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API Gateway:Release notes

Last Updated:Mar 20, 2024

This topic describes the release notes for API Gateway and provides links to the relevant references.

For the latest updates on Alibaba Cloud services, visit the Product Updates page.

2024-01

Feature

Description

Region

References

Hashing algorithm for backend routing plug-ins

Backend routing plug-ins support hashing-based distribution policies.

All

Backend routing plug-in

Logging

A field is added to logs to record the occurrence points of time of all input/output (I/O) operations.

All

API call logs

Throttling plug-ins

The retry-after header is supported for all levels of throttling in throttling plug-ins.

All

Throttling plug-in

2023-12

Feature

Description

Region

References

A size limit of 50 KB for a mocked response

The size of a mocked response cannot exceed 50 KB.

All

Mock

BasePath of an API group

The length of the BasePath of an API group cannot exceed 300 bytes.

All

The XFF header for plug-ins

The XFF header is supported by all plug-ins. A plug-in reads a specific IP address from the XFF header for logical judgment.

All

Use parameters and conditional expressions

API debug

  • The API debug feature supports basic authentication plug-in (BasicAuth plug-in) authentication.

  • The API debug feature supports multipart and form-data. You can upload files on the debugging page.

  • You can configure whether to allow tokens that are used to obtain trace data on the debugging page.

All

Troubleshoot issues that occur during API debugging

2023-11

Feature

Description

Region

References

API operation history

Plug-in-related operation records are added to API operation history.

All

View the operation history of an API

Datasets for basic authentication plug-ins

Datasets of basic authentication plug-ins support special characters.

All

Basic authentication plug-ins

2023-10

Feature

Description

Region

References

OAS 3.0

You can export and import OpenAPI Specification (OAS) 3.0-compliant data in the API Gateway console.

All

Import and Export API Definitions

ZooKeeper

ZooKeeper-registered microservices applications are supported as the backend services of APIs on a virtual private cloud (VPC) integration instance.

All

Zookeeper

Multiple key pairs for an application

You can configure multiple key pairs for an application.

All

API authorization

2023-09

Feature

Description

Region

References

Extended fields of applications

You can configure an extended field for an application. This field is passed as a system parameter to the backend service in an API call.

All

API authorization

Timeout configuration for a backend service

You can configure a timeout period in a backend service and use the timeout period as the default timeout period for all APIs. You can also separately configure a timeout period for the backend service for each API.

All

Use a backend service to create and manage APIs

2023-08

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for datasets by basic authentication plug-ins

You can use the plug-in dataset feature in a basic authentication plug-in. This allows you to maintain a custom authentication system in API Gateway. You can add, modify, or delete entries in a dataset to manage the credentials of API callers.

All

Basic authentication plug-ins

Support for datasets by throttling plug-ins

You can dynamically adjust throttling rules in API sales scenarios where applications are dynamically authorized based on corresponding throttling policies.

All

Throttling plug-in

2023-07

Feature

Description

Region

References

Specification upgrade and downgrade of VPC integration instances

You can upgrade or downgrade a virtual private cloud (VPC) integration instance to meet your scaling requirements in real time.

All

API export

You can export the metadata of APIs in an API group to your local device. This feature is suitable for the following scenarios:

  • Cross-account API migration

  • Cross-region API migration

  • Local backup and restoration of API metadata

All

Export APIs based on OAS

2023-06

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for the characters of multiple languages and for common symbols in the Path parameter

You can use the characters of multiple languages and common symbols in the Path parameter of an API request.

All

CIDR blocks of VPC integration instances

You can add CIDR blocks that are allowed to access your virtual private cloud (VPC) to a VPC integration instance.

All

2023-05

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for percentages as conditions for circuit breaker plug-ins to trip

You can configure an occurrence percentage of a specific error or timeout in a time window as a condition for a circuit breaker plug-in to trip.

All

Circuit breaker plug-ins

Support for custom maintenance windows for dedicated instances

You can specify a custom time window for API Gateway to upgrade your dedicated instance in the background. API Gateway upgrades instances when new features are added or when major bugs are detected.

