Proxy
What is the difference between proxy (forward proxy) and reverse proxy?
Load Balancing vs Reverse Proxy
Reverse Proxy can perform multiple roles including Load Balancing. E.g.
a) SSL Termination
b) Caching
c) Security
API Gateway
It is an abstraction layer or facade over the services. Can handle composition as well.
best practice - Design API contract firm
e.g Zuul by Netflix
Disadvantage
1. Slow
2. Single point of failure (solution is load balance -> API gateway)
3. May need to create multiple gateways (e.g. Web API gateway, Mobile API gateway)