Digital transformation has prompted companies to modernize their API technologies, especially those with legacy infrastructures, by adopting Kubernetes and decoupling monolithic systems to handle the high velocity of data flowing through APIs. A key strategy involves using API gateways, such as the Kong Ingress Controller, which serves as a central entry point in microservice architectures, routing requests to appropriate backend services, and managing policy concerns like authentication and rate limiting. This tutorial illustrates setting up a Kubernetes cluster on DigitalOcean, deploying dummy microservices, and configuring Kong to route API calls, all while highlighting the importance of choosing a gateway compatible with both on-prem and cloud services. Kubernetes is increasingly favored for hosting distributed architectures due to its auto-scaling and fault tolerance capabilities, and Kong, integrating well with other CNCF projects, offers an easy setup, zero-downtime updates, and a rich plugin ecosystem. The article emphasizes the vital role of API gateways in simplifying the development and maintenance of microservices, allowing development teams to focus on business logic, and provides a step-by-step process for deploying and configuring the Kong Ingress Controller, along with considerations for managing resources and minimizing costs.