# Key Concepts Overview

API7 Enterprise uses a structured set of abstractions to manage API traffic, security, and lifecycle. This section introduces these core concepts and explains how they relate to each other in a production environment.

## Entity relationships[​](#entity-relationships "Direct link to Entity relationships")

In API7 Gateway, configurations are managed in the Control Plane and delivered to the Data Plane instances that belong to each gateway group. Services group routes, upstreams, and plugins into a manageable API surface.

The following diagram illustrates the relationship between these core entities:

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## Core abstractions[​](#core-abstractions "Direct link to Core abstractions")

The table below summarizes the fundamental concepts in API7 Gateway.

| Concept                                                                                                        | Description                                                                                                              |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| [Services and Routes](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/services-and-routes.md)                   | Grouping of URI-based matching rules (Routes) sharing common backend and plugin configurations (Services).               |
| [Upstreams and Load Balancing](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/upstreams-and-load-balancing.md) | Definitions of backend targets, including load balancing algorithms and health checks.                                   |
| [Consumers and Credentials](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/consumers-and-credentials.md)       | Identity representing an API caller and their associated authentication tokens.                                          |
| [Plugins](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/plugins.md)                                           | Modular components that intercept and modify the request/response flow for security, traffic control, and observability. |
| [SSL Certificates](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/ssl-certificates.md)                         | TLS assets used to terminate HTTPS traffic and secure client or upstream connections.                                    |
| [Gateway Groups](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/gateway-groups.md)                             | Logical deployment targets that isolate configuration across environments, regions, or teams.                            |
| [Service Discovery](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/service-discovery.md)                       | Dynamic upstream endpoint discovery through systems such as Kubernetes, Consul, and Nacos.                               |
| [Stream Routes](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/stream-routes.md)                               | Routing rules for TCP and UDP traffic handled by the gateway's stream proxy.                                             |

## Next steps[​](#next-steps "Direct link to Next steps")

Deep dive into each concept to understand how to design and manage your API infrastructure:

* [Services and Routes](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/services-and-routes.md)
* [Upstreams and Load Balancing](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/upstreams-and-load-balancing.md)
* [Consumers and Credentials](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/consumers-and-credentials.md)
* [Plugins](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/plugins.md)
* [SSL Certificates](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/ssl-certificates.md)
* [Gateway Groups](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/gateway-groups.md)
* [Service Discovery](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/service-discovery.md)
* [Stream Routes](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/stream-routes.md)