---
title: "API Platform Gateway quick start guide"
description: "Run API Platform Gateway with Docker Compose, deploy your first REST API configuration, and invoke it through the gateway in minutes."
canonical_url: https://wso2.com/api-platform/docs/api-gateway/1.2.0/quick-start-guide/
md_url: https://wso2.com/api-platform/docs/api-gateway/1.2.0/quick-start-guide.md
tags:
  - api-gateway
  - quickstart
  - docker
author: WSO2 API Platform Documentation Team
last_updated: 2026-08-11
content_type: "quickstart"
---

# Quick start guide

### Using Docker Compose (Recommended)

### Prerequisites

A Docker-compatible container runtime such as:

- Docker Desktop (Windows / macOS)
- Podman Desktop or Podman (Windows / macOS / Linux)
- Rancher Desktop (Windows / macOS)
- Colima (macOS)
- Docker Engine + Compose plugin (Linux)

These examples use `docker compose`. If you use another Compose-compatible runtime, use the equivalent commands.

Verify the commands for your runtime are available. For Docker:

```bash
docker --version
docker compose version
```

<!-- Replace `${version}` with the API Platform Gateway release version you want to run. -->

## Set up the Gateway

### Step 1: Download the Gateway

Run this command in your terminal to download the API Platform Gateway distribution:

```bash
wget https://github.com/wso2/api-platform/releases/download/gateway/v1.2.0/wso2apip-api-gateway-1.2.0.zip
```

Then extract the content:

```bash
unzip wso2apip-api-gateway-1.2.0.zip
```

Go inside the root directory of the Gateway distribution folder:

```bash
cd wso2apip-api-gateway-1.2.0/
```

### Step 2: Run the setup script
Run the following script for a one-time setup.

```bash
./scripts/setup.sh
```

This provisions the following:

* AES-256 at-rest encryption key
* The router HTTPS listener certificate
* The `api-platform.env` file
* The gateway-controller admin credentials 

The script prints the admin password once — copy it.

### Step 3: Export admin credentials
Export the admin credentials so the management-API calls below can authenticate. 
The username defaults to `admin`. Use the password the setup script `setup.sh` printed 
in the preceding step.

```bash
export ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
export ADMIN_PASSWORD='<the password scripts/setup.sh printed>'
```

### Step 4: Start the Gateway  
Start the complete gateway stack using Docker Compose:

```bash
docker compose up -d
```

### Step 5: Verify the Gateway
Verify that the Gateway Controller is healthy::

```bash
curl http://localhost:9094/api/admin/v1/health

```
A successful response confirms the gateway is running and ready to accept API configurations.

## Deploy an API
### Step 1: Deploy an API configuration
Use the gateway's management API to deploy a sample Reading List REST API:

```bash
curl -X POST http://localhost:9090/api/management/v1/rest-apis \
  -u "$ADMIN_USERNAME:$ADMIN_PASSWORD" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/yaml" \
  --data-binary @- <<'EOF'
apiVersion: gateway.api-platform.wso2.com/v1
kind: RestApi
metadata:
  name: reading-list-api-v1.0
spec:
  displayName: Reading-List-API
  version: v1.0
  context: /reading-list/$version
  upstream:
    main:
      url: https://apis.bijira.dev/samples/reading-list-api-service/v1.0
  policies:
    - name: set-headers
      version: v1
      params:
        request:
          headers:
            - name: x-wso2-apip-gateway-version
              value: v1.0.0
        response:
          headers:
            - name: x-environment
              value: development
  operations:
    - method: GET
      path: /books
    - method: POST
      path: /books
    - method: GET
      path: /books/{id}
    - method: PUT
      path: /books/{id}
    - method: DELETE
      path: /books/{id}
EOF
```

### Step 2: Invoke the API 
Send a request to the deployed API through the gateway:

**Over HTTP:**

```bash
curl -i http://localhost:8080/reading-list/v1.0/books
```

**Over HTTPS (with self-signed certificate):**
```bash
curl -ik https://localhost:8443/reading-list/v1.0/books
```

A successful response returns a list of books from the upstream service, confirming that the gateway is routing traffic correctly.

!!! tip "Port 8080, 8443, 9090, or 9094 already taken?"
    If the start command fails with a port binding error, identify what is already listening on the default ports:

    On macOS or Linux, run:

    ```bash
    lsof -nP -iTCP:8080 -sTCP:LISTEN
    lsof -nP -iTCP:8443 -sTCP:LISTEN
    lsof -nP -iTCP:9090 -sTCP:LISTEN
    lsof -nP -iTCP:9094 -sTCP:LISTEN
    ```

    On Windows PowerShell, run:

    ```powershell
    Get-NetTCPConnection -State Listen -LocalPort 8080,8443,9090,9094 | Select-Object LocalAddress, LocalPort, OwningProcess
    ```

    Stop the conflicting service if you don't need it. If you need to keep it running, change the host-side value of the relevant `ports:` mapping in `docker-compose.yaml`. Then use the remapped host port in the verification and test commands on this page.

!!! note "Running on Windows"
    The commands above assume a Linux/macOS shell. On Windows, run the one-time setup with the PowerShell script instead — it takes the same flags and provisions the same files:

    ```powershell
    powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\setup.ps1
    ```

    Then set the admin credentials with `$env:ADMIN_USERNAME='admin'` and `$env:ADMIN_PASSWORD='<the password setup.ps1 printed>'` in place of the `export` lines.

    The `curl` command that deploys the API pipes its YAML payload in through a shell heredoc (`--data-binary @- <<'EOF'`), which PowerShell does not support. Either run it from Git Bash or WSL, or save the YAML between the `EOF` markers to a file and post that file explicitly — note the `.exe`, since `curl` is an alias for `Invoke-WebRequest` in Windows PowerShell:

    ```powershell
    curl.exe -X POST http://localhost:9090/api/management/v1/rest-apis `
      -u "${env:ADMIN_USERNAME}:${env:ADMIN_PASSWORD}" `
      -H "Content-Type: application/yaml" `
      --data-binary "@reading-list-api.yaml"
    ```

!!! tip "Customizing configuration"
    The setup script (`setup.sh`, or `setup.ps1` on Windows) writes `api-platform.env`, which is loaded into the containers via Docker Compose `env_file`. To change the storage backend, connect to a control plane, or tune other settings, edit that file (or the `config.toml` interpolation tokens directly). See [Gateway Configuration and Environment Interpolation](./setup/configuration.md).

## Stopping the Gateway

When stopping the gateway, you have two options:

### Keep data and configurations 
This option stops the runtime while keeping data: APIs and configurations are persisted:

```bash
docker compose down
```

This stops the containers but preserves the `controller-data` volume. When you restart with `docker compose up`, all your API configurations will be restored.

### Delete data for a fresh start
This option performs a complete shutdown with data cleanup (fresh start):

```bash
docker compose down -v
```

This stops containers and removes the `controller-data` volume. Next startup will be a clean slate with no persisted APIs or configuration.