API Gateway Research Articles

An API gateway design strategy optimized for persistence and coupling

Microservices play a more and more important role in software development nowadays. Almost every programming language has its own microservices development framework. The characteristics of microservices make microservices have cross-platform compatibility issues and inconsistent call standards issues in the process of development and call microservices. The birth of API Gateway alleviates these problems to some extent. For small and medium-sized enterprises using today's popular API Gateways, it is difficult for them to get a balance between cost, performance and maintainability. This paper proposes a scheme to optimize the API Gateway. Firstly, the framework of API Gateway is optimized. Next, the coupling degree of API Gateway is optimized by reducing the coupling degree of core services and extended functions. In this way, the optimized Gateway can adapt to the plug-in mode, improve the user experience and reduce development costs. Then, the persistent design of the configuration information of the API Gateway is carried out, and the read-write optimization is carried out so that the optimized API Gateway not only has advantages in the configuration persistence, but also has further improved the I/O performance. Based on the optimized design, this paper implements a cross platform compatible API Gateway. Then it compares the performance of two popular API Gateway schemes through performance testing. The test results show that the optimized design of API Gateway achieves a new balance among cost, performance and maintainability. At the end of this paper, the work of this paper is summarized, and the next work is projected.

Function-as-a-Service performance evaluation: A multivocal literature review

Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) is one form of the serverless cloud computing paradigm and is defined through FaaS platforms (e.g., AWS Lambda) executing event-triggered code snippets (i.e., functions). Many studies that empirically evaluate the performance of such FaaS platforms have started to appear but we are currently lacking a comprehensive understanding of the overall domain. To address this gap, we conducted a multivocal literature review (MLR) covering 112 studies from academic (51) and grey (61) literature. We find that existing work mainly studies the AWS Lambda platform and focuses on micro-benchmarks using simple functions to measure CPU speed and FaaS platform overhead (i.e., container cold starts). Further, we discover a mismatch between academic and industrial sources on tested platform configurations, find that function triggers remain insufficiently studied, and identify HTTP API gateways and cloud storages as the most used external service integrations. Following existing guidelines on experimentation in cloud systems, we discover many flaws threatening the reproducibility of experiments presented in the surveyed studies. We conclude with a discussion of gaps in literature and highlight methodological suggestions that may serve to improve future FaaS performance evaluation studies.

Combining multiple data sources and enriching the dataset using Industrial Edge Devices

Industrial edge devices starting to play a major role as API gateway for data consumers or cloud applications. To fulfill this task industrial edge devices are mostly build from single board computer or small computers with an operation system. Considering the increasing processing power of these computers there is room for applications that enable data preparation for data consumers on the shop floor. This paper proposes a lightweight approach to structure data with the SAX Algorithm and add semantic information’s to the dataset. Additionally, an example using machine data gathered from a manufacturing system with MQTT is provided.

Microservice Security Agent Based On API Gateway in Edge Computing.

Internet of Things (IoT) devices are embedded with software, electronics, and sensors, and feature connectivity with constrained resources. They require the edge computing paradigm, with modular characteristics relying on microservices, to provide an extensible and lightweight computing framework at the edge of the network. Edge computing can relieve the burden of centralized cloud computing by performing certain operations, such as data storage and task computation, at the edge of the network. Despite the benefits of edge computing, it can lead to many challenges in terms of security and privacy issues. Thus, services that protect privacy and secure data are essential functions in edge computing. For example, the end user’s ownership and privacy information and control are separated, which can easily lead to data leakage, unauthorized data manipulation, and other data security concerns. Thus, the confidentiality and integrity of the data cannot be guaranteed and, so, more secure authentication and access mechanisms are required to ensure that the microservices are exposed only to authorized users. In this paper, we propose a microservice security agent to integrate the edge computing platform with the API gateway technology for presenting a secure authentication mechanism. The aim of this platform is to afford edge computing clients a practical application which provides user authentication and allows JSON Web Token (JWT)-based secure access to the services of edge computing. To integrate the edge computing platform with the API gateway, we implement a microservice security agent based on the open-source Kong in the EdgeX Foundry framework. Also to provide an easy-to-use approach with Kong, we implement REST APIs for generating new consumers, registering services, configuring access controls. Finally, the usability of the proposed approach is demonstrated by evaluating the round trip time (RTT). The results demonstrate the efficiency of the system and its suitability for real-world applications.

