Two municipal systems need to exchange case status repeatedly. Leadership wants durable system-to-system access without hard-coding database links between teams. Which pattern best fits?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Handing out the keys to the vault is how accidental architecture starts. Put a front door on the house—gateway plus managed identities—so systems talk through authenticated APIs instead of sneaking into each other’s databases.
Full Explanation
Managed access patterns prefer authenticated, governed interfaces over uncontrolled database links. An API gateway with managed identities centralizes authentication, authorization, and often rate limiting and audit, while versioned contracts reduce breakages. Direct DB coupling and unmanaged file drops scale poorly and blur ownership, security, and change control across agencies.