Understanding the distinction between a Load Balancer and an API Gateway is essential for designing efficient, scalable systems.
Load Balancer
- Distributes incoming network traffic across multiple servers.
- Ensures no single server is overwhelmed, enhancing availability and reliability.
- Typically used to manage traffic for web applications and services.
API Gateway
- Serves as an entry point for API requests.
- Manages API traffic, request routing, composition, and protocol translation.
- Can interface with various backends, including microservices, serverless functions, and databases.
- Provides additional functionalities such as rate limiting, authentication, and caching.
Summary
- Load Balancer:
- Focuses on distributing network traffic to optimize resource usage.
- API Gateway:
- Focuses on managing and orchestrating API requests with added features.
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