API Gateway Hybrid Multi-Tenant Routing via APP Key

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current API gateway solutions face challenges in resource management and fault isolation, with physical multi-tenant solutions incurring high costs and maintenance while logical multi-tenant solutions suffer from poor fault isolation, necessitating a hybrid approach that efficiently routes API instances between physical and logical tenants.

Innovation Solution

The API hybrid multi-tenant routing method and system utilize an APP key to identify API callers, generate a multi-tenant routing policy table, and determine API running instance URLs based on load balancing policies, allowing for adaptive routing without requiring tenant information, thereby optimizing resource use and fault isolation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If physical multi-tenant solution is used with dedicated API running instances for each tenant, then fault isolation is improved, but resource occupation and maintenance costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefault isolationVSAvoidresource occupation
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments tenants into different types (physical tenants requiring isolation and logical tenants sharing resources) and applies different routing strategies to each segment. Physical tenants are routed to dedicated API running instances while logical tenants share instances, achieving both fault isolation and resource efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The routing policy is made dynamic and configurable, allowing the system to adaptively select between physical and logical multi-tenant modes based on tenant requirements. The routing policy can be adjusted without system restructuring, enabling flexible resource allocation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Quantity of substance

If logical multi-tenant solution is used with shared API running instances, then resource conservation is improved, but fault isolation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource occupationVSAvoidfault isolation
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments tenants into different types (physical tenants requiring isolation and logical tenants sharing resources) and applies different routing strategies to each segment. Physical tenants are routed to dedicated API running instances while logical tenants share instances, achieving both fault isolation and resource efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different quality levels of resource allocation are applied to different tenants based on their needs. Physical tenants receive dedicated instances with full isolation while logical tenants share instances, creating local quality variations that optimize both isolation and resource utilization

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Adaptability or versatility

If hybrid multi-tenant solution is implemented with both physical and logical tenants, then adaptability is improved, but routing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetenant type flexibilityVSAvoidrouting policy complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The API gateway acts as an intermediary that abstracts the complex routing logic from tenants. It automatically determines tenant types and selects appropriate routing policies based on pre-configured rules, shielding tenants from routing complexity while supporting hybrid multi-tenant scenarios

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses configurable routing policy parameters to control routing behavior. By adjusting parameters such as tenant type classification and routing mode selection, the system adapts to different hybrid multi-tenant scenarios without changing the underlying routing mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3678358B1API hybrid multi-tenant routing method, system, and API gateway
Publication Date: 2022.06.15 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3678358B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3678358B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3678358B1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

Embodiments of this application provide an API hybrid multi-tenant routing method and system, and an API gateway. The method includes: after receiving an API request message sent by an API caller, obtaining an APP key carried in the message; then obtaining, based on a multi-tenant routing policy table, an API running instance URL list corresponding to the APP key; and finally determining an API running instance URL in the API running instance URL list, and returning the API running instance URL to the API caller. The APP key is used to identify the API caller. The multi-tenant routing policy table stores a mapping relationship between the APP key and the API running instance URL list. According to the method, adaptive hybrid multi-tenant routing can be implemented, and the API caller can call a correct API running instance by sending only the API request message carrying the APP key without a need of obtaining tenant information.