Federated API
A federated API presents one unified endpoint while independent teams own subgraphs or micro-APIs behind a router. In GraphQL federation, each service contributes types and resolvers; the gateway plans queries across them. REST federations use aggregation gateways with similar goals.
Technical Architecture & Deep-Dive
Federation scales ownership: payments, catalog, and profile teams deploy independently, yet mobile clients call one graph or BFF URL. Routers must handle partial failures, auth propagation, and performance hotspots when queries fan out.
Edge proxies can sit in front of the federation router to add caching on safe fields, collapse subgraph credentials, and apply global rate limits without rewriting each subgraph.
Key Architectural Benefits
Implement Federated API at the Edge
Deploy lightweight API aggregation, edge caching, and secret injection in minutes without Docker containers or complex servers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q:Is federated API the same as GraphQL federation?
GraphQL federation is the best-known form. REST or gRPC gateways can federate too by aggregating multiple upstream OpenAPI services.
Related Architecture Concepts
GraphQL federation is an architecture where multiple independent GraphQL services, called subgraphs, are composed into a single unified schema called a supergraph. A router receives client queries and plans execution across the subgraphs that own each field.
GraphQL is a query language and runtime for APIs in which clients send a query describing exactly the fields they need, and the server returns JSON matching that shape. A strongly typed schema defines available data, and a single endpoint replaces many REST routes.
API composition is a pattern where a composer layer calls multiple upstream services, then combines and transforms their results into a single response. It lets clients retrieve data owned by different systems, such as a CRM and a billing provider, through one request.
An API Gateway is a single entry point that sits between client applications and backend services. It routes requests, enforces authentication and rate limits, transforms payloads, and aggregates responses so clients talk to one stable endpoint instead of many internal APIs.
Ready-to-Use Edge Recipes
To combine linear with github project board api, use one RealComposer pipeline with parallel steps. Upgraded multi-step Linear GraphQL plus GitHub repos (replaces single-step batch1). Your Frontend / Web app makes one request instead of several sequential upstream calls.
To cache linear api graphql queries at edge, put a TTL cache on your RealComposer pipeline. Cache issue list queries with stale-while-revalidate pattern. Shared edge cache absorbs repeat traffic before it reaches Linear.
You do not need to spin up an Express, FastAPI, or Docker microservice just to stitch REST APIs together. RealComposer fetches multiple upstream endpoints concurrently at the edge, injects private credentials, and combines the responses into a single JSON schema with sub-10ms response times.