API Key Authentication

Secure Your Envoy API with API Keys

The Zuplo API Gateway protects your backend API from unauthorized access, abuse, and overload. Add API key authentication to your Envoy API in minutes.

Secure Access

Authenticate every request before it reaches your backend.

Control Costs

Set rate limits and quotas to prevent runaway usage.

Ensure Reliability

Shield your backend from overload with traffic management.

How it works

The Zuplo API Gateway sits between your clients and your Envoy backend, providing a secure layer of protection and control.

Customer VPC

Backend

Client

Zuplo API Gateway

Step-by-step tutorial

It takes only a few minutes to put Zuplo in front of your Envoy backend, adding API key authentication, and configuring your origin to trust requests from Zuplo using JWT verification.

Create a Route in Zuplo

First, create a new route in your Zuplo project that will proxy requests to your Envoy backend. This route will be the entry point for your API consumers.

Learn how to create routes

📄 OpenAPI native. Import your existing OpenAPI spec to instantly create routes and power your API documentation.

Add API Key Authentication Policy

Add the API Key Authentication policy to your route. This policy validates incoming API keys and ensures only authorized consumers can access your API.

Adding API Key Authentication policy in Zuplo

API Key Authentication docs

🔐 Leaked key? No problem. As a GitHub Secret Scanning partner, Zuplo can automatically revoke exposed keys before they can be exploited.

Enable the JWT Service Plugin

Enable the JWT Service Plugin in your Zuplo project. This plugin generates JWTs that your origin API can validate, creating a secure trust relationship between Zuplo and your backend.

modules/zuplo.runtime.ts

export function runtimeInit(runtime: RuntimeExtensions) {
  // Register the JWT Service Plugin
  runtime.addPlugin(new JwtServicePlugin());
}

JWT Service Plugin docs

Secure Your Envoy API with JWT Authentication

Configure your Envoy backend to validate the JWTs issued by Zuplo. This ensures that only requests coming through your Zuplo gateway are accepted.

C++

# envoy.yaml
static_resources:
  listeners:
    - address:
        socket_address: { address: 0.0.0.0, port_value: 80 }
      filter_chains:
        - filters:
            - name: envoy.filters.network.http_connection_manager
              typed_config:
                "@type": type.googleapis.com/envoy.extensions.filters.network.http_connection_manager.v3.HttpConnectionManager
                stat_prefix: ingress_http
                route_config:
                  name: local_route
                  virtual_hosts:
                    - name: local_service
                      domains: ["*"]
                      routes:
                        - match: { prefix: "/protected" }
                          route: { cluster: service_backend }
                          typed_per_filter_config:
                            envoy.filters.http.jwt_authn:
                              "@type": type.googleapis.com/envoy.extensions.filters.http.jwt_authn.v3.PerRouteFilterConfig
                              requirement_name: "example-requirement"
                http_filters:
                  - name: envoy.filters.http.jwt_authn
                    typed_config:
                      "@type": type.googleapis.com/envoy.extensions.filters.http.jwt_authn.v3.JwtAuthentication
                      providers:
                        example_provider:
                          issuer: "https://my-api-a32f34.zuplo.api/__zuplo/issuer"
                          from_headers:
                            - name: Authorization
                              value_prefix: "Bearer "
                          remote_jwks:
                            http_uri:
                              uri: "https://my-api-a32f34.zuplo.api/__zuplo/issuer/.well-known/jwks.json"
                              cluster: jwks_cluster
                            cache_duration: 600s
                      rules:
                        - match:
                            prefix: "/protected"
                          requires:
                            provider_name: "example_provider"
                  - name: envoy.filters.http.router
  clusters:
    - name: service_backend
      connect_timeout: 0.25s
      type: STRICT_DNS
      lb_policy: ROUND_ROBIN
      load_assignment:
        cluster_name: service_backend
        endpoints:
          - lb_endpoints:
              - endpoint:
                  address:
                    socket_address:
                      address: service.backend
                      port_value: 8080
    - name: jwks_cluster
      connect_timeout: 0.25s
      type: STRICT_DNS
      lb_policy: ROUND_ROBIN
      load_assignment:
        cluster_name: jwks_cluster
        endpoints:
          - lb_endpoints:
              - endpoint:
                  address:
                    socket_address:
                      address: my-api.zuplo.com
                      port_value: 443
      transport_socket:
        name: envoy.transport_sockets.tls
        typed_config:
          "@type": type.googleapis.com/envoy.extensions.transport_sockets.tls.v3.UpstreamTlsContext

Call Your API Through Zuplo

Now you can call your API through Zuplo using an API key. The request will be authenticated at the gateway, and a JWT will be forwarded to your Envoy backend.

bash

curl -X GET \
  'https://your-api.zuplo.dev/your-route' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'

Ready to secure your API?

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