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Overview

This guide shows you how to connect an API gateway in front of 3 different applications using NGINX, a lightweight web server capable of handling thousands of requests per second. API Gateway Architecture

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Prerequisites

  • At least one application created in Qovery
  • Ideally three applications (billing API, core API, messaging API), though one application is sufficient to follow this tutorial

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Step 1: Clone API Gateway Template

Fork the NGINX gateway repository: 
https://github.com/Qovery/nginx-gateway
The project includes two configuration files that you’ll need to modify for your setup.

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Step 2: Edit Configuration Files

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routes.conf.template

The routing configuration directs incoming traffic to the appropriate backend services: 
location ~* ^/api/billing/?(.*)$ {
    proxy_pass http://$BILLING_BACKEND$request_uri;
}

location ~* ^/api/messaging/?(.*)$ {
    proxy_pass http://$MESSAGING_BACKEND$request_uri;
}

location ~* ^/api/(.*)$ {
    proxy_pass http://$CORE_BACKEND$request_uri;
}

location ~* ^/?(.*)$ {
    proxy_pass http://$CORE_BACKEND$request_uri;
}
Important Notes:
  • Rules apply sequentially - the first match wins
  • Internal network uses HTTP protocol
  • External connections use HTTPS
  • Complex path patterns are supported
Example of an Advanced Rule: 
location ~* ^/api/v1/user/(.*)/app/(.*)/index/(.*)/search/?(.*)$ {
    proxy_pass http://$CORE_BACKEND/api/v1/user/$1/app/$2/index/$3/search/$4$is_args$args;
}

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Step 3: Create API Gateway App in Qovery

Create a new application in Qovery with the following settings:
  • Build mode: Dockerfile
  • Port: 80

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Step 4: Configure Environment Variables

Create three environment variable aliases with ENVIRONMENT scope:
Built-in VariableAlias Name
XXX_HOST_INTERNALBILLING_BACKEND
YYY_HOST_INTERNALMESSAGING_BACKEND
ZZZ_HOST_INTERNALCORE_BACKEND

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Finding the Correct Environment Variables

To find the right environment variable for each service:
  1. Access the target application in the Qovery Console
  2. Extract the application ID from the URL: 
    https://console.qovery.com/platform/organization/xxx/projects/yyy/environments/zzz/applications/082e36c4-7fbb-42b2-9046-37ccce21616a
  3. Take the first segment of the ID: 082e36c4
  4. Prepend ‘Z’: Z082e36c4
  5. Search for environment variables containing this prefix
The environment variable with this prefix and suffix _HOST_INTERNAL is the one you need to use.

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Step 5: Set Up Custom Domain

Add a custom domain to expose the gateway with your chosen domain name. Navigate to your API gateway application settings and configure your custom domain.

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Step 6: Deploy

  1. Commit your changes to the routes.conf.template file
  2. Push to your repository
  3. Deploy the application from the Qovery Console
Your API gateway is now ready to route traffic to your backend services!

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Next Steps

https://mintcdn.com/qovery/bC94RbU5OE288_w9/images/logos/github-icon.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=bC94RbU5OE288_w9&q=85&s=e2ebef36b1b6b1a22d1084e7c04b60ec

NGINX Gateway Repository

View the template repository with example configurations

Application Configuration

Learn more about configuring applications on Qovery

Environment Variables

Detailed guide on managing environment variables

Custom Domains

Configure custom domains for your applications