All

Change of the billing method for a dedicated instance

You can change the billing method of a dedicated instance from subscription to pay-as-you-go and vice versa.

All

Support for APIs whose backend service type is Service discovery

You can create an API whose backend service type is Service discovery in a VPC integration instance. Currently, only Nacos can be configured to discover backend services.

All

Nacos

2023-04

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for plug-in datasets by IP address-based access control plug-ins

You can configure blacklist or whitelist data entries in a plug-in dataset and reference the dataset in your IP address-based access control plug-in to control access. Modifications to the data entries take effect immediately.

All

IP address-based access control plug-in

Support for plug-in datasets by parameter-based access control plug-ins

You can configure parameter value data entries in a plug-in dataset and reference the dataset in your parameter-based access control plug-in to control access. Modifications to the data entries take effect immediately.

All

Parameter-based access control

Optimized alerts upon DDoS attacks

Alerts with optimized messages are synchronized to users when distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are detected.

All

Temporary throttling configuration upon the tripping of a circuit breaker plug-in

Once a circuit breaker trips, a temporary throttling configuration is added to the API, and all traffic is throttled based on this configuration when the circuit breaker is open or half open.

All

Circuit breaker plug-ins

New region

API Gateway is available in the China (Ulanqab) region.

2023-03

Feature

Description

Region

References

Network connectivity test of a VPC access authorization

The API Gateway console provides a feature for you to test the network connectivity of your VPC access authorization.

All

Test the network connectivity of a VPC access authorization

Addition of information that can be used for troubleshooting on the API debugging page

API Gateway allows you to debug published APIs online. In addition, the console provides a tab that provides information to help you troubleshoot issues discovered during the debugging.

All

Troubleshoot issues that occur during API debugging

Passing of authentication results to the backend service by the third-party authentication plug-in

Specific fields can be extracted from the response returned by the authentication service and then sent to the backend service. The authResultPassThrough section can be used to map the parameters that you want to pass to the backend service.

All

Third-party authentication

Support for the fixed time window algorithm by the throttling plug-in

By default, a throttling plug-in throttles requests by using the token bucket algorithm when the time unit used for throttling is second. You can configure the plug-in to make it use the fixed time window algorithm.

All

Throttling plug-ins

2023-02

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for VPC integration instances

API Gateway provides VPC integration instances to allow direct communication between API Gateway and your VPC. Before this instance type is provided, communication between API Gateway and a user's VPC is implemented based on a VPC access authorization. VPC integration instances can directly communicate with services in your VPC.

All

Ignorance of empty values of the parameters that are used for parameter-based throttling by throttling plug-ins

In parameter-based throttling, the throttling plug-in uses the default throttling mode when parameters that are used for throttling are left empty. The plug-in does not throttle based on a value of null or another similar value of the parameters.

All

Throttling plug-ins

Support for the direct returning of the 429 code and for making requests wait in a queue by throttling plug-ins

By default, a throttling plug-in throttles requests by using the token bucket algorithm when the time unit used for throttling is second. In this case, requests that fail to obtain a token wait in a queue for tokens. You can configure the plug-in to directly return the 429 code to requests that fail to obtain a token.

All

Throttling plug-ins

2023-01

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for accurate status control by circuit breaker plug-ins

The API Gateway service is deployed on distributed nodes in a cluster to ensure performance. Different service nodes independently calculate and save the circuit breaker status. As a consequence, the circuit breaker may have status inaccuracy. If you require accurate circuit breaker status, you can configure the plug-in for the global circuit breaker status to be obtained for every request. This causes performance loss.

All

Circuit breaker plug-ins

Batch modification of basic configurations of multiple APIs

You can modify the basic configurations, such as the API request protocol and security authentication type, for multiple APIs at a time in the console.

All

Notification before the certificate associated with the domain name bound to an API group expires

Notification can be sent by email, internal letter, or SMS message to remind the user of replacing the certificate before the certificate that is associated with the domain name bound to an API group expires.

All

Resetting of the AppKey and AppSecret of an application

You can reset the AppKey and AppSecret of an application.

