What are the benefits and drawbacks of using an API gateway when building microservices?

What are some of the considerations to keep in mind if one chooses to use API gateways in conjunction with microservice architecture?

Rony_Sklar

Community Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

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API Management

March 2026

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1 Answer

Last answered Jul 10, 2020

Xinxiao Li

Chief Specialist at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Real User

Jul 10, 2020

Benefits: unified management and control of all APIs.

Drawbacks: additional delay, overlapped functionality with other gateway components such as istio/envoy.

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API Management solutions provide a comprehensive framework for developing, publishing, maintaining, and securing APIs. These solutions help streamline the interaction between different systems, improving digital connectivity and service delivery. API Management caters to organizations seeking enhanced control over API lifecycles. It enables the creation of scalable APIs, ensuring secure access and usage tracking. This approach facilitates collaboration, innovation, and maintenance of...

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