About API Gateway
Web-based services today provide a huge variety of functionality, meaning everything from map, weather, and image services, to games, auctions, and many other service types. Service providers have many options for how to implement, deploy, and manage their services. For example, one service might be developed in Java or .NET, while another uses Node.js.
Backend implementations can also vary for a single service provider. A service provider might have legacy services implemented using one architecture, and new services implemented using a completely different architecture.
Regardless of implementation, web-based services all require a way to make the services available to app developers. Often these services are exposed as a set of HTTP endpoints. Depending on the service, the endpoint might also return data, formatted as XML or JSON, to the client app.
About Google Cloud services
When developing your services on the Google Cloud, you have many options for how you implement the services, such as Cloud Run functions, Cloud Run, and App Engine standard environment. The flexibility of Google Cloud means you choose the correct backend architecture for your service requirements.
App developers are the customers of backend services. App developers consume your services to implement apps for mobile devices or tablets, through apps running in a browser, or through any other type of app that can make a service request.
Exposing services publicly over the web can be challenging. To be successful, a service provider must:
- Authenticate access to the service
- Secure data transport between clients and the service
- Protect the service from malicious attacks
- Scale the service as usage increases or decreases