API / Apollo Gateway Interview questions
What is the difference between Apollo Gateway and Apollo Router?
Both act as the entry point for a federated graph, but they're built very differently and Apollo now recommends Router for new work.
| Apollo Gateway | Apollo Router |
| Node.js package (@apollo/gateway) built on Apollo Server | Precompiled Rust binary |
| Lower throughput, higher latency under load | Significantly higher throughput and lower, more consistent latency |
| Limited/no native support for federated subscriptions | Native support for GraphQL subscriptions |
| Extended via JS Apollo Server plugins | Extended via Rhai scripts or external coprocessors |
| Maintenance mode — still supported, not the focus of new features | Actively developed, recommended default for production |
Both support the same Federation spec and can consume the same supergraph schema, which is what makes migrating from one to the other relatively low-risk.
What language is Apollo Router implemented in?
Which of the two is Apollo's recommended default for new production federated graphs today?
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