APIs and Middleware: Building Bridges Between Systems
APIs and Middleware: Building Bridges Between Systems APIs expose services for other apps to use, while middleware sits between systems to translate, secure, and coordinate messages. Together they reduce brittle point-to-point links and let teams add features faster. A clear contract and good tooling turn complex integrations into predictable work flows. Common patterns API gateways handle routing, authentication, and policy enforcement for external calls. Message brokers enable asynchronous communication and help absorb traffic spikes. Data adapters transform formats so, for example, a legacy system can speak JSON today. Orchestrators coordinate multiple services into a single business task. Service meshes manage internal communication at scale, with observability baked in. A quick scenario An online store asks a payment service, an inventory system, and a shipping service for a single order. The gateway validates the request, the broker queues updates, and adapters normalize data between formats. The result is a smooth checkout, guarded by retry rules and clear traces for troubleshooting. ...