AWS Shield vs Amazon API Gateway: What are the differences?

Introduction

AWS Shield and Amazon API Gateway are two different services provided by AWS that offer different functionalities and serve different purposes.

Key differences between AWS Shield and Amazon API Gateway

1. Protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks: AWS Shield is a managed Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection service offered by AWS, which helps to protect applications running on AWS against volumetric, state-exhaustion, and application layer attacks. It provides a combination of protection options, including AWS Shield Standard and AWS Shield Advanced, to mitigate DDoS attacks and ensure high availability of applications. On the other hand, Amazon API Gateway is a fully managed service that allows developers to create, deploy, and manage APIs for their applications. While API Gateway provides features to enhance API security, such as authentication and authorization, it does not specifically focus on protecting against DDoS attacks like AWS Shield does.

2. Scalability and availability: AWS Shield is designed to provide scalability and high availability for applications running on AWS by automatically detecting and mitigating DDoS attacks. It leverages the global infrastructure of AWS to distribute traffic and protect against attacks. On the other hand, Amazon API Gateway is also highly scalable and provides high availability for APIs by leveraging AWS infrastructure, but its primary focus is on managing APIs rather than protecting against DDoS attacks.

3. Monitoring and reporting: AWS Shield provides comprehensive monitoring and reporting capabilities for DDoS attacks, allowing users to gain insights into attack patterns, traffic trends, and mitigation effectiveness. It also provides real-time notifications and alerts for suspicious activities. In contrast, Amazon API Gateway provides monitoring and logging capabilities specific to API usage and performance, but it does not provide the same level of monitoring and reporting for DDoS attacks as AWS Shield.

4. Cost Structure: AWS Shield follows a subscription-based pricing model. AWS Shield Standard is available at no additional cost for AWS customers, while AWS Shield Advanced has a separate pricing structure. Amazon API Gateway, on the other hand, follows a pay-as-you-go pricing model based on the number of API calls and data transfer.

5. Integration with other AWS services: Both AWS Shield and Amazon API Gateway are tightly integrated with other AWS services. AWS Shield integrates with AWS CloudFront, AWS Elastic Load Balancing, and AWS Global Accelerator to provide comprehensive protection for applications. Amazon API Gateway integrates with various AWS services, such as AWS Lambda, Amazon DynamoDB, and Amazon S3, to enable serverless application development and API management.

6. Use cases: AWS Shield is generally recommended for applications that require additional protection against DDoS attacks. It is suitable for applications that are deployed on AWS and need to ensure high availability and resilience against attacks. Amazon API Gateway is more suited for applications that require API management capabilities, including API authentication, throttling, and monitoring. It is commonly used in serverless architectures and microservices-based applications.

In Summary, AWS Shield is a managed DDoS protection service that safeguards applications against attacks, providing scalability, monitoring, and reporting capabilities. Amazon API Gateway, on the other hand, is a fully managed service for creating, deploying, and managing APIs, focusing on API management features rather than DDoS protection.