All

2022-12

Feature

Description

Region

References

Implementation of the dynamic whitelist mechanism based on plug-in datasets that are used by third-party authentication plug-ins

Plug-in datasets can be used to create user ID whitelists. This allows API Gateway to check whether user IDs are included in the user ID whitelists after API Gateway obtains the user IDs from third-party authentication results. Only users whose IDS are included in the user ID whitelists can pass the authentication.

All

Third-party authentication plug-ins

Support for Host parameters by routing plug-ins

The values of Host parameters of wildcard domains can be passed into routing expressions.

All

Backend routing plug-in

Support for IPv6 addresses in instance-level access control

IPv6 addresses are supported in instance-level access control.

All

Configure instance-level access control

Support for the Thailand (Bangkok) region

API Gateway is available in the Thailand (Bangkok) region.

2022-11

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for authentication response bodies by third-party authentication plug-ins

The JSON strings that are extracted from the authentication response bodies can be used as authentication results.

All

Third-party authentication plug-ins

Combination of application-based authentication with third-party authentication

Authentication is considered successful if one of the application-based authentication and third-party authentication is successful.

All

Third-party authentication plug-ins

Automatic removal of the A header prefix when third-party authentication plug-ins verify tokens

If authentication parameters are included in the Authorization headers, header prefixes are intelligently skipped by third-party authentication plug-ins. Only the parameter content is extracted by the plug-ins.

All

Third-party authentication plug-ins

2022-10

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for the standard OAS

APIs that are defined by using the standard OpenAPI specification (OAS) 2.0 can be imported. This allows you to easily connect your business to API Gateway or migrate your APIs to API Gateway. Up to 100 APIs can be imported by using the standard OAS at a time.

All

Import OAS-compliant APIs

Support for obtaining the Path information of requests by third-party authentication plug-ins

Third-party authentication plug-ins allow you to pass the Path parameter in a request to the authentication service.

All

Third-party authentication plug-ins

Historical operation logs of APIs

Operations such as creating, modifying, publishing, or unpublishing APIs are logged by API Gateway.

All

Unified Arms TraceId and API Gateway TraceId

When you request event tracking data from Application Real-Time Monitoring Service (ARMS), the default value of the TraceId parameter that conforms to the protocol is added and returned.

All

2022-09

Feature

Description

Region

References

Plug-in datasets

Configuration data of plug-ins can be extracted and separately managed as dataset objects. This greatly improves user experience and plug-in scalability. After configuration data of plug-ins is extracted as individual dataset objects, plug-ins allow you to reference the datasets. Changes in a dataset object immediately take effect for all plug-ins that reference the dataset object.

All

Plug-in dataset

Implementation of the dynamic blacklist mechanism based on plug-in datasets that are used by JWT authentication plug-ins

JWT authentication plug-ins are used to block requests that are sent from users who obtained an official token. The value of the claim parameter that is decrypted from the token is used by API Gateway to determine whether the user who sends the request is included in the blacklist. Custom responses to rejected objects can be configured.

All

JWT authentication

Support for the China (Guangzhou) region

API Gateway is available in the China (Guangzhou) region.

2022-08

Feature

Description

Region

References

Third-party authentication plug-ins

Third-party authentication plug-ins are supported. API Gateway calls the authentication service of the user before calling the backend service. After API Gateway receives a success response from the authentication service, API Gateway calls the backend service. Authentication results can be cached, authentication request parameters can be mapped, and custom authentication responses can be configured in third-party authentication plug-ins.

All

Third-party authentication plug-ins

Mixed HTTP/HTTP-VPC backends

Custom mixed HTTP/HTTP-VPC backends are supported. Different backend types can be configured for different environments.

All

Custom domain names in VPC authorizations

Custom values of the Host parameter are supported for VPC backend services that are used in different environments. Custom values of the Host parameter are also supported in VPC authorizations.

All

Create an API operation with a resource in a VPC as the backend service

2022-07

Feature

Description

Region

References

Automatic HTTP-to-HTTPS redirection

Automatic redirection of HTTP requests to HTTPS requests is supported. You can configure this feature in your domain name configurations.

