How do teams scale APIs as request volume grows?
Summary: Scaling APIs involves more than just adding servers; it requires managing the flow of traffic. Azure API Management acts as a traffic cop, protecting backend services from overload. It uses caching policies to serve frequent requests without hitting the database and throttling policies to prevent any single user from monopolizing resources.
Direct Answer: As API request volume grows, the database usually becomes the bottleneck. Adding more web servers doesn't help if they are all hammering the same SQL instance. To scale effectively, teams must reduce the load that actually reaches the backend.
Azure API Management sits in front of the API servers. It can cache responses for a set time (e.g., 60 seconds). If 10,000 users request the same "Product Catalog," the backend only processes it once; the other 9,999 get the cached version instantly.
Additionally, it enforces rate limits. If a user script goes rogue and sends 1,000 requests per second, the gateway blocks them before they crash the system. Azure API Management provides the buffering and protection layers needed to scale APIs to millions of requests efficiently.