Ports
API Gateway listens for requests on ports that you specify. Each port is associated with a specific type of protocol, HTTP or HTTPS. In addition to these port types, API Gateway also provides three ports; API Gateway external port, API Gateway internal listener port, and the WebSocket listener port.
You can specify one or more HTTP or HTTPS ports on which API Gateway and the deployed APIs are available for consumption. API Gateway, by default, is available on the primary HTTP port. The primary HTTP port is the port specified on the Integration Server's Security > Ports page.
If your API Gateway is behind an internal firewall and is not allowed to accept communications from external clients through the DMZ, then you can configure the API Gateway instance in DMZ with an external port to listen to requests from external clients and using reverse invoke route them to the internal servers. The API Gateway internal listener port or the WebSocket listener port pulls the requests from the registration port of API Gateway in DMZ thus safeguarding from any malicious attacks.
External clients send requests to API Gateway. API Gateway external port listens to this client information from each request and evaluates the request against any API Gateway rules that have been defined. It then passes requests that have not violated a rule to the API Gateway internal port or the WebSocket listener port . These listener ports process the requests and send the responses to API Gateway, which then passes the responses back to the client.
IBM does not recommend installing and managing API Gateway as a root user (or using root credentials) on a UNIX system as it might lead to security issues.
The page displays the following information about the configured ports:
Field | Description |
Ports | Specifies the port number. Click on the port number to edit the port configuration. API Gateway does not allows you to update an active port as long as the port is enabled. If you want to update an active port, API Gateway first automatically disables the port, then updates the configured details. On successful updation, API Gateway enables the port back. In case, when updating the port, if an error occurs, API Gateway displays the error message that stops from updating the active port. |
Alias | Specifies the port alias that can be used across to refer to the corresponding port. |
Protocol | Specifies the protocol used by the port to communicate. |
Type | Specifies the type of port. |
Enabled | Specifies the status of the port; whether it is enabled or disabled. |
Accessmode | Allows to configure whether the port must allow or deny access to ESB services and folders, by default. For information on how to configure the access mode for a port, see
Configuring Access Mode for a Port. |
IP Accessmode | Allows to configure whether the port must allow or deny access to the external hosts, or must follow global configuration for allowing or denying external hosts. For information on how to configure the IP access mode of a port, see
Configuring IP Access Mode for a Port. |
Primary port | Specifies whether the port is used as a primary port. specifies that it is set as a primary port and depicts it is not set as a primary port. Only the HTTP and HTTPS ports can be set as primary ports once they are enabled. You can click for a port to set it as a primary port. Note: You can not disable or delete the primary port. Also, you can not modify the primary port details as long as the port is set as primary port. |
Description | Provides a short description of the port. |
Action | Specifies the actions that can be performed on the port. |
Note:
Any modifications to the ports in Integration Server may not reflect in API Gateway UI. Hence, it is recommended to not configure or modify the ports through Integration Server Administrator UI.