--- title: "How API Gateways Handle gRPC Requests - API7.ai" description: "Discover how API gateways support gRPC traffic with HTTP/2, service routing, load balancing, and observability. Learn best practices for integrating gRPC into modern API infrastructures." url: "https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-grpc-support" --- [Skip to article](#column-content) Column contentsAPI Gateway Guide [API Gateway Guide](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide) Search this column 01 Gateway Fundamentals [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=fundamentals)[1. What Is an API Gateway? API Gateway Software and Use Cases](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/what-is-an-api-gateway)[2. Why Do Modern Architectures Need an API Gateway?](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/why-do-modern-architectures-need-api-gateway)[3. Reverse Proxy vs Load Balancer vs API Gateway](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-vs-reverse-proxy-vs-load-balancer)[4. API Gateway and Microservices: Decoupling and Traffic Management](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-and-microservices)[5. Understanding Core API Gateway Features](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/core-api-gateway-features)[6. Open Source vs. Commercial API Gateways: How to Choose the Right One?](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/open-source-vs-commercial-api-gateway)[7. API Gateway vs Service Mesh: How to Choose?](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-vs-service-mesh)[8. Envoy vs NGINX, Java, and Go for API Gateways](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/nginx-vs-envoy-vs-java-vs-go)[9. Core Concepts of API Gateway: Service, Route, Upstream, Plugin, and Consumer](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/core-concepts-of-api-gateway)[10. API Gateway Comparison: Apache APISIX vs. Kong vs. Traefik vs. KrakenD vs. Tyk](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-comparison-apisix-kong-traefik-krakend-tyk) 02 Gateway Architecture and Design [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=architecture)[11. Deep Dive into API Gateway Architecture: Core Components and Design Principles](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-architecture)[12. Choosing the Right API Gateway for Your Architecture](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-monolithic-vs-microservices)[13. How to Architect an API Gateway for High Availability (HA)?](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-high-availability)[14. API Gateway Plugin Architecture: How to Extend and Customize Your API Gateway](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-plugin-system)[15. How Event-Driven Architecture (EDA) Works with API Gateway?](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-event-driven-architecture)[16. API Gateway Request Lifecycle Explained](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-request-lifecycle-explained)[17. Cloud-Native API Gateway on Kubernetes](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/cloud-native-api-gateway-kubernetes)[18. API Gateway Control Plane vs. Data Plane](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-control-plane-vs-data-plane)[19. How API Gateways Work with GitOps: Automating API Management](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-gitops-integration)[20. How to Perform A/B Testing and Canary Releases with an API Gateway](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/ab-testing-canary-release-api-gateway) 03 Gateway Setup and Traffic Handling [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=traffic-protocols)[21. How to Deploy an API Gateway on Kubernetes: Step-by-Step Guide for Engineers](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/deploy-api-gateway-on-kubernetes)[22. Hands-on Setup with Apache APISIX API Gateway](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-getting-started-guide)[23. API Gateway Auth: OAuth 2.0, JWT & OIDC with APISIX](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-authentication-apache-apisix-oauth-jwt-oidc)[24. Mastering Traffic Control: Efficiently Managing API Requests with Gateways](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-traffic-control-strategies)[25. Building Reliable API Gateways with Logging and Monitoring](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-logging-monitoring-best-practices)[26. Dynamic Routing in API Gateways: Best Practices for Flexible Traffic Management](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-dynamic-routing-management)[27. How API Gateways Support WebSocket](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/how-api-gateways-support-websocket)[28. API Gateway for GraphQL: Security, Cost, and Caching](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-handle-graphql)[29. How API Gateways Handle HTTP/3 QUIC Requests](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-http3-quic)[30. How API Gateways Handle MQTT Requests](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-mqtt) 04 Gateway Integrations, AI, and MCP [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=ai-mcp)[31. How API Gateways Handle gRPC Requests](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-grpc-support)[32. How API Gateways Implement Custom Plugins](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-custom-plugins)[33. How API Gateways Integrate with Kafka](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-kafka-integration)[34. How to Implement API Aggregation in API Gateways](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-api-aggregation)[35. How API Gateways Enable Serverless Architecture](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-serverless-architecture)[36. How API Gateways Proxy LLM Requests](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-proxy-llm-requests)[37. How API Gateways Enhance MCP Servers](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-enhance-mcp-server)[38. MCP Gateway vs MCP Proxy vs AI Gateway vs API Gateway](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/ai-gateway-vs-mcp-gateway-vs-api-gateway)[39. What Is an AI Gateway? Architecture and Benefits](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/what-is-an-ai-gateway)[40. What Is an MCP Gateway? Architecture, Use Cases & How It Works (2026 Guide)](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/what-is-mcp-gateway) 05 Gateway Performance [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=performance)[41. How API Gateway Reduces Latency: Performance Optimization Strategies](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/how-api-gateway-reduces-latency)[42. API Gateway Caching Strategy: Comprehensive Analysis and Implementation Guide](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-caching-strategy-analysis)[43. How to Optimize API Gateway Load Balancing: Advanced Strategies and Best Practices](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/how-to-optimize-api-gateway-load-balancing)[44. How API Gateway Efficiently Handles Large-Scale Traffic: Architecture and Strategies](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/how-api-gateway-handles-large-scale-traffic)[45. How to Improve API Gateway QoS: Traffic Classes, Capacity Protection, and SLOs](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-quality-of-service)[46. API Gateway Log Storage: Pipelines, Retention, Security, and Cost](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-log-storage)[47. API Gateway Timeouts and Retries: Safe Policies and APISIX Configuration](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-timeouts-retries)[48. API Gateway Concurrency Control: Capacity Budgets, Backpressure, and Load Shedding](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-concurrency-control)[49. Asynchronous API Gateway Patterns: Queues, Callbacks, and Performance Boundaries](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/asynchronous-api-gateway-patterns)[50. API Gateway TLS Performance: Handshakes, Session Reuse, and Measurement](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-tls-performance) 06 Gateway Security [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=security)[51. DDoS Defense at the API Gateway: Layered Controls and Failure Planning](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-ddos-defense)[52. Distributed API Gateway Rate Limiting: Local vs Redis Counters and Accuracy Trade-offs](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/distributed-api-gateway-rate-limiting)[53. API Gateway IP Allowlist and Denylist Management: Trust, Proxies, and Operations](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-ip-allowlist-denylist-management)[54. API Gateway Security Scanning: What to Test and How to Operationalize Findings](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-security-scanning)[55. SQL Injection and XSS at the API Gateway: Detection Limits and Defense in Depth](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/sql-injection-xss-api-gateway)[56. API Access Log Auditing: Evidence, Integrity, Retention, and Review](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-access-log-auditing)[57. Preventing API Scraping and Abuse: Identity, Behavioral Signals, and Rate Controls](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/prevent-api-scraping-abuse)[58. API Gateway mTLS: Client Identity, Certificate Rotation, and APISIX Configuration](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-mtls)[59. Fine-Grained API Gateway Authorization: RBAC, ABAC, and External Policy Decisions](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/fine-grained-api-gateway-authorization)[60. API Gateway and WAF Reference Architecture: Ownership, Header Trust, and Failure Modes](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-waf-reference-architecture) 07 Gateway Ecosystem and Comparisons [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=ecosystem)[61. Apache APISIX vs Kong: Migration, Operations, and Team Fit](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/apache-apisix-vs-kong)[62. Traefik vs Kong vs APISIX: A Reproducible API Gateway Benchmark Method](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/traefik-kong-apisix-benchmark-method)[63. Amazon API Gateway