Is it possible to connect WebSocket directly through an L4 load balancer bypassing the API Gateway to improve performance?

Connecting WebSocket directly through an L4 load balancer bypassing the API Gateway is possible, but has its own features:

• An L4 load balancer operates at the transport layer (TCP), simply distributing connections without understanding the WebSocket protocol.
• This can improve performance by reducing the overhead of the API Gateway, especially if the Gateway is implemented at the application layer (L7).
• However, bypassing the API Gateway loses the ability for centralized management, authentication, logging, and routing, which are usually implemented at the L7 level.
• It is also important to ensure that the load balancer correctly supports long-lived WebSocket connections and can properly handle their state.

Thus, direct connection through an L4 load balancer is possible and can increase performance, but requires careful analysis of security requirements and architecture.