All

Configure automatic jump from HTTP to HTTPS

Access from domain names of Application Load Balancer (ALB) in VPC authorizations

Auto-scaling domain names of ALB can be configured as URLs of backend services in the configurations of VPC authorizations. API Gateway automatically adapts when an ALB instance is scaled.

All

Create an API with a resource in a VPC as the backend service

Optimized naming rules for API groups and APIs

Underscores (_), hyphen (-), spaces, and periods (.) can be used in the names of API groups and APIs.

All

2022-06

Feature

Description

Region

References

Configuration of inbound VPCs for dedicated instances

The source vSwitch of inbound requests can be specified when you bind an inbound VPC to a dedicated instance.

All

Access API Gateway over a VPC

Configuration of access keys (AKs) and AppCodes for applications

Custom AKs and AppCodes are supported when you create applications. The AKs and AppCodes for applications that are already in production can be changed. The change immediately takes effect.

All

2022-05

Feature

Description

Region

References

HTTPS two-way authentication

The verification depth of intermediate certificates can be configured for HTTPS two-way authentication. API Gateway verifies the certificates in requests based on the verification depth configured.

All

Four blacklist and whitelist levels for dedicated instances

Blacklists and whitelists for dedicated instances can be configured at four levels. This feature helps you block suspicious requests.

All

Configure instance-level access control

Extension of validity periods for application authorizations

The validity periods of application authorizations can be extended.

All

2022-04

Feature

Description

Region

References

VPC access authorization

The Host parameter can be configured when you configure VPC access authorizations. The Host parameter is added to the requests that are forwarded by API Gateway to backend services that are deployed in the VPC.

All

Create an API with a resource in a VPC as the backend service

Routing plug-ins

Plug-ins of the Routing type are provided to specify the weight of routing options. Requests are distributed to the routing options that meet specific criteria according to the specified weight ratio.

All

Backend routing plug-in

2022-03

Feature

Description

Region

References

Configuration of EventBridge as a backend service

EventBridge can be integrated with API Gateway as a backend service. After you integrate EventBridge as a backend service, you can read the event buses that are configured in EventBridge.

All

EventBridge

2022-02

Feature

Description

Region

References

API group synchronization

Model data can be synchronized when metadata is synchronized between API groups.

All

2022-01

Feature

Description

Region

References

JWT authentication plug-ins

Tokens can be read from the Cookie header in a request by using JWT authentication plug-ins.

All

JWT authentication plug-ins

Backend service

A backend service can be referenced by multiple APIs. If you modify the definition of the backend service, the change is pushed to all APIs that reference the service.

All

Use a backend service to create and manage APIs

2021-12

Feature

Description

Region

References

Integration with Log Service

Requested plug-ins and the request context can be recorded in API call logs.

All

Use Simple Log Service to manage logs of API calls

IP address-based access control plug-ins

Plug-ins of the IP Access Control type can be used to allow or reject the originating IP addresses or the direct IP addresses.

All

IP address-based access control plug-in

Console optimization

VPC authorizations can be filtered by IP address, VPC ID, and port number. Plug-ins can be searched for by name in fuzzy search mode.

All

2021-11

Feature

Description

Region

References

Cross-zone resources for upgrading the specifications of a dedicated instance

If you want to upgrade the specifications of a dedicated instance but the resources in the zone where the instance resides are insufficient, resources in other zones can be used to upgrade the specifications.

All

Multiple HTTPS security policies for internal domain names of a dedicated instance

Multiple HTTPS security policies are supported by the internal domain names that are bound to the API groups on a dedicated instance. The HTTPS security policy that is used by an internal domain name can be the same as the HTTPS security policy that is used by the dedicated instance.

All

2021-10

Feature

Description

Region

References

Removal of the Server header that is generated by API Gateway from responses

The Server header that is generated by API Gateway can be hidden in the responses. This feature is available only for dedicated instances.

All

Debugging by using an AppCode

An AppCode can be used for debugging on the Debug API page of the API Gateway console.

