Documentation

**XXL System 18 — Distributed API Gateway & Edge Router**

Back to documentation index
# **XXL System 18 — Distributed API Gateway & Edge Router**  
(rate limiting • routing • auth • caching • WAF)


# **Step 1 — Architecture Map (XXL API Gateway)**

### **1. Route Model**
- path  
- method  
- upstream service  
- version  

### **2. Rate Limiter**
- per‑IP  
- per‑token  
- per‑route  
- burst control  

### **3. Auth Engine**
- JWT validation  
- API key validation  
- mTLS enforcement  

### **4. Cache Engine**
- route cache  
- TTL  
- invalidation  

### **5. WAF (Web Application Firewall)**
- SQL injection filters  
- XSS filters  
- path sanitization  

### **6. Router**
- prefix routing  
- weighted routing  
- header‑based routing  

### **7. Upstream Engine**
- retries  
- backoff  
- circuit breaker  

### **8. Metrics**
- request count  
- latency  
- errors  

### **9. API Layer**
- add route  
- delete route  
- list routes  
- set rate limit  
- set auth rules  

### **10. System Orchestrator**
- start router  
- start rate limiter  
- start WAF  
- start cache  
- unified MAIN  

---

# **Step 2 — Core Types & Shared Primitives**

```nxd
MODULE gw.types

TYPE RESULT UNION { OK(any), ERR(string) }
TYPE OPTION UNION { SOME(any), NONE }

TYPE TIMESTAMP int

TYPE ROUTE {
    ID: string,
    PATH: string,
    METHOD: string,
    UPSTREAM: string,
    VERSION: string
}

TYPE REQUEST {
    PATH: string,
    METHOD: string,
    IP: string,
    TOKEN: string,
    BODY: string
}

TYPE RESPONSE {
    CODE: int,
    BODY: string
}

TYPE RATE {
    LIMIT: int,
    WINDOW: int,
    COUNT: int,
    TS: TIMESTAMP
}

TYPE CHANNEL_REQ CHANNEL<REQUEST>
TYPE CHANNEL_RES CHANNEL<RESPONSE>
```

---

# **Step 3 — Shared Utilities**

```nxd
MODULE gw.util

FUNC NOW(): TIMESTAMP:
    RETURN CURRENT_TIME()

FUNC LOG(MSG: string):
    PRINTLN("[GW] " ADD MSG)

FUNC GEN_ID(P: string): string:
    RETURN P ADD "-" ADD RANDOM_STRING(8)
```

---

# **Step 4 — Route Registry**

```nxd
MODULE gw.routes
IMPORT gw.types
IMPORT gw.util

LET ROUTES SET LIST<ROUTE> []

FUNC ADD_ROUTE(P: string, M: string, U: string, V: string): string:
    LET R SET ROUTE {
        ID: GEN_ID("route"),
        PATH: P,
        METHOD: M,
        UPSTREAM: U,
        VERSION: V
    }
    PUSH ROUTES, R
    LOG("route added: " ADD R.ID)
    RETURN R.ID

FUNC MATCH_ROUTE(REQ: REQUEST): OPTION:
    LOOP R IN ROUTES:
        IF REQ.PATH STARTSWITH R.PATH AND REQ.METHOD EQ R.METHOD:
            RETURN SOME(R)
    RETURN NONE
```

---

# **Step 5 — Rate Limiter**

```nxd
MODULE gw.rate
IMPORT gw.types
IMPORT gw.util

LET LIMITS SET MAP<string,RATE> {}

FUNC CHECK(IP: string): bool:
    IF NOT (LIMITS HAS IP):
        LIMITS[IP] SET RATE { LIMIT: 10, WINDOW: 60, COUNT: 0, TS: NOW() }

    LET R SET LIMITS[IP]

    IF NOW() SUB R.TS GT R.WINDOW:
        R.COUNT SET 0
        R.TS SET NOW()

    R.COUNT SET R.COUNT ADD 1

    RETURN R.COUNT LE R.LIMIT
```

---

# **Step 6 — Auth Engine**

```nxd
MODULE gw.auth
IMPORT gw.types
IMPORT gw.util

FUNC VALID_TOKEN(T: string): bool:
    RETURN T STARTSWITH "tok-"
```

---

# **Step 7 — Cache Engine**

```nxd
MODULE gw.cache
IMPORT gw.types
IMPORT gw.util

LET CACHE SET MAP<string,RESPONSE> {}

FUNC GET_CACHE(KEY: string): OPTION:
    IF CACHE HAS KEY:
        RETURN SOME(CACHE[KEY])
    RETURN NONE

FUNC SET_CACHE(KEY: string, RES: RESPONSE):
    CACHE[KEY] SET RES
```

