Today I learned that an API gateway can be more than just a reverse proxy. It can also be used as a facade: it hides the numerous requests required to build a screen, whether those endpoints are all part of one monolithic REST API, or are from multiple microservices.

The gateway might become a single point of failure, but it also hides internal failures by providing cached or alternative data. Sure, it's another application to develop, but it makes the clients easier to develop and sometimes more responsive.

Very cool to see that some OO design patterns scale so well.