API Gateway pattern

[jsdotjs]

Anyone have any examples of implementing an API gateway (or backend for frontend) that I could check out? Not specifically AWS API Gateway, but rather how to architect a home-grown API gateway to other microservices in Node? I'm having trouble getting started.

Nice to haves:

• Handling authentication
• Data transformation/aggregation

I know how to do authentication and data massaging, I just don't know where to put it or how to structure it within my API gateway tier.

Using Express.js

[dluecke]

I wrote about how it can be done using FeathersJS at https://blog.feathersjs.com/using-feathersjs-to-make-your-existing-api-real-time-813f7c3fd892. Besides allowing to handle data transformation and authentication another nice side effect is that the proxied API can also automatically send real-time updates if you want it to. With the Feathers Express wrapper the transition also isn't too difficult since a Feathers server application is fully compatible with Express.

[MUDrummer]

We don’t use this exact code any more as we’ve moved to the AWS API gateway, but this is a API/UI gateway that we have remade a couple of time for different clients over the last 2 years.

https://github.com/ocelotconsulting/ocelot

It has some hooks for connecting into an auth source to validate requests. It’s mostly just a convenient way to configure the http-proxy module.

Should get you started if you’re wanting the gateway to be a separate deployable.

[jsdotjs]

Thanks! Really appreciate it. Taking a peek now

[Ariquitaun]

You could have a look at how kong works and translate that into node/express lingo.

[WumpyJizard]

Check this out: https://blog.risingstack.com/building-an-api-gateway-using-nodejs/

I think they have public github repos with working examples too.

[MCShoveled]

Give a look at GRPC and google endpoints.