AWS API Gateway
by Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Fully managed gateway for REST, HTTP, and WebSocket APIs.
Score
Score
Our verdict
AWS API Gateway remains the default front door for serverless and cloud‑native APIs on AWS in 2026. Its split between HTTP APIs (cheaper, lower latency) and REST APIs (full API management) is clear, and WebSocket APIs cover real‑time use cases. Notable strengths include Private REST endpoints via PrivateLink, IAM/Cognito/Lambda authorizers, CloudWatch observability, and new support for response streaming on REST. The managed API Gateway Portals close a long‑standing gap around developer portals without self‑hosting. Pricing is fair and transparent but entirely usage‑based, so per‑million‑request math and CloudWatch/PrivateLink add‑ons matter; REST remains materially pricier than HTTP. Weaknesses: no native gRPC gateway, HTTP APIs lack some REST‑only features (WAF, usage plans), and multi‑cloud governance isn’t the target. For teams already on AWS, it’s a powerful and reliable choice with strong security and compliance coverage.
Overview
Score breakdown
Overall score
Scores are editorial assessments by the Compare Best AI team on a 0–10 scale.
Expert review
CBAI Editorial Team
Compare Best AI · Editorial Team
## Overview
How we tested
Days tested
7 days
Tasks evaluated
- ·Deploy HTTP API with Lambda proxy and measure per‑million costs
- ·Configure REST API usage plans, API keys, and throttling
- ·Stand up a Private REST API with VPC endpoint and validate access
- ·Enable REST response streaming and validate chunked delivery
Method
Compared against Azure API Management and Google Cloud API Gateway using identical inputs
Reviewer
CBAI Editorial Team
Plans & pricing
Free Tier (12 months)
New AWS accounts testing low traffic APIs
- 1M REST API calls/month for up to 12 months
- 1M HTTP API calls/month for up to 12 months
- 1M WebSocket messages + 750k connection minutes/month for up to 12 months
- New-customer credits up to $200 may apply (program-wide)
On-Demand (Usage-based)
Production APIs that scale with demand
- HTTP APIs: $1.00/million requests (first 300M), then $0.90/million
- REST APIs: $3.50/million (first 333M), $2.80/million (next 667M), $2.38/million (over 1B)
- WebSocket: $1.00/million messages; $0.25/million connection minutes
- Private REST APIs: no data transfer out charges (PrivateLink/VPC endpoint fees apply)
- Optional REST caching (e.g., 1.6 GB at ~$0.038/hr shown on pricing page)
- Data transfer out billed at EC2 data transfer rates
API Gateway Portals
Teams needing a managed developer portal
- Includes 10 PortalProducts with up to 40 ProductRestEndpoints each
- Each additional PortalProduct $12.50/month
- Prorated monthly billing
Pricing may vary by region. Always verify on the vendor's website.
Feature comparison
| Feature | AWS API Gateway | Azure API Management | Google Cloud API Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protocols | |||
| Native WebSocket APIs | |||
| Networking | |||
| Private gateway endpoints (VPC-only) | |||
| Management | |||
| Usage plans and API keys per consumer | |||
| Developer Experience | |||
| Built-in developer portal | |||
| Security | |||
| WAF integration | |||
| Standards | |||
| OpenAPI import | |||
Is it right for you?
Good fit for
Serverless product teams
Cuts undifferentiated ops for HTTP/REST backends with pay-per-request pricing and simple integrations to Lambda and CloudWatch.
Real-time apps
WebSocket APIs provide two-way communication for chat, dashboards, and live collaboration without managing WebSocket servers.
Enterprise IT
Private REST endpoints accessible only via VPC endpoints help meet stricter network isolation and compliance needs.
Partner/API programs
REST usage plans and API keys enable per-consumer throttles and quotas to meter and protect partner access.
Less suited for
Multi-cloud, vendor-neutral API gateways
Tightly integrated with AWS; cross-cloud API mediation or centralized governance across platforms is limited.
gRPC-first services
No native gRPC gateway; consider other gateways or layer ALB/NLB in front of gRPC backends.
Advanced API monetization
No turnkey monetization workflows; requires custom build or third-party tooling.
User reviews
Editorial score
Distribution is estimated from our editorial score. Verified user reviews coming soon.
Use cases
Typical ways teams rely on this tool — from everyday tasks to specialized workflows.
- Serverless REST APIs
- Real-time messaging via WebSocket
- Partner API rate-limiting and keys
- Private VPC-only APIs
Integrations
Reported connectors
Apps and services commonly connected out of the box or via official connectors.
- AWS Lambda
- AWS PrivateLink (VPC endpoint)
- Amazon CloudWatch
- Amazon Cognito
- AWS WAF
Privacy & compliance
Security & data practices
Highlights we track from the vendor's documentation. Always confirm current terms, subprocessors, and regional policies on their official site.
- SOC 1
- SOC 2
- SOC 3
- ISO 27001
- HIPAA eligible
Details
Category
Price
- Pay-as-you-go
- API Gateway Portals $125/mo
- Free Tier (12 months)
Free version
Best for
- Serverless microservices with AWS Lambda
- Real-time apps using WebSocket APIs
- Private VPC-only REST APIs via PrivateLink
- External partner APIs with API keys and usage plans.
Frequently asked questions
AWS API Gateway
Developer
Ready to get started?
Visit the AWS API Gateway website to explore plans and pricing.
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