All

2021-09

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for Object Storage Service (OSS) as a backend service

OSS can be configured as the backend service. If you activate API Gateway and OSS in the same region, APIs can access OSS over the internal network.

All

Modification of VPC authorization settings and simultaneous publishing of multiple related APIs

The APIs that are referenced when you modify or delete VPC authorization settings can be published at the same time.

All

2021-08

Feature

Description

Region

References

Specification change for dedicated instances

The specifications of a dedicated instance can be upgraded or downgraded without business impacts.

All

Change an instance specification

Instance monitoring

The monitoring data of each dedicated instance can be viewed in the API Gateway console.

All

View monitoring data

Basic authentication

Basic authentication is supported.

All

Basic authentication plug-ins

2021-07

Feature

Description

Region

References

Custom internal domain names

Custom internal domain names can be bound to API groups. After you bind a custom internal domain name to an API group, the APIs in the group can be called only over the internal network.

All

Bind a custom domain name to allow API calls

Fuzzy search on the Authorizations page

VPC authorizations can be searched for by authorization name in fuzzy search mode on the Authorizations page.

All

Support for the milliseconds unit by plug-ins of the Circuit Breaker type

The milliseconds unit can be used in conditional expressions that are configured for plug-ins of the Circuit Breaker type.

All

2021-06

Feature

Description

Region

References

BasePath parameter

The BasePath parameter can be configured for API groups. The value of the BasePath parameter must be used together with the value of the Path parameter of an API in the API group for all requests.

All

Support for the Array type in Swagger files

The Array type is supported in Swagger files.

All

End-to-end log tracing

B3 Propagation and EagleEye are supported to implement end-to-end log tracing. By default, B3 Propagation headers and EagleEye-related headers are passed through.

All

2021-05

Feature

Description

Region

References

API filtering based on the request path and method

APIs can be filtered based on the request path and method on the APIs page.

All

Simultaneous addition of tags to multiple APIs

Tags can be added to multiple APIs at the same time on the APIs page.

All

2021-04

Feature

Description

Region

References

API Gateway logs

The content of decrypted JWTs can be included in logs that are delivered to Log Service. This feature is supported only for dedicated instances.

All

Multiple shared instances

Multiple shared instances are supported.

All

Synchronizing API metadata for a group and changing the backend service in a VPC for multiple APIs

The metadata of APIs in an API group can be synchronized, and the backend service type of multiple APIs can be changed at the same time.

All

2021-03

Feature

Description

Region

References

Binding a VPC of another Alibaba Cloud account

A VPC of another Alibaba Cloud account can be bound to an instance.

All

2021-02

Feature

Description

Region

References

API metadata synchronization for API groups and metadata comparison

The metadata of APIs in an API group can be synchronized to another API group within the same Alibaba Cloud account. Before synchronization, the metadata of APIs in the source API group can be compared with the metadata of existing APIs in the destination API group.

All

Wildcard domain names for plug-ins of the CORS type

Wildcard domain names are supported by plug-ins of the CORS type.

All

2021-01

Feature

Description

Region

References

API filtering for Swagger file import

API filtering is supported by Swagger file import.

All

Binding one domain name to multiple instances

One domain name can be bound to multiple instances.

All

2020-12

Feature

Description

Region

References

Protection against HTTP flood attacks

Throttling plug-ins can be used to block requests based on IP addresses and parameters from clients. This helps protect against HTTP flood attacks.

All

Throttling plug-in

Setting the timeout period of the backend service of dedicated instances to 90 seconds

The timeout period of the backend service of dedicated instances can be set to 90 seconds.

All

2020-11

Feature

Description

Region

References

End-to-end log tracing

API Gateway is integrated with Tracing Analysis. You can specify the sampling mode and sampling rate in the API Gateway console.

All

Configure tracing analysis

2020-10

Feature

Description

Region

References

Parameter configuration for plug-ins of the CORS type

Plug-ins of the CORS type can be configured by using parameters.

All

IPv6

API calls from IPv6 addresses are supported by the backend service of dedicated instances.

All

2020-09

Feature

Description

Region

References

Increased limit for the size of an HTTP request body

The allowed maximum size of an HTTP request body for dedicated instances is increased to 32 MB. The maximum size of an HTTP request body for shared instances is 8 MB.

