Which of the following is NOT a benefit of using an API Gateway?

Using an API Gateway provides several key benefits that enhance the performance, security, and management of API services. Among these, improved security, centralized traffic management, and response caching are well-established advantages.

Automatic data encryption is not typically a direct benefit provided by an API Gateway. While API Gateways can facilitate secure communication and interfaces, encryption of data is usually a process that happens at different layers of the application architecture. Automatic data encryption may require additional configurations or measures, such as enforced TLS (Transport Layer Security) settings, but it is not inherently a feature of the API Gateway itself.

In contrast, improved security pertains to how API Gateways can protect backend services from direct exposure by managing authentication and authorization protocols. Centralized traffic management refers to the Gateway's ability to monitor and direct traffic efficiently, preventing overwhelming of backend services. Response caching significantly enhances performance by storing frequently accessed data, reducing the need to process repeat requests for the same resources.

In summary, while API Gateways play a crucial role in managing interactions between clients and services, they do not automatically provide data encryption as an inherent feature, making this the correct answer to the question.