Using multiple API gateways to support compliance, security, and flexibility

In exploring the deployment of API gateways, organizations face decisions about using single or multiple gateway clusters to effectively manage their APIs, considering factors such as compliance, security, and flexibility. Employing multiple API gateways can provide significant advantages, such as segmenting APIs based on risk or compliance needs, which is crucial for regulatory adherence and data protection, particularly in sectors requiring stringent audits like financial services. Different types of API gateways, including internal, partner, and public gateways, serve distinct functions: internal gateways limit access to sensitive data within an organization, partner gateways manage specific endpoints for partner integrations, and public gateways support broader use cases like third-party developer interactions. Organizations must also weigh the benefits and challenges of environment-based gateways which separate development, staging, and production environments, although this can increase the number of gateway instances needed. Ultimately, some organizations might find a single API gateway sufficient initially, with the option to expand to multiple gateways later as needs evolve, balancing simplicity and cost-effectiveness against the complexity and advantages of a multi-gateway approach.