What does the Mule runtime use to enforce policies and limit access to APIs?

The Mule runtime utilizes its embedded API gateway to enforce policies and control access to APIs. This gateway operates directly within the Mule runtime environment, allowing for real-time enforcement of security policies, rate limiting, and access controls directly on the API services hosted by the runtime. By integrating the API gateway with the Mule application, it ensures that the necessary policies are applied consistently and efficiently during API interaction.

While Anypoint Access Control and API Manager are crucial components of the overall MuleSoft ecosystem for managing access and permissions, they function in conjunction with the runtime's embedded capabilities, rather than being a part of the runtime itself. The proxy created by API Manager also serves as a mediator but does not execute the same policies directly within the Mule runtime as the embedded API gateway does. Hence, the embedded API gateway's role in enforcing access control policies directly at the runtime level makes it the most appropriate choice.