Amazon API Gateway Interview Q/A

Let's Know about few Important Amazon API Gateway Interview Q/A

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8 min read

Amazon API Gateway Interview Q/A
  1. What is AWS API Gateway?
    AWS API Gateway is a fully managed service that facilitates the creation, publishing, maintenance, monitoring, and security of APIs at any scale. It enables developers to build and manage APIs, offering various features like customizable endpoints, request/response transformation, authentication, caching, traffic management, monitoring, and integration with other AWS services.

  2. How does API Gateway work?
    API Gateway acts as a front door for your APIs. It receives incoming requests, processes them, and forwards them to the appropriate backend service. It handles tasks such as request/response transformation, authentication, caching, rate limiting, and traffic control. API Gateway can be integrated with various AWS services to create powerful and flexible APIs.

  3. What are the processes involved in working with AWS Lambda and API Gateway?

    AWS Lambda and API Gateway can be integrated to execute custom logic in response to API requests. The key steps involve creating an API method in API Gateway, configuring it to invoke a specific Lambda function, defining the HTTP method and resource path, and letting API Gateway manage aspects like payload serialization, authentication, and error handling.

  4. What is the API Gateway Mapping Template?
    API Gateway Mapping Templates are used to transform request and response payloads in different formats and content types. They allow you to adapt to various client and backend service requirements by defining how data is transformed before it's sent to or received from the API.

  5. What is API Caching?
    API Caching is a feature in API Gateway that stores the results of frequently requested data in a cache. This helps improve the performance of your API by reducing the need to repeatedly fetch the same data from the backend service, especially for frequently accessed resources.

  6. What are the Features of API Gateway?
    API Gateway offers several features, including customizable API endpoints, payload transformation, automatic request and response serialization, authentication and authorization options, caching, traffic management, monitoring and logging capabilities, and integration with various AWS services.

  7. What API types are supported by Amazon API Gateway?
    Amazon API Gateway supports four types of APIs: REST APIs, HTTP APIs, WebSocket APIs, and Event-driven APIs. Each type is designed for specific use cases and comes with its own set of features and capabilities.

  8. What is an API Gateway Resource?
    In Amazon API Gateway, a resource is a logical entity that represents an HTTP request that can be made to an API. Resources are organized hierarchically and are used to build the URI path of the API. They define how requests to different paths are handled by the API.

  9. What is AWS API Gateway Function?
    AWS API Gateway Function Integration refers to the integration of API Gateway with AWS Lambda functions. In this integration, API Gateway invokes specific Lambda functions when requests are made to the API. It allows for the execution of custom logic in response to API calls.

  10. How to add CloudFront in front of API Gateway?
    To add Amazon CloudFront in front of an Amazon API Gateway, you can create a CloudFront distribution with the API Gateway API as the origin. This process involves setting up the distribution, specifying the API's endpoint, enabling HTTPS, configuring caching, and creating the distribution. CloudFront enhances the performance and availability of the API by leveraging its content delivery network and caching capabilities.

  11. How can we use API Gateway to create HTTP APIs?
    To create HTTP APIs using Amazon API Gateway, you can follow these steps: create an API in the API Gateway console, define resources and methods, set up integrations, and deploy the API to a stage. This enables you to create HTTP APIs for various use cases.

  12. How can we find the API endpoint of a Lambda function?
    To find the API endpoint of a Lambda function integrated with API Gateway, you can navigate to the API Gateway console, select the API, choose the stage you want to access, and locate the "Invoke URL" field. This URL represents the endpoint for that specific stage.

  13. How can we call an API Gateway API?
    To call an API Gateway API, you need to make an HTTP request to the API's endpoint, which includes the API's ID, region, stage, and resource path. You can use tools like cURL, Postman, web browsers, or AWS SDKs to send the appropriate HTTP request and access the API.

  14. What are the types of API?
    There are two types of APIs: RESTful APIs and WebSocket APIs. RESTful APIs are used for various HTTP backends and API management features, while WebSocket APIs are designed for real-time two-way communication applications like chat apps and streaming dashboards.

  15. How can we get the list of APIs and their IDs?
    You can get a list of APIs and their IDs in Amazon API Gateway using the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or the API Gateway REST API. In the console, navigate to the "APIs" tab to view the list of APIs, which displays their names and IDs.

  16. How can we find the ARN of an API Gateway stage?
    To find the ARN (Amazon Resource Name) of an API Gateway stage, you can use the AWS Management Console or the AWS CLI. In the console, select the stage, and you'll find the "Stage ARN" in the "Stage Details" section. Using the CLI, run a command to retrieve the stage's ARN.

