Basic Route Configuration Options

[0xBradock]

Hello,

We are new to ApiSix and evaluating how we can use it as an API Gateway for our system.
We want to manage different services, that will evolve independently with different versions.
We will also have new services being added to our system and others will be removed.
The management of those services will be performed independently by each team.

So, we wish to have a programmatic way of configuring those routes.
From what we understand it is possible to configure routing using API calls, dashboard and with the ./config/config.yaml.
We are going through the documentation and we found many examples of using API calls (like here, here and here).
We found the dashboard specific tab here.
But we are struggling with finding information on how to configure the router with code. The closes we got is with this doc.

The question are:

• Appart from the introductory examples, how to you suggest to configure apisix in production?
• Configuring apisix with yaml is a good practice? If yes, can you point me the documentation, please?
• We didn't got there yet, but is it possible and a good practice to configure the routes with the plugins?

We are deploying apisix using ECS/ECR.

Thanks

[dosubot[bot]]

Hey @0xBradock! I'm here to help you with any issues or questions you have regarding ApiSix. Let's dive into your questions and get everything sorted out.

For configuring Apache APISIX in a production environment, here are some best practices and guidance:

1. Production Configuration: It's recommended to use a combination of the Admin API and YAML configuration for flexibility and ease of management. Regular updates, enhanced security configurations, monitoring, and SSL/TLS encryption are crucial for a stable production environment ^[1][2].

2. YAML Configuration: Configuring APISIX using YAML files is indeed a good practice, especially for managing configurations in a version-controlled manner. You can configure your APISIX deployment by modifying the conf/config.yaml file. This approach allows for clear and structured configuration management. Detailed guidance on this can be found in the APISIX installation guide ^[3].

3. Using Plugins for Routes: It is a good practice to use plugins to configure routes in APISIX. This allows for the reuse of common plugin configurations across multiple routes, simplifying management and ensuring consistency. You can create a Plugin Config with specific settings and bind it to a route. This method is efficient and enhances maintainability ^[4][5].

These practices will help you manage your services effectively as they evolve independently and as new services are added or removed.

To continue talking to Dosu, mention @dosu.

[dosubot[bot]]

To configure a route using the config.yaml file in Apache APISIX, you should actually use the apisix.yaml file in standalone mode for route configurations. Here's a working example of how you can define a route in the apisix.yaml file:

routes:  
  - uri: /ip  
    upstream:  
      nodes:  
        "httpbin.org:80": 1  
      type: roundrobin
#END

This configuration sets up a route that matches the URI /ip and forwards requests to the upstream service httpbin.org using a round-robin load balancing strategy. Make sure your apisix.yaml file ends with #END to ensure APISIX loads the rules correctly.

In standalone mode, the apisix.yaml file is used to load configurations directly into memory, and it is checked for updates every second. Ensure that your deployment is set to standalone mode by configuring conf/config.yaml as follows:

deployment:  
  role: data_plane  
  role_data_plane:  
    config_provider: yaml  
#END

This setup allows APISIX to operate in standalone mode, loading configurations from the local YAML file without using etcd as the configuration center ^[1].

To continue talking to Dosu, mention @dosu.

[0xBradock]

And how can I create a route with the configuration file when using the Traditional deployment mode instead of the standalone mode?

[dosubot[bot]]

In Traditional deployment mode, Apache APISIX uses etcd as the configuration center, and routes are typically configured using the Admin API rather than directly through a configuration file like in standalone mode. Here's how you can create a route using the Admin API in Traditional deployment mode:

1. Create a Route: Use the Admin API to define a route. Here's an example command:

   curl "http://127.0.0.1:9180/apisix/admin/routes/1" -H "X-API-KEY: your-api-key" -X PUT -d '  
   {  
     "methods": ["GET"],  
     "host": "example.com",  
     "uri": "/anything/*",  
     "upstream": {  
       "type": "roundrobin",  
       "nodes": {  
         "httpbin.org:80": 1  
       }  
     }  
   }'

   This command creates a route that forwards requests to httpbin.org:80 if they match the specified criteria: the HTTP method is GET, the host is example.com, and the URI matches /anything/* ^[1].

2. Access the Route: Test the route by sending a request:

   curl -i -X GET "http://127.0.0.1:9080/anything/foo?arg=10" -H "Host: example.com"

   This request will be forwarded to the upstream service as configured.

In Traditional deployment mode, configurations are managed dynamically through etcd and the Admin API, rather than static files.

To continue talking to Dosu, mention @dosu.

[0xBradock]

Ok, so there is no way to use a configuration file to configure the routes if I am using a traditional deployment mode?

[dosubot[bot]]

In traditional deployment mode, Apache APISIX primarily uses etcd as the configuration center, and routes are typically configured using the Admin API rather than directly through a configuration file. While the core configuration of APISIX itself can be managed using YAML files, route configurations in traditional mode are generally handled dynamically via the Admin API to interact with etcd. This approach allows for more flexible and dynamic management of routes compared to static file configurations.

To continue talking to Dosu, mention @dosu.