrate with Most observability platforms like (Prometheus, Skywalking, ElasticSearch, Opentelemetry, and so on).
Next, review deployment complexity such as DB-less versus database-backed deployments. For example, Kong does require running Cassandra or Postgres. Apigee requires Cassandra, Zookeeper, and Postgres to run, while other solutions like Express Gateway and Tyk only require Redis. Apache APISIX uses etcd as its data store, it stores and manages routing-related and plugin-related configurations in etcd in the Data Plane.
Next characteristic of a good API Gateway is effortless integration with more ecosystems. You need to check if it is integrated with other products, tools, platforms, and services. For example, you can investigate if supports several application protocols, and compatibility with third-party identity providers for authentication, and if it provides pre-built connectors that you can easily integrate with Most observability platforms like (Prometheus, Skywalking, ElasticSearch, Opentelemetry, and so on).
Next characteristic of a good API Gateway is effortless integration with more ecosystems. You need to check if it is integrated with other products, tools, platforms, and services. For example, you can investigate if supports several application protocols, and compatibility with third-party identity providers for authentication, and if it provides pre-built connectors that you can easily integrate with Most observability platforms like (Prometheus, Skywalking, ElasticSearch, Opentelemetry, and so on).
Another point to consider is how difficult is it to install the API Gateway or redeploy the gateway when changes are made. Check what installation options are offered. Most modern API Gateways can be installed in many different ways(Package based, Docker, Helm, RPM) in any environment (Linux, Windows, macOS). For example, one of the biggest advantages of Kong is its wide range of installation choices, with pre-made containers such as Docker and Vagrant so you can get a deployment running quickly.
Next, review deployment complexity such as DB-less versus database-backed deployments. For example, Kong does require running Cassandra or Postgres. Apigee requires Cassandra, Zookeeper, and Postgres to run, while other solutions like Express Gateway and Tyk only require Redis. Apache APISIX uses etcd as its data store, it stores and manages routing-related and plugin-related configurations in etcd in the Data Plane.
Because the configuration is a highly critical feature, we need to authenticate via an API key or by means of other auth methods. For example, most API Gateway providers such as Apache APISIX enabled token-based access to Admin API and they highly advise generating your own token and regularly changing it. Or Azure API Management relies on Azure Active Directory (Azure AD), which includes optional features such as multifactor authentication (MFA), and Azure RBAC to enable fine-grained access to the API Management service and its entities including APIs and policies.