UNIFIED DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE MODERN SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY ON THE BASIS OF WEB TECHNOLOGIES

Purpose. Digitization, expansion of the scientific library infomedia and its integration into the global digital space require the creation of a full-fledges, multifunctional Web-oriented ecosystem. The work is aimed at researching rational ways and implementation of separate tools within the framework of an interactive library information system on the basis of Web-technologies, which includes a single API gateway (library site) and combines separate library management systems (LMS). Methodology. The research was conducted on the basis of the Scientific and Technical Library of the Dnipro National University of Railway Transport named after Academician V. Lazaryan (DNURT). We analysed the structure and condition of the existing out-of-dated library information system, based on the technologies of breaking up separate subsystems into separate services. We considered the possibilities and peculiarities of the transition to a single interactive system with the help of a central Web-application, which combines scattered services. This system is integrated into the system of «IRBIS-64» LMS (although any LMS can be used). Attention is focused on the reliability and protection of user data from unauthorized access. Findings. The ways, means and peculiarities of the transition to a full-fledged, multifunctional Web-oriented ecosystem of the DNURT library are explored. The system has its own API-based interface, which allows it to be easily scalable, thanks to the use of the current framework on the basis of Laravel – OctoberCMS. The system has an administrator and user panel. A subsystem – the DB «Publication Profile of University Science» – has been developed to provide the necessary functionality for plugins and applications: 1) for synchronization with Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar – in Pyhton language; 2) for automated reporting – in C# language for Windows. Originality. The researchers analysed the possibilities and suggested optimal and effective solutions for creating an interactive information system of the library based on Web-technologies, which includes a single API gateway (library site) and combines separate library automation systems. It is proved that the application of the increased level of abstraction using specialized PHP-frameworks and ORM instead of pure SQL allows the developer to focus on the development of a rather complex and at the same time a simple system from the point of view of development, which is sufficiently effective in the absence of time and material resources in the scientific libraries of Ukraine. The performed researches allow to assert about the partial implementation of the «Library 2.0» paradigm requirements in the library of DNURT. Practical value. The offered interactive information system of the scientific library allows to practically abandon the cumbersome and morally outdated IRBIS 64 system in the issues of service for readers (there is an opportunity even to execute orders of printed literature in a personal account, like in user accounts of modern courier services). The developed software that synchronizes with IRBIS in the C# language allows to unload data from the IRBIS LMS to any modern open-source LMS in the future. Realization of possibilities of the subsystem «Publication Profile of University Science» will allow receiving a statistically reliable picture of the publication activity and influence of scientists, departments, university as a whole.

Management of API Gateway Based on Micro-service Architecture

Micro-services are activities that run in your own programs and communicate with HTTP APIS through lightweight devices. Under the Micro-service architecture, the API gateway is an important component of the overall architecture. It abstracts the common functions that are needed in the Micro-services. As the only entry for a Micro-service, the API gateway encapsulates the specific internal implementation and interface of the system. Based on the analysis and comparison of the traditional framework and the Micro-service framework, this paper mainly analyzes the realization of the functions: load balancing, automatic service blowing, and Gray release, and gives the implement scheme of the key technology of the API gateway under the Micro-service architecture. The scheme discusses the case study of the technology selection and application architecture under micro service. And it also provides a new solution for the difficulties in manage API gateway under micro service by giving a detailed design for the authentication of the API gateway, reverse proxy function and flow control function. By using API gateway, the problem of how a caller can call an independent service can be solved, thus the development efficiency can be greatly improved.

A Study of Internet of Things: Architectural Perspective

Be it industry or academia, Internet of the Things (IoT) has become buzzword today. Everyone is expecting a system of gadgets controlled by web without human intervention. The concept has opened many possibilities and a fear of failure too. All over the world the research is going on and few organizations have already started implementing the concept at a small level. But the available research is still immature and undirectional. The area is very young, the research too. Hence there is a need to develop an IoT architecture which is universally acceptable by various IoT objects as well as server. To facilitate with the need, the paper presents a novel IOT architecture. In addition, the interaction of IoTobjects with each other has been discussed alongwith connection of a server’s infrastructure with another server’s infrastructure through API gateway.

Authentication and Authorization of End User in Microservice Architecture

As the market and business continues to expand; the traditional single monolithic architecture is facing more and more challenges. The development of cloud computing and container technology promote microservice architecture became more popular. While the low coupling, fine granularity, scalability, flexibility and independence of the microservice architecture bring convenience, the inherent complexity of the distributed system make the security of microservice architecture important and difficult. This paper aims to study the authentication and authorization of the end user under the microservice architecture. By comparing with the traditional measures and researching on existing technology, this paper put forward a set of authentication and authorization strategies suitable for microservice architecture, such as distributed session, SSO solutions, client-side JSON web token and JWT + API Gateway, and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

GapMap: Enabling Comprehensive Autism Resource Epidemiology.

