# Apache APISIX

> Apache APISIX is a dynamic, real-time, high-performance open-source API gateway and AI gateway that provides load balancing, authentication, rate limiting, observability, and 100+ plugins for managing API traffic at scale.

## Core Documentation

- [Getting Started](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/getting-started/): Install and configure Apache APISIX
- [Architecture](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/architecture-design/apisix/): How APISIX works internally
- [Routes](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/terminology/route/): Define routing rules for API traffic
- [Upstreams](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/terminology/upstream/): Configure backend service targets
- [Plugins](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/terminology/plugin/): Extend APISIX with built-in and custom plugins
- [Plugin Hub](https://apisix.apache.org/plugins/): Browse all 100+ available plugins
- [Admin API](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/admin-api/): Manage APISIX configuration via REST API

## Authentication & Security

- [Key Authentication](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/key-auth/): Simple API key-based authentication
- [JWT Authentication](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/jwt-auth/): JSON Web Token validation
- [OpenID Connect](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/openid-connect/): SSO with OIDC providers
- [mTLS](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/mtls/): Mutual TLS for zero-trust security
- [CORS](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/cors/): Cross-origin resource sharing

## Traffic Control

- [Rate Limiting (limit-req)](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/limit-req/): Request rate limiting with leaky bucket
- [Rate Limiting (limit-count)](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/limit-count/): Fixed window counter-based rate limiting
- [Concurrency Limiting](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/limit-conn/): Connection concurrency control
- [Traffic Split](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/traffic-split/): Canary releases and A/B testing
- [Proxy Cache](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/proxy-cache/): Response caching

## AI Gateway

- [AI Gateway Overview](https://apisix.apache.org/ai-gateway/): LLM proxy for AI workloads
- [AI Proxy Plugin](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/ai-proxy/): Route requests to 20+ LLM providers
- [AI RAG Plugin](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/ai-rag/): Retrieval-augmented generation support

## Observability

- [Prometheus](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/prometheus/): Metrics export for monitoring
- [Datadog](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/datadog/): Integration with Datadog
- [Zipkin](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/apisix/plugins/zipkin/): Distributed tracing

## Kubernetes

- [APISIX Ingress Controller](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/ingress-controller/overview/): Kubernetes-native API gateway
- [Gateway API](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/ingress-controller/concepts/gateway-api/): Kubernetes Gateway API support

## Learning Center

- [What is an API Gateway?](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/what-is-an-api-gateway/): Definition, benefits, and use cases
- [API Gateway Authentication: Methods, Best Practices & Implementation](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/api-gateway-authentication): Auth at gateway layer (JWT, OAuth2, mTLS, HMAC)
- [API Gateway for Microservices: Architecture, Patterns & Best Practices](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/api-gateway-for-microservices): Microservices architecture with API gateway
- [API Gateway Rate Limiting: Algorithms, Strategies & Configuration](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/api-gateway-rate-limiting): Token bucket, sliding window, leaky bucket
- [API Gateway vs Load Balancer: Key Differences Explained](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/api-gateway-vs-load-balancer): Gateway vs load balancer comparison
- [Kubernetes API Gateway: Gateway API, Ingress Controllers & Best Practices](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/kubernetes-api-gateway): Kubernetes Gateway API and Ingress
- [API Monetization: Models, Strategies & Implementation Guide](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/api-monetization-guide): API pricing and monetization models
- [Open Source API Gateway Comparison: APISIX vs Kong vs Envoy vs Traefik](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/open-source-api-gateway-comparison): API gateway comparison
- [What is gRPC? Protocol Buffers, Performance & API Gateway Integration](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/what-is-grpc): gRPC basics and gateway integration
- [What is Mutual TLS (mTLS)? How Two-Way Authentication Works](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/what-is-mutual-tls): mTLS and zero-trust security
- [API Gateway Security: Threats, Best Practices & Implementation](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/api-gateway-security): API security, WAF, rate limiting, zero trust
- [Apache APISIX vs Kong: Feature Comparison & Performance Benchmarks](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/apisix-vs-kong): APISIX vs Kong comparison
- [MCP Protocol & AI Gateways: Managing AI Agent Traffic at Scale](https://apisix.apache.org/learning-center/mcp-protocol-ai-gateway): MCP and AI gateway architecture