> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://datum-4926dda5-docs-api-reference-demo.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Gateway API

> API reference for the Gateway API resources on Datum Cloud — an open, portable standard for routing service traffic with Gateway, HTTPRoute, and BackendTLSPolicy.

Datum Cloud exposes the [**Gateway API**](https://gateway-api.sigs.k8s.io/) — an open, portable standard for routing service traffic. Rather than a single monolithic object, the Gateway API splits traffic handling into a small set of composable resources, so you can describe the infrastructure, the entry points, and the routing rules independently and let them reference one another.

<Info>
  These resources follow the Gateway API standard and are served at the stable `v1` version.
</Info>

## How the resources compose

The Gateway API resources build on one another, from the underlying infrastructure up to the individual routing rules:

* [Gateway](/api/networking/gateway/gateway) binds listeners and addresses. It instantiates a GatewayClass, opening one or more listeners (protocol, port, and hostname) at network addresses where traffic arrives.
* [HTTPRoute](/api/networking/gateway/httproute) routes HTTP requests to backends. It attaches to a Gateway and describes how matching requests are filtered and forwarded to backend services.
* [BackendTLSPolicy](/api/networking/gateway/backendtlspolicy) configures TLS to backends. It describes how a Gateway establishes a TLS connection to the backends that an HTTPRoute forwards to.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Gateway" icon="door-open" href="/api/networking/gateway/gateway">
    Bind listeners and addresses where traffic enters the platform.
  </Card>

  <Card title="HTTPRoute" icon="route" href="/api/networking/gateway/httproute">
    Route HTTP requests to backends with matches, filters, and forwarding rules.
  </Card>

  <Card title="BackendTLSPolicy" icon="lock" href="/api/networking/gateway/backendtlspolicy">
    Configure the TLS connection a Gateway makes to its backends.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

**Platform-provided:** the [GatewayClass](/api/networking/gateway/gatewayclass) referenced by a gateway lives under [Platform resources](/api/platform/overview).

You create and update these resources declaratively with `datumctl apply -f`, and inspect them with `datumctl get` and `datumctl describe`.

## Relationship to HTTPProxy

The Gateway API resources and Datum's higher-level [HTTPProxy](/api/networking/httpproxy) are both ways to expose HTTP services on Datum Cloud. HTTPProxy builds on top of Gateway API resources to cover simple reverse-proxy use cases without configuring the underlying gateway resources directly, while the Gateway API resources give you direct control over classes, listeners, routes, and backend TLS. Which fits depends on how much of the routing surface you need to manage yourself.

## Learn more

* [Networking overview](/api/networking/overview) — the networking service and the other resources it groups.
* [Changing resources](/datumctl/resources/changing) — how to apply, edit, and safely preview changes with `datumctl`.