API Gateway Comparison: AWS API Gateway vs. Google Cloud Endpoints
API Gateway is a critical component that allows developers to manage their APIs and their associated backend services. AWS and Google provide their own API gateway services - AWS API Gateway and Google Cloud Endpoints respectively. In this post, we’ll compare these two services and help you decide which one’s best for your API and business needs.
What are AWS API Gateway and Google Cloud Endpoints?
AWS API Gateway is a fully-managed service that makes it easy for developers to build, deploy, and manage APIs at any scale. It is tightly integrated with other AWS services like AWS Lambda, AWS IAM, and AWS CloudWatch. Developers can create RESTful APIs and WebSocket APIs using HTTP/HTTPS and WebSocket protocols.
Google Cloud Endpoints is a distributed API management system that runs on Google infrastructure. It enables the development, deployment, protection, and monitoring of APIs for service-based architectures. Endpoints can be incorporated into an API framework or be used as a standalone service.
Comparison
Now let's compare the two services based on the following factors.
Scalability
AWS API Gateway scales in response to the volume of incoming traffic. As API usage increases, API Gateway automatically provisions additional resources to maintain performance metrics. In contrast, Google Cloud Endpoints has a better track record at handling high-traffic applications. Google Cloud Endpoints is built on top of Google Cloud Load Balancing, which can handle large amounts of traffic with ease.
Configuration and customization
AWS API Gateway provides an extensive set of configuration options that lets developers fine-tune their APIs. Developers can configure request/response transformations, caching, and throttling policies. Google Cloud Endpoints also provides a rich set of configuration options for developers. However, AWS API Gateway provides better customization options because of the range of integrated services.
Security
Both AWS API Gateway and Google Cloud Endpoints provide security features for protecting APIs. AWS API Gateway provides security features such as network isolation, IAM authentication, and encryption at rest. In comparison, Google Cloud Endpoints has similar security features such as TLS support and OAuth 2.0-based authentication.
Pricing
Both AWS API Gateway and Google Cloud Endpoints have different pricing structures. AWS API Gateway charges based on the number of API calls, while Google Cloud Endpoints charges based on the number of requests to the API. AWS API Gateway has a 12-month free tier for up to 1 million API calls per month. Google Cloud Endpoints also provides a free tier for up to 10,000 requests per month.
Community and Support
AWS API Gateway has a much larger community and support base than Google Cloud Endpoints. AWS has a vast number of resources available for developers, including documentation, forums, and customer service. On the other hand, Google Cloud Endpoints has a smaller but still active community that provides a reasonable level of support.
Deployment
AWS API Gateway supports many deployment options, including deployment using a CORS-enabled endpoint. Google Cloud Endpoints can be deployed to almost any backend system, including Google Cloud Storage, Google Cloud Pub/Sub, and Google Cloud Functions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, both AWS API Gateway and Google Cloud Endpoints have their own advantages and disadvantages, depending on your needs. AWS API Gateway is best suited for developers who need to integrate with other AWS services like AWS Lambda or who expect to handle fluctuating traffic. Google Cloud Endpoints, on the other hand, is best suited for those who utilize Google Cloud services and who prioritize scalability and security.