Apache APISIX vs Kong
APISIX against Kong for a self-hosted API gateway: both on NGINX and Lua, etcd against PostgreSQL or DB-less, plugin coverage, the open source Kong 3.9 line against Kong Enterprise, and Kubernetes ingress options.
Apache APISIX
Comparisons anchored on Apache APISIX, the Apache-2.0 API gateway built on NGINX and etcd, against Kong.
Apache APISIX vs Kong licensing
What is free in each gateway: all APISIX plugins under Apache-2.0 against Kong's open source repository staying on 3.9 with OIDC and newer releases in Kong Enterprise, and the support dates that follow.
Apache APISIX traditional vs decoupled vs standalone mode
Which of Apache APISIX's three documented deployment modes to run: traditional, with data plane and control plane on each node and etcd as the configuration center; decoupled, with separate data plane and control plane instances; or standalone, with no etcd and configuration from a file or a declarative API. Covers the Admin API, Kubernetes and GitOps fit, and the cautions the docs give.
Apache APISIX vs Tyk
Two open-source API gateways compared: APISIX (Apache-2.0, NGINX and etcd based) against Tyk Gateway (MPL-2.0, Go and Redis), on protocols, plugins, authentication, Kubernetes operation and which components need a commercial license.
Apache APISIX vs Kong vs Tyk
The self-hosted API gateway shortlist compared on license and open-core boundaries (OIDC in Kong Enterprise, Tyk Dashboard and Operator licensed), configuration storage, plugins and AI or MCP gateway features.
Apache APISIX vs Envoy Gateway
Two open-source gateways for Kubernetes teams: APISIX on NGINX and etcd with its separate Ingress Controller against Envoy Gateway driven by the Gateway API, compared on plugins and extensions, OIDC and rate limiting, and deployment modes.
Apache APISIX vs Traefik
An API gateway with 100+ plugins against a reverse proxy that discovers routes automatically: APISIX and Traefik compared on authentication plugins, configuration storage, Kubernetes ingress support, Ingress NGINX migration and commercial add-ons.
Apache APISIX vs Gravitee
A gateway-first project against a full API management platform: APISIX's plugins and deployment modes against Gravitee's gateway, console and developer portal, compared on which features sit behind Gravitee's Enterprise license and on event and protocol support.
Apache APISIX vs KrakenD
Dynamic gateway against stateless declarative gateway: APISIX with etcd and an Admin API against KrakenD CE's file-based configuration and response aggregation, compared on extension languages, configuration in Git and enterprise editions.
Apache APISIX vs API7 Enterprise
What open-source APISIX provides against API7 Enterprise, the commercial API lifecycle product from API7.ai built on APISIX: portal, management and support features, self-hosted or API7 Cloud deployment, and API7's published cloud pricing.