Explained: Deployment Models, Trade-offs, and Use Cases](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/amazon-api-gateway-explained)[64. API Gateway and Istio: Clear North-South and East-West Boundaries](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-istio)[65. API Gateway with NGINX: Layering, Ownership, and Migration Patterns](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-nginx)[66. API Gateway with Envoy: Deployment Patterns and Policy Ownership](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-envoy)[67. API Gateway with Cloudflare API Shield: Edge and Origin Security Boundaries](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-cloudflare-api-shield)[68. Apigee vs MuleSoft vs Amazon API Gateway: A Decision Framework](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/apigee-mulesoft-amazon-api-gateway)[69. Should an API Gateway Connect Directly to a Database? Patterns and Risks](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-database-access-patterns)[70. API Gateway Architecture for Large-Scale SaaS Platforms](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-large-scale-saas-architecture) 08 Industry Applications and Integrations [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=applications)[71. API Gateway CI/CD: Validation, Promotion, and Safe Rollback](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-ci-cd)[72. API Gateways for AI and ML Inference: Traffic, Security, and Observability](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateways-ai-ml-inference)[73. API Gateway Architecture for Financial Services: Controls and Failure Boundaries](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-financial-services)[74. API Gateway Architecture for E-Commerce: Checkout Reliability and Traffic Peaks](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-ecommerce)[75. API Gateways for Mobile Applications: Authentication, Payloads, and Versioning](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateways-mobile-applications)[76. API Gateways for Web3 Applications: RPC Traffic, Identity, and Abuse Controls](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateways-web3-applications)[77. OpenAPI-Driven API Gateway Operations: Import, Validation, and Drift Control](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/openapi-driven-api-gateway-operations)[78. gRPC-Web and gRPC Transcoding Through an API Gateway](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/grpc-web-grpc-transcoding-api-gateway)[79. API Gateway Pricing and Cost Optimization: A Workload-Based Model](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-pricing-cost-optimization)[80. Evaluating API Gateway Directions: Evidence and Architectural Impact](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-trends) 09 Advanced Gateway Applications [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=operations)[81. API Gateways in Zero Trust Architecture: Identity, Policy, and Limits](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateways-zero-trust-architecture)[82. API Gateway Log Analytics: Correlation, Queries, and Operational Signals](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-log-analytics)[83. From API Sprawl to Governed Delivery: The Gateway's Role in Modernization](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-modernization)[84. API Monetization at the Gateway: Plans, Metering, Entitlements, and Billing Boundaries](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-monetization-gateway)[85. Safe AI-Assisted API Gateway Optimization: Recommendations, Guardrails, and Approval](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/ai-assisted-api-gateway-optimization)[86. API Gateways for Low-Code and No-Code Integration: Governance and Safety](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateways-low-code-no-code-integration)[87. API Gateway and CIAM Integration: Token Validation, Consent, and Identity Context](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-ciam-integration)[88. Elastic API Gateway Scaling: Signals, Capacity, and Safe Scale-In](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/elastic-api-gateway-scaling)[89. Multi-Tenant SaaS API Gateways: Isolation, Quotas, and Tenant-Aware Policy](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/multi-tenant-saas-api-gateway-policy)[90. API Gateway DevSecOps: Policy as Code, Testing, and Runtime Feedback](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-devsecops) 10 Platform Engineering and Planning [View this topic · 10](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=platform-governance)[91. API Discovery and Documentation at the Gateway: Inventory, Ownership, and Drift](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-discovery-documentation-gateway)[92. WebAssembly Plugins for API Gateways: Portability, Isolation, and APISIX Boundaries](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-webassembly-plugins)[93. Monitoring API Gateways with Prometheus and Grafana: Metrics, Dashboards, and Alerts](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/monitor-api-gateways-prometheus-grafana)[94. API Gateway Reliability Engineering: SLOs, Failure Isolation, and Incident Response](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-reliability-engineering)[95. API Gateways for Edge AI Inference: Routing, Constraints, and Observability](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateways-edge-ai-inference)[96. Reducing Cloud Cost with API Gateway Controls: Measurement Before Optimization](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/reducing-cloud-cost-api-gateway-controls)[97. Improving API Developer Experience with Gateway Standards and Self-Service](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/improving-api-developer-experience-gateway-self-service)[98. API Gateway Change Management: Compatibility, Progressive Delivery, and Rollback](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-change-management-rollback)[99. Operating Serverless APIs: Cold Starts, Idempotency, and Asynchronous Handoffs](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/operating-serverless-apis-gateway)[100. Planning an API Gateway Roadmap for the Next Five Years](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/planning-api-gateway-roadmap-next-five-years) [API Gateway Guide](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide)[Gateway Integrations, AI, and MCP](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide?topic=ai-mcp) On this page On this page - [Introduction](#introduction) - [Understanding gRPC Basics](#understanding-grpc-basics) - [Why API Gateways Need to Support gRPC](#why-api-gateways-need-to-support-grpc) - [Core Features Required for gRPC Support in API Gateways](#core-features-required-for-grpc-support-in-api-gateways) - [1. HTTP/2 Support](#1-http2-support) - [2. gRPC Routing and Load Balancing](#2-grpc-routing-and-load-balancing) - [3. gRPC Transcoding](#3-grpc-transcoding) - [4. Observability for gRPC](#4-observability-for-grpc) - [5. Authentication and Authorization](#5-authentication-and-authorization) - [Real-World Examples](#real-world-examples) - [Envoy](#envoy) - [Apache APISIX](#apache-apisix) - [Kong](#kong) - [Best Practices for gRPC at the Gateway](#best-practices-for-grpc-at-the-gateway) - [Challenges and Considerations](#challenges-and-considerations) - [Conclusion](#conclusion) - [FAQ](#faq) - [Next Steps](#next-steps) Article 31 # How API Gateways Handle gRPC Requests API7.ai April 25, 2025 ## Introduction [gRPC](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-101/what-is-grpc) is a high-performance, open-source universal RPC framework that uses HTTP/2 for transport, Protocol Buffers for serialization, and supports streaming and multiplexing. It has gained significant traction in microservices and cloud-native architectures due to its speed and efficiency. As more organizations adopt gRPC for inter-service communication, API gateways must evolve to handle gRPC requests effectively. This article explores how modern API gateways process, route, and manage gRPC traffic, what challenges they face, and what best practices developers should follow. ## Understanding gRPC Basics Before diving into how API gateways support gRPC, let's briefly review what makes gRPC unique: - **Protocol**: gRPC uses HTTP/2, allowing multiplexed streams over a single connection. - **Message Format**: Instead of JSON, gRPC uses Protocol Buffers (protobuf), a binary format that's compact and efficient. - **Streaming**: gRPC supports client-side, server-side, and bi-directional streaming. - **Strong Typing**: Protobuf enforces a schema-driven approach, enabling strict contracts. These characteristics differ significantly from [REST APIs](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-101/restful-api-best-practices) and introduce new requirements for API gateways. ## Why API Gateways Need to Support gRPC API gateways traditionally focused on HTTP/1.1 and RESTful traffic. However, as gRPC adoption grows, there are several reasons why API gateways must support gRPC: - **Unified Traffic Management**: Consolidate observability, rate limiting, and authentication for both REST and gRPC. - **Security Policies**: Apply TLS termination, JWT validation, and role-based access control. - **Routing Logic**: Enable routing based on service names, method names, or headers. - **Protocol Translation**: In some cases, translate between REST and gRPC to support legacy clients. ## Core Features Required for gRPC Support in API Gateways ### 1. HTTP/2 Support - Since gRPC runs on HTTP/2, gateways must support full-duplex streaming and connection multiplexing. - Gateways like Envoy, [APISIX](https://api7.ai/apisix), and Kong natively support HTTP/2 and gRPC pass-through. ### 2. gRPC Routing and Load Balancing - Route requests based on gRPC service/method names. - Load balance based on method granularity, backend health, and metadata. ### 3. gRPC Transcoding - Convert gRPC to REST and vice versa using protocol translation. - Useful for exposing gRPC services to frontend clients or legacy systems. ### 4. Observability for gRPC - Extract gRPC metadata (method name, duration, status code) for logs, metrics, and traces. - Integrate with OpenTelemetry or Prometheus. ### 5. Authentication and Authorization - Apply