API gateway comparison
AWS API Gateway vs. Gloo Edge
Are you finding it challenging to choose a vendor for your API gateway, and are you struggling to make a decision? Our team of experts has conducted a comprehensive analysis and we are here to assist you in finding the best API gateway that suits your needs.
Comparison
AWS API Gateway
Gloo Edge
API7 Enterprise
Architecture
Fully-managed AWS service, managed through AWS console and CLI
Built on Envoy Proxy, designed for cloud-native environments
Built on NGINX/LuaJIT, lightweight and high-performance with etcd as a storage center
API Management Capabilities
Lacks advanced features like canary releases or WebSocket optimizations
Comprehensive API lifecycle management but has advanced policy customization limitations
High-performance API gateway, extensible via plugins, cloud-native friendly, flexible enough to be integrated with third-party tools for extendibility
Performance & Scalability
Moderate latency due to reliance on AWS infrastructure, limited QPS compared to alternatives
Optimized for Kubernetes with service mesh integrations like Istio
Extremely high (Apache APISIX), lightweight, 23,000 QPS per core with 0.2ms delay, outperforms Kong by 200% QPS
Deployment Flexibility
Can be spun up across multiple global AWS regions but more advanced routing would require additional setup, management, and costs
Optimized for Kubernetes-native deployments
Easy installation with flexible deployment, supports multi-cloud, hybrid-cloud, and edge environments
Integration Complexity
Requires writing custom lambda authorizers to integrate with third-party IdP, which is more costly, error-prone, and complex
Has complexity in integrating non-Kubernetes environments, and advanced configurations require significant expertise
Flexible enough to be integrated with third-party tools for extendibility, allows for custom integrations and extensions through its plugin ecosystem
Multi-Tenancy
Tied to a single control plane, making it more challenging to isolate teams and environments and build a truly federated and multi-tenant API platform
Route table delegation allows multiple tenants to manage routing rules independently, but has complexity in managing large-scale multi-tenant deployments
Strong multi-tenancy support with fine-grained access control and isolation capabilities, suitable for complex enterprise environments requiring tenant separation
Protocol Support
Primarily supports HTTP/REST APIs with limited support for WebSocket APIs, not suitable for diverse protocol requirements
Broad support for modern protocols including gRPC, GraphQL, WebSocket, and REST, but has limited support for legacy protocols like SOAP
Broad support, supports protocols including TCP, UDP, HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, gRPC, WebSocket, MQTT, Dubbo, SOAP, and custom Layer 4 and Layer 7 protocols
Cost Structure
Scalability costs rise significantly with high traffic, and integration with AWS services (e.g., Lambda) adds hidden expenses
Pay-as-you-go options are available for some deployment scenarios but Enterprise features add potential hidden costs
Low total cost of ownership due to its open-source core, pay-for-support model, cost-effective at scale
Developer Experience
Beginners may find AWS API Gateway challenging due to its intricate configuration requirements and integration with other AWS services
Kubernetes-native approach with YAML configuration for familiar DevOps workflows but has a steep learning curve
Provides extensive documentation and tutorials to assist developers, minimizing the learning curve for new users
Developer Portal
API7 Portal provides robust management and monitoring tools and powerful monetization strategies
Vendor Lock-in
High lock-in risk due to AWS ecosystem dependency, migration to other clouds is costly
Supports various integrations to reduce the risk of vendor lock-in
Based on Apache APISIX, which is fully open source and licensed under the Apache 2.0 License, Kubernetes-native and multi-cloud friendly
Plugins
Tight AWS integration (IAM, Lambda) but limited plugins and customization
Offers built-in transformations, WebAssembly support for custom filters
100+ open-source plugins (e.g., Kafka, SAML) with hot reloading, including custom plugins, security, observability, and authentication
Analytics
Provides detailed metrics on API performance, latency, and error rates
Supports tracing and is compatible with Prometheus and Grafana, no audit logging
Real-time observability with Prometheus, Grafana, and SkyWalking
Security
Supports SSL/TLS encryption, request validation, and throttling
Deep integration with Oathkeeper, Open Policy Agent (OPA) for security
Supports JWT, OIDC, OAuth2, IP whitelisting, mTLS, and FIPS 140-2 compliance
Community Support
Benefits from a vast community of developers and a wealth of AWS resources
Active open-source community
Active open-source Apache APISIX community, vendor-backed enterprise support with contributions to the Apache project
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