Service proxy, service mesh or API gateway – which do you need?

As organizations increasingly adopt microservices architectures, they face complex network communication challenges that can be addressed with tools like service proxies, service meshes, and API gateways. These tools serve different purposes: service proxies act as intermediaries that intercept and modify network traffic without altering application code; service meshes provide an infrastructure layer to manage service-to-service communication, offering security, observability, and reliability across services; and API gateways centralize API management, providing security and optimization features for external and internal API consumers. Each solution offers distinct benefits and is suitable for specific use cases, such as service proxies for load balancing, service meshes for implementing security policies and gaining insights, and API gateways for API-first development approaches. While these tools can be used independently, they often work best in combination, depending on the desired outcomes, such as achieving zero-trust security with service meshes or facilitating API development with API gateways.