Start AWS-first, but validate governance depth early
If your APIs are backed by AWS Lambda or AWS services and you want a managed gateway without infrastructure ownership, AWS API Gateway is the natural default. It scales automatically, integrates natively with IAM and Cognito for auth, and requires zero server management. The per-call pricing makes it cost-effective at low to moderate volume but expensive at high traffic — above a few billion calls per month, an ALB with a self-managed gateway typically costs less.
- Recommendation: AWS API Gateway, Apigee
Recommended starting points
Based on your constraints, these products typically fit best. Read each decision brief to confirm pricing behavior and limits match your reality.
AWS API Gateway
AWS-managed API gateway for AWS-first teams: fast to adopt, tightly integrated with IAM and AWS services, but can create lock-in and per-call cost cliffs at scale.
Apigee
Enterprise API management platform optimized for governance-heavy API programs: policies, security, analytics, and lifecycle controls at scale.
Why this recommendation
If your APIs are backed by AWS Lambda or AWS services and you want a managed gateway without infrastructure ownership, AWS API Gateway is the natural default. It scales automatically, integrates natively with IAM and Cognito for auth, and requires zero server management. The per-call pricing makes it cost-effective at low to moderate volume but expensive at high traffic — above a few billion calls per month, an ALB with a self-managed gateway typically costs less.