Tyk is an open-source API gateway written in Go that routes, secures, and monitors network traffic across REST, GraphQL, TCP, and gRPC protocols. It functions as a multi-protocol proxy designed to deliver requests to backend services while managing the end-to-end API lifecycle.
The system distinguishes itself through a plugin-based architecture that allows for the injection of custom logic into the request and response middleware chain. It also features native Kubernetes integration, operating as an ingress controller that uses operators and custom resource definitions to deploy security policies and orchestrate API routing.
The gateway covers a broad range of management capabilities, including standardized authentication via tokens and certificates, granular access control, and network restrictions. It provides tools for traffic rate limiting and quotas to protect backend services, along with usage analytics and event-driven webhooks for external notifications.
Configuration is managed through a dedicated command line tool that synchronizes system settings with version control systems across distributed nodes.