Grokking System Design Fundamentals
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LB & API Gateway Positioning

shivangkumarjha

Jan 4, 2026

Suppose the system has both a load balancer to distribute the load to different servers, and an api gateway to route API requests to the suitable backend system. Typically which sits in front for the client - the LB or the API Gateway.

Or having API gateway obviates LB completely ?

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Key Usages of API Gateways

  1. Request Routing
  1. Aggregation of Multiple Services
  1. Security Enforcement
  1. Load Balancing
  1. Caching Responses
  1. Protocol Translation
  1. Monitoring and Logging
  1. Transformation of Requests and Responses
  1. API Versioning
  1. Rate Limiting and Throttling
  1. API Monetization
  1. Service Discovery Integration
  1. Circuit Breaker Pattern Implementation
  1. Content-Based Routing
  1. SSL Termination
  1. Policy Enforcement
  1. Multi-Tenancy Support
  1. A/B Testing and Canary Releases
  1. Localization and Internationalization Support
  1. Reducing Client Complexity

Real-World Example: Netflix

Conclusion