What is the main function of the Alibaba Cloud API Gateway?

The primary function of the Alibaba Cloud API Gateway is to manage and route requests to different backend services. This service acts as an intermediary between clients and your application backend. It is responsible for receiving API requests, handling them, and then forwarding these requests to the appropriate microservices or backend systems. This routing functionality allows developers to create a unified entry point for accessing various services, which simplifies management and enhances the overall security and performance of APIs.

The API Gateway also enables features such as authentication, rate limiting, request transformation, and logging, thereby providing comprehensive control over how APIs are accessed and consumed. This makes it easier for organizations to manage their API ecosystem effectively and ensure that services are accessible in a controlled and secure manner.

In contrast, other options pertain to different functionalities that are not the primary role of the API Gateway. For instance, providing cloud storage services and facilitating database connections are more closely aligned with other Alibaba Cloud services such as OSS (Object Storage Service) and database products respectively. Monitoring network traffic pertains to network management services and does not specifically describe the routing functionality of an API Gateway.