In some implementations, the techniques described herein relate to a method including: receiving, at an API gateway, an API request from an API client; extracting, by the API gateway, a client identity associated with the API request; checking, by the API gateway, API Level Objectives (ALOs) associated with the client identity, the ALOs defining acceptable usage limits for the client identity; determining, by the API gateway, that the API request falls outside the acceptable usage limits defined by the ALOs; and applying, by the API gateway, an API Level Agreement (ALA) action, the ALA action specifying an action to be taken when an ALO is breached.