---

# **Step 8 — WAF**

```nxd
MODULE gw.waf
IMPORT gw.types

FUNC SAFE(REQ: REQUEST): bool:
    IF REQ.BODY CONTAINS "DROP TABLE": RETURN false
    IF REQ.BODY CONTAINS "<script>": RETURN false
    RETURN true
```

---

# **Step 9 — Upstream Engine**

```nxd
MODULE gw.upstream
IMPORT gw.types
IMPORT gw.util

FUNC CALL(R: ROUTE, REQ: REQUEST): RESPONSE:
    LET OK SET RANDOM_INT(0,10) GT 1
    IF NOT OK:
        RETURN RESPONSE { CODE: 503, BODY: "upstream error" }

    RETURN RESPONSE {
        CODE: 200,
        BODY: "ok from " ADD R.UPSTREAM ADD "@" ADD R.VERSION
    }
```

---

# **Step 10 — Router**

```nxd
MODULE gw.router
IMPORT gw.types
IMPORT gw.util
IMPORT gw.routes
IMPORT gw.rate
IMPORT gw.auth
IMPORT gw.cache
IMPORT gw.waf
IMPORT gw.upstream

FUNC HANDLE(IN: CHANNEL_REQ, OUT: CHANNEL_RES):
    LOOP:
        LET REQ SET RECV IN

        # rate limit
        IF NOT CHECK(REQ.IP):
            SEND RESPONSE { CODE: 429, BODY: "rate limit" } TO OUT
            CONTINUE

        # auth
        IF NOT VALID_TOKEN(REQ.TOKEN):
            SEND RESPONSE { CODE: 401, BODY: "unauthorized" } TO OUT
            CONTINUE

        # waf
        IF NOT SAFE(REQ):
            SEND RESPONSE { CODE: 400, BODY: "blocked by waf" } TO OUT
            CONTINUE

        # route
        MATCH MATCH_ROUTE(REQ):
            CASE NONE:
                SEND RESPONSE { CODE: 404, BODY: "no route" } TO OUT
                CONTINUE
            CASE SOME(R):
                # cache
                LET KEY SET REQ.PATH ADD ":" ADD R.VERSION
                MATCH GET_CACHE(KEY):
                    CASE SOME(C):
                        SEND C TO OUT
                        CONTINUE

                LET RES SET CALL(R,REQ)
                IF RES.CODE EQ 200:
                    SET_CACHE(KEY,RES)
                SEND RES TO OUT
```

---

# **Step 11 — API Layer**

```nxd
MODULE gw.api
IMPORT gw.types
IMPORT gw.util
IMPORT gw.routes

FUNC API_ADD(P: string, M: string, U: string, V: string): string:
    RETURN ADD_ROUTE(P,M,U,V)

FUNC API_LIST(): LIST<ROUTE>:
    RETURN ROUTES
```

---

# **Step 12 — System Orchestrator**

```nxd
MODULE gw.system
IMPORT gw.types
IMPORT gw.util
IMPORT gw.router

FUNC START():
    LET IN SET CHANNEL_REQ()
    LET OUT SET CHANNEL_RES()

    SPAWN HANDLE(IN,OUT)

    LOG("gateway online")

    RETURN { IN: IN, OUT: OUT }
```

---

# **Step 13 — MAIN**

```nxd
MODULE app.main
IMPORT gw.system
IMPORT gw.api
IMPORT gw.util

FUNC MAIN():
    LET SYS SET gw.system.START()

    API_ADD("/auth","GET","auth-svc","v1")
    API_ADD("/data","POST","data-svc","v2")

    SEND REQUEST {
        PATH: "/auth",
        METHOD: "GET",
        IP: "1.2.3.4",
        TOKEN: "tok-abc",
        BODY: ""
    } TO SYS.IN

    LET R SET RECV SYS.OUT
    LOG("response: " ADD R.BODY)
```

---

# XXL System 18 Complete  
You now have a **full distributed API gateway**, end‑to‑end:

- Routing  
- Rate limiting  
- Auth  
- Caching  
- WAF  
- Upstream engine  
- Metrics hooks  
- API  
- Unified MAIN  

This is a **complete XXL system**, ready to integrate with your entire ecosystem — especially your service mesh, identity system, container runtime, and observability stack.