API Gateway, Ingress Controller or Service Mesh: When to Use What and Why

In just about every conversation on ingress controllers and service meshes, we hear some variation of the questions, “How is this tool different from an API gateway?” or “Do I need both an API gateway and an ingress controller (or service mesh) in Kubernetes?” This confusion is understandable for two reasons: Ingress controllers and service meshes can fulfill many API gateway use cases. Some vendors position their API gateway tool as an alternative to using an ingress controller or service mesh — or they roll multiple capabilities into one tool. Here, we will tackle how these tools differ and which to use for Kubernetes-specific API gateway use cases. For a deeper dive, including demos, watch the webinar “API gateway routes API requests from a client to the appropriate services. But a big misunderstanding about this simple definition is the idea that an API gateway is a unique piece of technology. It’s not. Rather, “API gateway” describes a set Continue reading