All

Reading parameters from multiple parts of a form

Parameters can be read from multiple parts of a form.

All

Monitoring data in the API Gateway console

The monitoring data of API calls can be collected by region and API group.

All

View monitoring data

2020-08

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for published APIs at the backend service

APIs that are published in the API Gateway console can be configured at the backend service. APIs that are created within the same account or within different accounts can be called.

All

API gateways in multiple levels

API version comparison

The differences between the current version and an earlier version of an API can be checked.

All

Version Management

Support for Function Compute as a backend service

API Gateway, which is developed based on cloud-native technologies, can communicate with Function Compute, which provides an HTTP trigger over a VPC in simple configuration mode.

All

Function Compute

IP address whitelist and blacklist based on the value of the X-Forwarded-For header

An IP address blacklist or whitelist can be configured based on the value of the X-Forwarded-For header. This feature is suitable for scenarios in which API Gateway connects to middleware, such as Web Application Firewall (WAF).

All

IP address-based access control plug-in

Support for caching of filter conditions on the APIs page

Filter conditions on the APIs page can be retained to facilitate API management.

All

2020-07

Feature

Description

Region

References

Cross-origin header

The cross-origin header origin:app://. is supported.

All

CORS

Resource tags on the console

Tags can be added to all resources of API Gateway. Resources can be queried by tag, and permissions on resources can be granted by tag.

All

Use RAM to manage permissions on API resources

Verification of the ownership of domain names by using Domain Name System (DNS) records of the TXT type

A DNS record of the TXT type can be added to verify the ownership of domain names that are bound to API groups.

All

Bind a custom domain name to allow API calls

Optimized Swagger file import

Global variables can be configured and used to import native Swagger specifications to API Gateway to create APIs.

All

Integrate API Gateway with a CI/CD process based on Swagger

2020-06

Feature

Description

Region

References

Increased connection quota for shared instances

Each user of a shared instance can use up to 500 connections.

All

Limits

Support for default certificates for dedicated instances

Default certificates are supported for dedicated instances to improve user experience on clients that do not support the server name indication (SNI) of an earlier version.

All

Bind a custom domain name to allow API calls

Addition of the Overview page to the API Gateway console

The Overview page is added to show how to use the API Gateway console, plan API groups, and view API usage.

All

2020-05

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for dedicated instances by Alibaba Finance Cloud

Dedicated instances are supported by Alibaba Finance Cloud.

China East 1 Finance, China East 2 Finance, and China South 1 Finance

Optimized API Gateway SDK for Java

API Gateway SDK for Java is optimized. Parameters of the Array type are supported. Content-MD5 and X-Ca-Nonce headers can be not transmitted.

All

Access to the ID and IP address of VPCs

The ID and IP address of a VPC can be obtained when users access API Gateway over the VPC.

All

Plug-in binding on the API details page

Plug-ins can be bound and managed on the API details page.

All

Simultaneous publishing or unpublishing of multiple APIs

Multiple APIs can be published or unpublished at the same time in the API Gateway console.

All

2020-04

Feature

Description

Region

References

Support for shared instances by Alibaba Finance Cloud

Shared instances are supported by Alibaba Finance Cloud.

China East 1 Finance, China East 2 Finance, and China South 1 Finance

Troubleshooting

The troubleshooting feature is provided to query logs and troubleshoot errors by request ID.

All

Troubleshoot issues that occur during API debugging

Log configuration for users of dedicated instances

Users who use dedicated instances can record business information in logs.

All

Use Simple Log Service to manage logs of API calls

Passing the Host Header parameter

The HOST headers of all APIs in an API group can be passed through to the backend service after you select Pass Host Header.

All

Addition of trace logs on the Debug API page

End-to-end logs for debugging can be queried by request ID.

All

Query of authorized APIs by API name

Authorized APIs can be queried by API name.

All

Support for deployment of dedicated instances in all regions outside the Chinese mainland

Dedicated instances can be deployed in all regions outside the Chinese mainland.

All