APIs and Middleware Patterns for Microservices APIs are the main interface between microservices and clients. In a distributed system, middleware handles concerns such as security, reliability, and observability. A thoughtful mix of API design and middleware helps services evolve independently while keeping behavior predictable.
Core patterns for APIs API gateway: a single entry point that can route, authenticate, rate limit, and aggregate requests before they reach backend services. Service mesh: handles inter-service calls with mTLS, retries, and fault tolerance, usually without changing application code. Contract and versioning: define stable interfaces, use backward-compatible changes, and consider consumer-driven contracts for safer evolution. Protocol choice: REST for broad compatibility, gRPC or asynchronous protocols where low latency and streaming matter. API composition: combine data from several services at the gateway or in smaller, dedicated services to reduce round trips. Event-driven design: use publish/subscribe with a message broker to decouple services and enable asynchronous flows. Middleware patterns to improve resilience and operability Retries with backoff and jitter, paired with idempotent endpoints to avoid duplicates. Circuit breakers to stop a failing path and protect the rest of the system. Timeouts and deadlines to free resources and prevent slow calls from piling up. Observability: tracing, metrics, and logs to find bottlenecks and failures quickly. Caching and rate limiting to improve latency and protect services. Practical guidance Choose patterns to fit the problem: a gateway often handles public traffic, while a service mesh manages internal calls. Keep interfaces small, document contracts clearly, and monitor behavior to adjust as the system grows.
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