BackgroundFor individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), finding resources can be a lengthy and difficult process. The difficulty in obtaining global, fine-grained autism epidemiological data hinders researchers from quickly and efficiently studying large-scale correlations among ASD, environmental factors, and geographical and cultural factors.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to define resource load and resource availability for families affected by autism and subsequently create a platform to enable a more accurate representation of prevalence rates and resource epidemiology.MethodsWe created a mobile application, GapMap, to collect locational, diagnostic, and resource use information from individuals with autism to compute accurate prevalence rates and better understand autism resource epidemiology. GapMap is hosted on AWS S3, running on a React and Redux front-end framework. The backend framework is comprised of an AWS API Gateway and Lambda Function setup, with secure and scalable end points for retrieving prevalence and resource data, and for submitting participant data. Measures of autism resource scarcity, including resource load, resource availability, and resource gaps were defined and preliminarily computed using simulated or scraped data.ResultsThe average distance from an individual in the United States to the nearest diagnostic center is approximately 182 km (50 miles), with a standard deviation of 235 km (146 miles). The average distance from an individual with ASD to the nearest diagnostic center, however, is only 32 km (20 miles), suggesting that individuals who live closer to diagnostic services are more likely to be diagnosed.ConclusionsThis study confirmed that individuals closer to diagnostic services are more likely to be diagnosed and proposes GapMap, a means to measure and enable the alleviation of increasingly overburdened diagnostic centers and resource-poor areas where parents are unable to diagnose their children as quickly and easily as needed. GapMap will collect information that will provide more accurate data for computing resource loads and availability, uncovering the impact of resource epidemiology on age and likelihood of diagnosis, and gathering localized autism prevalence rates.

Реализация сервиса для замены Keystone в качестве центрального сервиса идентификации облачной платформы Openstack

The paper is dedicated to architecture and scalability principles for developed service intended to be a drop-in replace for Openstack Keystone. Openstack Keystone is the central identification and service catalogue service for clouds based on Openstack. Previous papers indicated problems of this service: it uses RDBMS (MariaDB/MySQL/PostgreSQL) as a data storage. Since each service and each user gets a token to have access to Openstack cloud and tokens are periodically revoked by the system, token generation is a critical function for the whole cloud. As soon as Keystone queries DBMS for getting user or service identification hashes and recomputes this hash upon the user-provided data, there is a bottleneck based on Keystone architecture. Each Keystone process has separate session with DBMS and since the recommended way is to use Galera cluster thus the DBMS part is limited to the slowest DBMS node since Galera provides High-Availability not the performance scale. Our approach is based on API Gateway Kong and its scalability through Apache Cassandra usage as a data store. Drop-in replacement is implemented as Lua plugin inside Kong API Gateway and implements Keystone V3 API.

Разработка масштабируемой программной инфраструктуры для хранения и обработки данных в задачах вычислительной биологии

This article is an overview of scalable infrastructure for storage and processing of genome data in genetics problems. The overview covers used technologies descriptions, the organization of unified access to genome processing API of different underlying services. The article also covers methods for scalable and cloud computing technologies support. The first service in virtual genome processing laboratory is provided and presented. The service solves transcription factors bindning sites prediction problem. The main principles of service construction are provided. Basic requirements for underlying comptutaion software in virtual laboratory environments are provided. Overview describes the implemented web-service (https://api.ispras.ru/demo/gen) for transcription factors binding site prediction. Provided solution is based on ISPRAS API project as an API gateway and load-balancer; the middle-ware task-manager software for pool of workers support and for communications with Openstack infrastructure; OpenZFS as an intermediate storage with transparent compression support. The described solution is easy to extend with new services fitting the basic requirements.

An image capture and communication system for emergency computed tomography

An image capture and communication system for emergency computed tomography (CT) is presented. The system, named ICCS, integrates CT scanners, personal computers (PC), network systems, an IBM API gateway and an IBM mainframe platform. The ICCS was implemented in the emergency unit in the Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TCVGH) and has received considerable support from the doctors, nurses and staff of the TCVGH emergency unit who have shown great interest in ICCS. This is because ICCS allows physicians in the emergency unit to examine patients' images on image viewing stations immediately after the patients are CT scanned. It also makes remote consultation possible for doctors who can stay where they are and consult with radiologists through the system and a hot line without leaving the emergency unit. This advantage greatly reduces the consultation time and saves many unnecessary trips between the emergency unit and the Department of Radiology.