OAuth2, JWT, and mTLS for securing gRPC traffic. - Ensure access policies can parse protobuf payloads when necessary. #### Native gRPC Request Handling in API Gateway ``` sequenceDiagram participant Client participant API Gateway participant gRPC Service Client->>API Gateway: HTTP/2 gRPC Request API Gateway->>gRPC Service: Forward Request (no decoding) gRPC Service-->>API Gateway: gRPC Response API Gateway-->>Client: Forward gRPC Response ``` #### gRPC-JSON Transcoding via API Gateway ``` sequenceDiagram participant HTTP Client participant API Gateway participant gRPC Service HTTP Client->>API Gateway: HTTP/1.1 REST Request (JSON) API Gateway->>gRPC Service: Transcoded gRPC Request (protobuf) gRPC Service-->>API Gateway: gRPC Response (protobuf) API Gateway-->>HTTP Client: Transcoded JSON Response ``` ## Real-World Examples ### Envoy - Native gRPC proxy with HTTP/2 and gRPC-Web support. - Supports RouteConfiguration using `:method`, `:authority`, and `:path` headers. - Supports gRPC-JSON transcoding via `proto_descriptor`. ### Apache APISIX - gRPC support with gRPC proxy plugin. - TLS termination, mTLS authentication, and routing using URI and host. - Integrates with Prometheus and SkyWalking for gRPC observability. ### Kong - HTTP/2 and gRPC proxying. - Authentication plugins (e.g., JWT) work for gRPC with `content-type: application/grpc`. - OpenTelemetry plugin supports gRPC spans. ## Best Practices for gRPC at the Gateway - Use native HTTP/2 support in gateways to avoid compatibility issues. - Monitor gRPC-specific metrics, like streaming duration and method latency. - Keep proto descriptors up to date when using gRPC transcoding. - Secure transport with mTLS especially for internal microservice traffic. - Consider gRPC-Web for browser compatibility. ## Challenges and Considerations - Limited browser support for gRPC; gRPC-Web mitigates this. - Complex debugging due to binary protocol (protobuf). - Header size limits and connection reuse must be tuned for streaming workloads. - Tooling and observability are less mature compared to REST. ## Conclusion As gRPC continues to shape the landscape of microservice communication, API gateways must provide first-class support for this protocol. From handling HTTP/2 and streaming to enabling protocol translation and enforcing security, modern gateways play a critical role in making gRPC manageable at scale. When choosing or configuring an API gateway for gRPC, it is crucial to understand both the protocol's capabilities and the gateway's feature set. With the right setup, developers can harness the performance benefits of gRPC while maintaining control, security, and observability across their services. ## FAQ **1. What is gRPC and how does it differ from REST?** gRPC is a high-performance RPC framework using HTTP/2 and protobuf. It enables binary messaging, bi-directional streaming, and strong typing—unlike REST which relies on HTTP/1.1 and JSON. **2. Can API gateways convert REST to gRPC?** Yes. Gateways like Envoy and APISIX support gRPC-JSON transcoding to translate RESTful HTTP requests into gRPC calls. **3. Is gRPC secure?** gRPC supports TLS and mutual TLS (mTLS) for encryption and authentication. API gateways can enforce additional security policies. **4. Do all API gateways support gRPC?** No. Support varies. Envoy, Kong, and APISIX offer strong gRPC support. NGINX requires additional configuration or third-party modules. **5. What about browser support for gRPC?** Browsers don't natively support HTTP/2 framing required by gRPC. Use gRPC-Web to bridge the gap. ## Next Steps Stay tuned for our upcoming column on the API gateway Guide, where you'll find the latest updates and insights! Eager to deepen your knowledge about API gateways? Follow [our Linkedin](https://sg.linkedin.com/company/api7-ai) for valuable insights delivered straight to your inbox! If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to contact [API7 Experts](https://api7.ai/contact). [Previous topic · Gateway Setup and Traffic Handling**How API Gateways Handle MQTT Requests**](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-mqtt)[Next article**How API Gateways Implement Custom Plugins**](https://api7.ai/learning-center/api-gateway-guide/api-gateway-custom-plugins) On this page - [Introduction](#introduction) - [Understanding gRPC Basics](#understanding-grpc-basics) - [Why API Gateways Need to Support gRPC](#why-api-gateways-need-to-support-grpc) - [Core Features Required for gRPC Support in API Gateways](#core-features-required-for-grpc-support-in-api-gateways) - [1. HTTP/2 Support](#1-http2-support) - [2. gRPC Routing and Load Balancing](#2-grpc-routing-and-load-balancing) - [3. gRPC Transcoding](#3-grpc-transcoding) - [4. Observability for gRPC](#4-observability-for-grpc) - [5. Authentication and Authorization](#5-authentication-and-authorization) - [Real-World Examples](#real-world-examples) - [Envoy](#envoy) - [Apache APISIX](#apache-apisix) - [Kong](#kong) - [Best Practices for gRPC at the Gateway](#best-practices-for-grpc-at-the-gateway) - [Challenges and Considerations](#challenges-and-considerations) - [Conclusion](#conclusion) - [FAQ](#faq) - [Next Steps](#next-steps)