An API gateway is a central point for managing, securing and monitoring application programming interfaces (APIs). APIs connect software and services, and they create risk if they are not protected. A gateway does more than route requests: it enforces security policies, checks access and keeps traffic encrypted, which helps protect applications from unauthorized access, data leaks and API abuse.
A gateway provides authentication and authorization so that only verified users and systems can call your APIs. Rate limiting, IP allow lists and threat detection help reduce attacks such as DDoS, injection and abuse. Detailed logs and analytics show how APIs are used and highlight unusual patterns. Together these strengthen your security, reduce operational risk and support compliance.
APIs often expose more data than the application needs, accept requests without checking who is asking for which record, or lack limits that stop automated abuse. The OWASP API Security Top 10 lists the most common problems, including broken object-level authorization and excessive data exposure. A gateway helps with many of them, but it does not fix weak logic in the API itself.
A gateway controls access and traffic to APIs. A WAF filters malicious requests, and dedicated API security tools discover unknown APIs and watch for abuse. Many organizations combine a gateway with a WAF. Testing with DAST shows what is still exposed.
List all your APIs, including old and undocumented ones, and who owns them. Put the most important ones behind the gateway first, set authentication and rate limits and turn on logging. Review the logs for odd patterns and retire APIs that nobody uses.
An API gateway is a control point in front of your APIs. It handles authentication, rate limits, routing and logging, so every call is checked before it reaches the application.
No. A gateway manages and controls access to APIs. A WAF inspects web traffic for attacks. They overlap, and many deployments use both.
Most gateways support API keys, OAuth 2.0, JSON Web Tokens and mutual TLS. Support varies by product, so we check what your applications and partners use.
No. It handles access, limits and basic checks, but flaws in the API's own logic, such as returning another customer's data, need to be fixed in the code and found through testing.
API discovery tools and traffic analysis can reveal undocumented or forgotten APIs. A regular inventory, together with the gateway logs, helps keep the list current.
Yes. We work from our base in Sharjah with businesses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE. Most of the work can be done remotely, and we arrange site visits where they are needed.
In many cases yes. Internal APIs are targeted by attackers who are already inside, and a gateway gives consistent authentication, limits and logging.
They cap how many requests a client can make in a set time, which slows scraping, password guessing and floods. Limits can be set per client, per key or per endpoint.
Who called which API, when, from where and with what result, without storing secrets or full personal data. These logs show abuse and support audits.
