How API Gateways Manage Traffic at Scale
from The Developer Tools Podcast with Fexingo: APIs, Infrastructure, and Software for Engineers Hosted by Fexingo
In this episode of The Developer Tools Podcast, Lucas and Luna dive into the often-overlooked role of API gateways in managing traffic at scale. They use the example of a major e-commerce platform handling Black Friday spikes to illustrate how gateways do more than just route requests—they enforce rate limits, handle authentication, and provide observability. The discussion covers the evolution from simple reverse proxies to full-featured gateways, the trade-offs between self-hosted solutions like Kong and managed services like AWS API Gateway, and real-world strategies for capacity planning and traffic shaping. Listeners will learn why the gateway is the first line of defense for any serious API and how to think about it as a product rather than a mere infrastructure component. Whether you're an engineer building your first public API or a platform lead designing for millions of requests, this episode offers practical insights to make your API resilient and developer-friendly. #APIGateway #TrafficManagement #Scalability #Kong #AWSAPIGateway #BlackFriday #RateLimiting #Authentication #Observability #ReverseProxy #PlatformEngineering #DevOps #BusinessAndTechnology #SoftwareEngineering #API #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TechPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
Embed this episode
No transcript yet.