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API Gateway Authentication

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Summary

This article discusses API gateway authentication, which is an important way to control the data that is allowed to be transmitted using APIs. It explains why API gateway authentication is important and looks in detail at the main methods of API gateway authentication. It then explains how an API gateway enables authentication and looks at the most common methods, including basic authentication, key authentication, OAuth 2.0 authentication, and LDAP authentication. It also explains microservice authentication with API gateway, different levels of authentication, and authenticating an API gateway call to another API gateway.

Q&As

What is an API Gateway?
An API Gateway is a service that acts as an intermediary between an API consumer and an API provider.

Why is API gateway authentication important?
API gateway authentication is important to control the data that is allowed to be transmitted using APIs, protect against mistaken and malicious submissions of data, manage the total amount of data transmitted, and provide a necessary layer of security to implement access control.

How does an API gateway enable authentication?
An API gateway enables authentication by using plugins to control traffic to upstream services, including both APIs and microservices. Authentication plugins can be configured to apply to service entities within the an API gateway.

What are the most common methods of API gateway authentication?
The most common methods of API gateway authentication include Basic Authentication, Key Authentication, OAuth 2.0 Authentication, LDAP Authentication Advanced, OpenID Connect, HMAC Authentication, JWT Plugin for Kong Gateway, LDAP Authentication, Okta, PASETO (Platform Agnostic Security Tokens) Session, Upstream HTTP Basic Authentication, Kong JWT Signer, Mutual TLS Authentication, OAuth 2.0 Introspection, Upstream TLS, and Vault Authentication.

What are the different levels of authentication?
The different levels of authentication include Generic Authentication, Anonymous Authentication, and Multiple Authentication.

AI Comments

👍 This article provides a comprehensive overview of API Gateway Authentication and the different plugins available to ensure secure access to upstream services.

👎 The article is very long and technical, making it difficult for readers without advanced technical knowledge to understand the material.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about API Gateway Authentication. It looks at how API authentication works, why it's important, and the main methods commonly used in an API gateway to authenticate access requests. It also talks about the implications of implementing different levels of authentication, and how to authenticate an API gateway call to another API gateway.

Friend: That sounds pretty complicated. What are the implications of this article?

Me: Well, it's important to understand the implications of API gateway authentication because it helps protect against malicious or mistaken data submissions, and it also allows you to manage the total amount of data transmitted. By using plugins and configuring the authentication process, you can also set up sophisticated permission levels that are tailored to specific user groups. It's also important to understand the implications of different levels of authentication, such as generic authentication, anonymous authentication, and multiple authentication, and how they can be combined to create a complex authentication process. Additionally, understanding how to authenticate an API gateway call to another API gateway is important for maximum security.

Action items

Research the different authentication plugins available for API gateway authentication.
Set up a service entity and route to authenticate access to an upstream microservice.
Familiarize yourself with the documentation for each of the authentication plugins you use to understand the credentials required for successful authentication.

Technical terms

API Gateway: A type of software that acts as a bridge between an application and the backend services it uses. It is responsible for managing and routing requests to the appropriate services, as well as providing authentication and authorization for those requests.
Authentication: The process of verifying the identity of a user or device before allowing access to a system or service.
Plugins: A type of software that adds additional functionality to an existing application.
Service Entities: A type of software that represents an upstream service or API.
Routes: A type of software that defines how data is transmitted between two points.
API Key Authentication: A type of authentication that requires an authorized API key to be provided in order to access a service or route.
Basic Authentication: A type of authentication that requires a username and password combination to be provided in order to access a service or route.
OAuth 2.0 Authentication: A type of authentication that uses the industry-standard OAuth 2.0 protocol to authorize access.
LDAP Authentication Advanced: A type of authentication that uses LDAP Bind Authentication with protection via a username and password combination.
OpenID Connect: A type of authentication that supports a variety of credentials, including signed JWT access tokens, opaque access tokens, session cookie credentials, authorization code, client ID and secret, and username and password.
HMAC Authentication: A type of authentication that uses a cryptographic hash function to verify the integrity of a message.
JWT Plugin: A type of plugin that enables authentication using JSON Web Tokens.
Mutual TLS Authentication: A type of authentication that uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) to authenticate both the client and the server.
OAuth 2.0 Introspection: A type of authentication that uses the OAuth 2.0 protocol to authenticate requests.
Upstream TLS: A type of authentication that uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) to authenticate requests.
Vault Authentication: A type of authentication that uses a secure vault to store credentials and other sensitive information.