What is a Gateway and What Does it Do?

A network gateway is a node in a computer network that provides a key stopping point for data that is traveling to or from other networks. 

Thanks to gateways, we are able to communicate online by sending data back and forth. Without a gateway, the internet would not be of any use to us! Additionally, many of the pieces of hardware and software that we use every day would be unusable and irrelevant.

How Does a Network Gateway Work?

A gateway is a network node, so let’s define that term first. 

A network node is a networked device that accesses the internet. That includes routers, computers, printers, bridges, modems, hubs, and switches. It is simply the physical place where data stops to be either transported or used/read. 

A gateway, then, is a specific kind of node: It is a computer that sits in between multiple networks, applications, or devices and converts the information and data to the appropriate format or protocol. 

You may think of a gateway as a protocol converter. The reason why gateways make internet usage possible is because LANs (local-area networks) use different protocols than the rest of the internet. The gateway allows for information to be converted, which is what provides interpretable and usable communication between devices on the internet. 

At work, the gateway is the computer that routes traffic from a workstation to the outside network that serves up web pages. At home, it is the hardware that allows anyone on your network to connect to your ISP, and therefore to the internet. 

A computer-server that is in the role of a gateway may also be a firewall and proxy server. The firewall keeps out unwanted internet traffic and prevents outsiders from accessing private networks. 

A proxy server is a kind of software that “sits” between the programs on your computer and the server itself. The proxy server’s task is to make sure that the real server can handle all of your online data requests. 

Routers & Gateways at Home

nternet Service Provider (ISP). This gateway allows your computers and devices to connect to the ISP’s network. On the ISP’s end of things, the computer that controls all of the data that your ISP sends and receives is an additional node. 

Gateways are often associated with routers, but what is a router, anyway? 

A router is a piece of hardware that connects you to the internet. For an in-home network, the router comes with special software that you install on one computer. Then, you can establish a home network so that anyone you allow on your network can access the ISP – and therefore the internet. 

Routers can be connected to two or more networks at a time, but that’s not usually the case for a simple home network. 

Differences Between Gateways & Routers

There can be some confusion between gateways, routers, and other kinds of networking devices. Here is a list of the devices that are commonly used to get online. 

• Modem: Gets its name from “modulator-demodulator;” a piece of hardware that connects to the internet
• Router: A piece of hardware that connects the modem to a computer network and also makes sure that traffic is routed through the correct network
• Switch: A piece of hardware that connects multiple devices within a single network; the switch transfers incoming and outgoing traffic between these devices
• Access Point: A piece of networking hardware that connects devices through a WIFI connection
• Gateway: A node that regulates traffic between at least two (but often more) networks that are dissimilar from one another

Can a Router be a Network Gateway?

A router can be a network gateway. So can a modem. If a device connects to the internet and translates information between two or more networks, then it’s a gateway. 

A router can control the path through which information is sent in and out. This is done by using built-in headers and forwarding tables that determine where each packet of data needs to be sent. These packets contain your emails, transactions, online activity, and more. 

Gateway Features

Gateways have many features and distinct capabilities. Let’s break down some of the most commonly utilized gateway features. 

• Security: Gateways are one part of a comprehensive data security plan. When a gateway is used as a firewall or security tool, it can protect data that is passed between networks or has migrated to the cloud. Secure Internet Gateways (SIGs) exist to provide as much protection as possible against internet attacks and vulnerabilities. 
• Visibility: Gateways are an excellent place for monitoring network activity. Gateways should always be visible and ready to be updated with new instructions. 
• Multiprotocol: Because gateways are programmable, they can be customized to work with a number of network protocols. That means you have more flexibility, better security, and a higher level of network resilience. 
• Analytics: As a visible, programmable, multiprotocol kind of software, gateways often play a key role in collecting network information from a variety of locations. It can also be used as an important diagnostic and troubleshooting tool. 

Types of Gateways

Because gateways can perform a number of tasks, a number of different types of gateways have emerged to meet a variety of user needs. 

1. Internet Firewalls: This gateway filters traffic and data that is transferred to and from a web server. Examines application-layer data. 
2. Cloud Storage: This kind of gateway is a hybrid cloud storage device that can be utilized by both hardware and software. The gateway itself stays on-site at the user’s home or workplace, and it translates cloud storage requests in the form of APIs, including SOAP and REST. This gateway allows the organization to integrate anything stored on a private cloud into their applications, instead of having to migrate to a public cloud.
3. Media Gateways: A media gateway takes care of the conversion process of data from one format to another, based on differences between networks.
4. IoT Gateways: These aggregate sensor data from any devices that are connected to an IoT environment. They translate data that flows between sensor protocols. Before the data can move forward ,the IoT gateway must translate and process it. 
5. API, SOA, and XML Gateways: The purpose of these gateways is to manage traffic that flows in and out of a microservice-oriented architecture, an XML-based web service, or another service.
6. Email Security Gateways: An email security gateway prevents any email that violates a company or institutional policy from being transmitted. This also prevents the transmission of information that is being spread maliciously for any reason. 
7. VoIP Trunk Gateways: A VoIP Trunk Gateway equips landline telephone equipment and fax machines with a voice over IP (VoIP) network.

A gateway is just one of the many ways our data is moved across the internet for us. The gateway is what gives us entry into different networks. Without a gateway, we would not be able to send emails, look at web pages, buy things online, stream videos, or do anything else that we love to do online. 

You could put it this way: a gateway delivers the freedom, information, and convenience that we enjoy while we are online.