Deploying an Azure APIM Self-Hosted Gateway

Why APIM Self-Hosted Gateway?

Companies implement Azure APIM to control access to their APIs. By implementing subscriptions and products, administrators can ensure every request is authenticated and validated, while protecting their backend system. When those are on-premise, there a number of reasons why a company would want to keep all the traffic within their network. They are:

• Only internal traffic If all traffic to an API is from internal users, it may make sense to keep all the communication within the network. There is little benefit in having calls go out the network to the cloud and back.
• Reduced bandwidth costs Because most cloud platforms charge for data out of the cloud environment, keeping traffic internal for the duration of the operation can cut down on bandwidth usage significantly.
• Reduced latency between systems Because the client and API are around the corner from each other, there should be a lot less latency between the systems.
• All traffic stays local and secure With all API traffic kept in the network, security concerns are usually mitigated by the existing IT safeguards. This simplifies implementation as APIs and their consumers can operate freely within the confines of the established corporate network.

Enter Azure APIM Self-Hosted Gateways. This feature allows you to provide secure, on-prem API access with cloud-based Azure APIM Management. They are fantastic way to improve internal traffic communication and performance, with all the benefits of a centralized, cloud-hosted management experience. Double win!

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