Backend Gateway

ELI5 — The Vibe Check

A backend gateway is the front door to your microservices. All client requests hit the gateway first, and it routes them to the right service. It handles auth, rate limiting, and SSL termination so individual services don't have to. It's the receptionist for your entire backend.

Real Talk

A server that acts as the single entry point for all client requests to backend microservices, handling cross-cutting concerns like authentication, rate limiting, SSL termination, request routing, load balancing, and response caching. Examples include Kong, APISIX, AWS API Gateway, and Nginx.

When You'll Hear This

"All traffic goes through the backend gateway — it handles auth so individual services don't need to." / "The gateway rate-limits by API key and routes requests to the correct service version."