  17. How can we integrate API Gateway with SQS?
    To integrate API Gateway with Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), you can create an API in API Gateway, define a resource and method for sending messages to an SQS queue, and configure the integration type as "SQS." You can select the region, queue, action, and HTTP status code to handle successful operations.

  18. How to debug AWS API Gateway & Lambda's AWS/ApiGateway 5XXError? Debugging AWS/ApiGateway 5XX errors involves checking logs in CloudWatch for error messages, enabling verbose logging, reviewing configuration settings for API Gateway and Lambda, and ensuring the payload and request parameters are valid. Testing the Lambda function independently can help isolate the issue.

  19. What are some common use cases for an API Gateway?
    Common use cases for an API Gateway include routing requests to backend services, authenticating requests, caching responses, rate-limiting requests, and transforming requests and responses to ensure compatibility with the API's contract. It acts as a central point for managing and securing API traffic.

  20. What is the difference between REST APIs and HTTP APIs in Amazon API Gateway?
    REST APIs and HTTP APIs are two API types supported by Amazon API Gateway. The main differences are that REST APIs are resource-based and offer a more extensive set of features, including request/response transformation, caching, and authorization. HTTP APIs are a simpler, lightweight version of REST APIs, optimized for low-latency, high-throughput use cases, but with fewer built-in features.

  21. What are the advantages of using WebSocket APIs in Amazon API Gateway? WebSocket APIs in Amazon API Gateway are designed for real-time, two-way communication applications. The advantages include maintaining persistent connections for bidirectional communication, making them suitable for chat apps, multiplayer games, and real-time data streaming applications. They offer low-latency communication over a single connection.

  22. What is the purpose of the "Use HTTP status code" field when integrating with AWS services in API Gateway?
    The "Use HTTP status code" field in API Gateway integration settings allows you to specify the HTTP status code that should be returned to the client when the integration action with the AWS service is successful. It helps in defining how API Gateway communicates the outcome of the integration back to the client application.

  23. How can you handle different stages of an API using Amazon API Gateway? Amazon API Gateway allows you to create and manage different stages for your API. Stages represent different deployment environments or versions of your API. You can deploy your API to different stages, such as "development," "testing," and "production." This allows you to control and test your API in various environments while maintaining a single API definition.

  24. What is the purpose of creating custom authorizers in Amazon API Gateway? Custom authorizers in Amazon API Gateway allow you to implement custom authentication and authorization logic for your API. They enable you to validate tokens, check user permissions, and make complex authorization decisions before allowing or denying access to specific resources or methods within your API.

  25. How does API Gateway support monitoring and logging?
    Amazon API Gateway provides extensive monitoring and logging capabilities. It offers metrics, alarms, and log analytics to help you track the performance and usage of your APIs. You can set up CloudWatch Alarms to get notified about issues, and you can access detailed logs in CloudWatch Logs to diagnose problems and monitor the health of your APIs.

  26. What is the purpose of API Gateway's traffic management features?
    API Gateway's traffic management features allow you to control the flow of traffic to your APIs. They include rate limiting, throttling, and caching. Rate limiting ensures that clients cannot make too many requests in a short time, throttling controls the number of requests a client can make, and caching stores responses reduces the load on your backend services, and improves response times.

  27. What is the role of API Gateway in building serverless applications?
    API Gateway is an integral part of building serverless applications on AWS. It serves as the entry point for invoking AWS Lambda functions and other serverless resources. API Gateway enables you to define and manage the APIs that trigger Lambda functions, handling request/response transformations and providing security features for serverless applications.

  28. What is the importance of the API Gateway's URL customization feature?
    API Gateway's URL customization feature allows you to create more descriptive and user-friendly URLs for your API endpoints. This makes it easier for clients to understand and access your API. Customized URLs can enhance the overall user experience and help make your API more user-friendly.

  29. How can you secure your APIs in Amazon API Gateway?
    You can secure your APIs in Amazon API Gateway by implementing various authentication and authorization mechanisms, including API keys, IAM roles, and custom authorizers. You can also use HTTPS for secure data transmission, and you can set up identity and access management policies to control who has access to your APIs and what they can do with them.

These answers provide explanations for each of the questions related to Amazon API Gateway, its features, and its integration with other AWS services. Understanding these concepts is essential for building and managing APIs effectively on the AWS platform.

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