Amazon API Gateway: Why Proxied Requests Are Returning Unreadable Data and How to Fix It

Amazon API Gateway: Why Proxied Requests Are Returning Unreadable Data and How to Fix It

When working with the Amazon API Gateway, you might encounter a puzzling problem – proxied requests that return unreadable data. If you’re scratching your head over this issue, you’re in the right place. This blog post delves into the reasons behind this issue and provides practical solutions to get your API Gateway returning readable data again.

What is Amazon API Gateway?

Before we dive into the specifics, let’s ensure we’re all on the same page about what the Amazon API Gateway is. Amazon API Gateway is a fully managed service by AWS that makes it easy for developers to create, maintain, monitor, and secure APIs at any scale. It supports RESTful and WebSocket APIs, and can proxy requests to AWS Lambda functions, other AWS services, or HTTP endpoints hosted on AWS or elsewhere.

Why Does Unreadable Data Occur?

There are numerous reasons why your Amazon API Gateway might return unreadable data. However, one of the most common reasons is a misconfiguration in your setup – specifically, the Content Handling setting for your integration response.

When you configure an integration response for the API Gateway, you have two options for content handling:

• CONVERT_TO_BINARY: Converts a payload from a base64-encoded string to a binary blob.
• CONVERT_TO_TEXT (default): Converts a binary blob payload to a base64-encoded string.

If your setup is returning unreadable data, it’s likely because the CONVERT_TO_BINARY option is selected when it should be CONVERT_TO_TEXT. This means your API Gateway is trying to convert a base64-encoded string to a binary blob, which results in unreadable data.

How to Fix Unreadable Data

Now, let’s get to the solution. Here’s a step-by-step guide to change your content handling setting to ensure readable data:

1. Go to the Amazon API Gateway console: Navigate to your API Gateway console on your AWS account.

2. Select your API: From the list of APIs, choose the one that’s returning unreadable data.

3. Select the resource and method: In the Resources pane, select the resource and then the method for which you want to configure the integration response.

4. Go to Integration Response: In the Method Execution pane, choose the Integration Response option.

5. Change the Content Handling setting: In the Content Handling dropdown, you’ll see the CONVERT_TO_BINARY option selected. Change this to CONVERT_TO_TEXT.

6. Deploy your API: After making the change, remember to deploy your API. Select Actions, then Deploy API. Choose your deployment stage and hit Deploy.

And voila! Your API Gateway should now return readable data for your proxied requests.

Conclusion

Unreadable data from proxied requests in the Amazon API Gateway can often be traced back to a simple misconfiguration issue. By ensuring your Content Handling setting aligns with your data type requirements, you can ensure your API Gateway returns readable data every time.

Remember, Amazon API Gateway is a powerful tool, but like any tool, understanding its nuances is key to harnessing its full potential. With this guide in hand, you’re well-equipped to tackle this common issue and continue leveraging the power of the Amazon API Gateway.

If you found this article helpful, be sure to share it with your fellow data scientists and software engineers. And stay tuned for more deep dives into common technical issues and their solutions.

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