This topic provides reference information for the API gateway configuration entry that you can deploy to networks in virtual machine (VM) environments. For reference information about configuring Consul API gateways on Kubernetes, refer to [Gateway Resource Configuration](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/api-gateway/configuration/gateway).
A gateway is a type of network infrastructure that determines how service traffic should be handled. Gateways contain one or more listeners that bind to a set of hosts and ports. An HTTP Route or TCP Route can then attach to a gateway listener to direct traffic from the gateway to a service.
## Configuration model
The following list outlines field hierarchy, language-specific data types, and requirements in an `api-gateway` configuration entry. Click on a property name to view additional details, including default values.
- [`Kind`](#kind): string | must be `"api-gateway"`
- [`Name`](#name): string | no default
- [`Namespace`](#namespace): string | no default <EnterpriseAlert inline />
- [`Partition`](#partition): string | no default <EnterpriseAlert inline />
- [`Meta`](#meta): map | no default
- [`Listeners`](#listeners): list of objects | no default
Specifies a block of default configurations to apply to the gateway listener. All routes attached to the listener inherit the default configurations. You can specify override configurations that have precedence over default configurations in the [`override` block](#listeners-override) as well as in the `JWT` block in the [HTTP route configuration entry](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/http-route).
Specifies a block of default JWT verification configurations to apply to the gateway listener. Specify configurations that have precedence over the defaults in either the [`override.JWT` block](#listeners-override) or in the [`JWT` block](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/http-route#rules-filters-jwt) in the HTTP route configuration. Refer to [Use JWTs to verify requests to API gateways](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/api-gateway/secure-traffic/verify-jwts-vms) for order of precedence and other details about using JWT verification in API gateways.
Specifies a list of default JWT provider configurations to apply to the gateway listener. A provider configuration contains the name of the provider and claims. Specify configurations that have precedence over the defaults in either the [`override.JWT.Providers` block](#listeners-override-providers) or in the [`JWT` block](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/http-route#rules-filters-jwt-providers) of the HTTP route configuration. Refer to [Use JWTs to verify requests to API gateways](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/api-gateway/secure-traffic/verify-jwts-vms) for order of precedence and other details about using JWT verification in API gateways.
The following table describes the parameters you can specify in a member of the `Providers` list:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Name` | Specifies the name of the provider. | String | None |
| `VerifyClaims` | Specifies a list of paths and a value that define the claim that Consul verifies when it receives a request. The `VerifyClaims` map specifies the following settings: <ul><li>`Path`: Specifies a list of one or more registered or custom claims.</li><li>`Value`: Specifies the expected value of the claim.</li></ul> | Map | None |
Specifies a block of configurations to apply to the gateway listener. The override settings have precedence over the configurations in the [`Listeners[].default` block](#listeners-default).
#### Values
- Default: None
- Data type: Map
### `Listeners[].override{}.JWT`
Specifies a block of JWT verification configurations to apply to the gateway listener. The override settings have precedence over the [`Listeners[].default` configurations](#listeners-default) as well as any route-specific JWT configurations.
Specifies a list of JWT provider configurations to apply to the gateway listener. A provider configuration contains the name of the provider and claims. The override settings have precedence over `Listeners[].defaults{}.JWT{}.Providers` as well as any listener-specific configuration.
The following table describes the parameters you can specify in a member of the `Providers` list:
| Parameter | Description | Data type | Default |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Name` | Specifies the name of the provider. | String | None |
| `VerifyClaims` | Specifies a list of paths and a value that define the claim that Consul verifies when it receives a request. The `VerifyClaims` map specifies the following settings: <ul><li>`Path`: Specifies a list of one or more registered or custom claims.</li><li>`Value`: Specifies the expected value of the claim.</li></ul> | Map | None |
The following examples demonstrate common API gateway configuration patterns for specific use cases.
### Configure JWT verification settings
The following example configures `listener-one` to verify that requests include a token with Okta user permissions by default. The listener also verifies that the token has an audience of `api.apps.organization.com`.
<Tabs>
<Tab heading="HCL" group="hcl">
```hcl
Kind = "api-gateway"
Name = "api-gateway"
Listeners = [
{
name = "listener-one"
port = 9001
protocol = "http"
# override and default are backed by the same type of data structure, see the following section for more on how they interact
