Tutorial
Control access into the service mesh with Consul API Gateway
In this tutorial, you will go through the steps to install Consul, the Consul API Gateway, and an example application.
Use case
The API gateway enables external network clients to access applications and services running in a Consul service mesh.
Challenge
As use of Consul's service mesh continues to grow, customers are looking for a single control plane to manage both service-to-service traffic (east/west) and inbound requests from external clients (north/south). Consul does offer integrations with many third-party API gateway products, but some customers may prefer a single solution that is directly integrated into their service mesh.
Solution
The Consul API Gateway detects inbound requests to mesh-based applications, presents those clients with a verifiable certificate from a trusted authority, and facilitates the necessary secure connections to fulfill the requests. By combining the Consul API Gateway with Consul's service mesh, users gain a single control plane that makes it easier to consistently manage both east-west and north-south traffic.
HashiCorp Co-Founder and CTO Armon Dadgar gives a whiteboard overview of HashiCorp Consul, a service networking solution to connect, configure, and secure services in dynamic infrastructure.