# API Gateways

API Gateways act as the main point of entry in a microservices architecture, often responsible for request routing, composition, and protocol translation. They play a significant role in API design by providing a shared layer to handle non-business tasks. This not only simplifies how consumers interact with the backend services but also helps in maintaining the security, enforcing policies, and providing analytics over the API usage. When designing APIs, understanding and implementing efficient API Gateways is an invaluable skill, as these gateways form a crucial component of any well-structured, scalable API architecture.