March 25, 2026
Stop Confusing API Gateway, Load Balancer, and Reverse Proxy
A practical breakdown of where each component sits in the request path and when to use each one.
API Gateway vs Load Balancer vs Reverse Proxy
This post is based on this video:
1) Load balancer: spread traffic
The load balancer distributes incoming requests across healthy backends so one instance is not overloaded.
Typical concerns:
- health checks
- failover
- balancing algorithms
- TLS termination in some setups
2) Reverse proxy: front door to internal services
A reverse proxy receives requests and forwards them to upstream services, usually with routing and policy controls.
Typical concerns:
- host/path based routing
- header rewrites
- caching
- compression and basic edge controls
3) API gateway: API product layer
An API gateway is usually API-focused and adds governance and product capabilities on top of proxy behavior.
Typical concerns:
- authentication and authorization
- rate limiting and quotas
- developer keys/plans
- API versioning and analytics
Practical mental model
If the problem is traffic distribution, think load balancer first.
If the problem is routing and request shaping, think reverse proxy.
If the problem is API lifecycle, security policy, and consumer controls, think API gateway.
In real systems, these can be combined. The key is understanding which component owns which responsibility.