AWS Cloud Quest : Deploying RESTfull API — Matching It with a Real Scenario
Cloud Quest is a simulation platform that replicates various tasks a Solution Architect might encounter in real-life scenarios.
One of its most interesting features is the ability to simulate a real client interview, where you must design an architecture that meets the client’s specific needs.
In this write-up, we will break down the challenge, explain why a particular AWS service is the best fit, and highlight the key clues that can guide you toward this solution.
This CloudQuest task we allow me to explain the main service of this exercice. In the first part, we’re going to see what is an API, how much it’s important and how to choose the right AWS service in this scenario. Then, for more experimented who read my writeup we’re going to dive deeper in the architecture case to see what others services we can match together to respect the pilliar of the Well Architect Framework.
What is an API ?
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications or systems to communicate with each other. It acts as a bridge, enabling one application to access the functionality or data of another without exposing its internal workings.
APIs are widely used in modern development to integrate third-party services (such as AWS services, online payments, or social media), automate processes, and connect different components within a software architecture.
What are the key words which help us to select our right service ?
In our previous write-up on serverless foundations, we explored serverless compute, which allows us to run code — for example, in Python — without managing any servers. This service also supports several other programming languages, including Node.js, Go, PowerShell, and more.
Great! We’ve chosen the right service. As we discussed in the Serverless Foundations write-up, AWS Lambda is one of the most essential services in a serverless architecture.
Next, since the client requires a RESTful API, we need to select the appropriate AWS service designed specifically for creating and managing APIs.
- Amazon API Gateway is a fully managed service from AWS that makes it easy for developers to create, publish, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs at any scale. It acts as an entry point for applications to access data, business logic, or functionality from backend services such as AWS Lambda, EC2, or other web applications.
- API Gateway supports different types of APIs, including RESTful APIs WebSocket APIs and HTTP APIs, enabling both request/response and real-time, two-way communication. It also handles key operational tasks such as traffic management, authorization and access control, monitoring, and API version management, allowing developers to focus on building their applications rather than managing infrastructure.
And we did it! We’ve identified the two key services needed to deploy RESTful APIs. From now on, you know two essential AWS services that you’ll encounter in most serverless and managed architectures. That’s enough for today, student!
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As mentioned at the beginning of this write-up, we’re now going to dive deeper into APIs. As a certified solutions architect, you’ll always need to justify your choices, since not every client will understand why a particular service was selected. Remember — you are the library of knowledge when it comes to AWS services.
When Should You Choose a REST API?
A REST API generally costs more than an HTTP API, but it offers enhanced capabilities that make it ideal for public-facing applications. This difference becomes critical when authentication and secure communication are required before transferring data to a database or other private backend services.
The most suitable service to pair with a REST API is Amazon Cognito, which handles user authentication and authorization. With Cognito, every request sent to your API originates from an authenticated user, strengthening the overall security of your architecture.
A typical modern architecture might look like this:
CloudFront (with AWS WAF and AWS Shield) → Amazon Cognito → API Gateway (REST API) → Amazon SNS → Amazon SQS (with DLQ) → Amazon ECS Fargate → Amazon Aurora Serverless v2
This represents a hybrid architecture, leveraging serverless components for the database and scaling layers. It follows several best practices from the AWS Well-Architected Framework, including:
- Cost Optimization — by using managed and serverless services.
- Performance Efficiency — through automatic scaling and distributed design.
- Security — with services such as Cognito, WAF, and Shield protecting the stack.
The Well-Architected Framework should always be your main reference when designing solutions. Before proposing an architecture to DevOps or FinOps teams, ensure that every service choice can be justified based on one or more of the framework’s pillars.
Disclaimer:
The architecture described above represents only a simplified version of a complete system. It does not include the monitoring and governance layers, such as CloudWatch, CloudTrail, GuardDuty, or Config, nor IAM policies, VPC configurations, or cost management tools like Cost Explorer.
The main focus of this write-up is on the REST API design itself.
That was quite a challenging write-up! But don’t worry — even if it feels like a lot to take in at once, you’ll get there. I truly believe in all of you who are eager to keep learning and mastering AWS!
If you’d like me to dive deeper into any of the topics we covered, it would be my pleasure to explore them further with you.
Thank you all for taking the time to read my write-up — and keep building! 🚀
