Gravitee or WSO2 API Manager: which fits your API program
Choose Gravitee APIM when your API program depends on event endpoints and you accept that the features that matter most sit behind an Enterprise license. Choose WSO2 API Manager when you want one control plane to govern WSO2 gateways alongside third-party gateways such as Kong, AWS, Azure and Envoy, and you want the option of WSO2 commercial subscriptions for support and vulnerability monitoring. Both are Apache-2.0 platforms with a gateway, a developer portal and a management layer, so the split comes down to event support, gateway strategy and how you buy support. Gravitee fits teams that need to expose Kafka publish and subscribe over HTTP and WebSocket, MQTT5, RabbitMQ, Solace or JMS endpoints, or Server-Sent Events and Webhook entrypoints. Per Gravitee's documentation, those event endpoints, along with data masking, the Alert Engine, audit trails and the LLM and MCP proxies, are Enterprise Edition features that require a license. If your event brokers are central to the program, price the Enterprise license into the plan from the start. WSO2 fits teams whose main requirement is a single control plane spanning mixed gateways, with a Publisher and Developer Portal, a traffic manager for throttling, and REST, GraphQL and AsyncAPI support. WSO2 also sells commercial subscriptions that cover expert support, continuous product updates and access to the licensed distribution for commercial use. The decision turns on four questions. First, how much of your traffic is event-driven, and which brokers must sit behind the gateway? Second, which deployment model you need: Gravitee documents SaaS, hybrid and fully self-hosted options for Enterprise customers, while WSO2 supports on-premises packages, a managed cloud service, and Kubernetes through its separate WSO2 API Platform for Kubernetes. Third, how much you can tolerate paying for a license or subscription to unlock features, compared with running an open-source core yourself. Fourth, whether your team has the in-house Java skills to build, patch and extend WSO2 Java components; the repository notes that building WSO2 API Manager 4.7.0 requires JDK 21. Confirm each of these with both vendors against your own environment before you request a quote.
Which platform fits which scenario
This table maps common Gravitee APIM and WSO2 API Manager scenarios to the platform that fits better and the condition that decides it. Read each row as a starting point, then confirm the listed conditions against your own environment, licensing position and vendor documentation before shortlisting.
| Scenario | Better fit | Condition that makes it so |
|---|---|---|
| Event-driven APIs on Kafka or MQTT with paid event endpoints | Gravitee APIM | Gravitee lists Kafka publish and subscribe over HTTP and WebSocket, MQTT5, RabbitMQ and Solace among Enterprise Edition features, so this needs an Enterprise license. Confirm the exact endpoint set in your edition. |
| Hybrid setup with a SaaS control plane and on-premises gateways | WSO2 API Manager | WSO2 documents hybrid deployment with a SaaS control plane and on-premises gateways. Confirm the hybrid model and its data residency terms with WSO2 for your regions. |
| Fully self-hosted control plane with no SaaS component | Either, after a proof of concept | Both can be self-hosted. Gravitee documents fully self-hosted deployment for Enterprise customers and Community Edition is self-hosted. Confirm which features you need work in a fully self-hosted build. |
| Kubernetes-first estate on EKS, GKE, AKS or OpenShift | Gravitee APIM | Gravitee's repository lists a Helm chart covering these platforms. WSO2 runs on Kubernetes through a separate WSO2 API Platform for Kubernetes. Confirm which chart or operator matches your cluster standards. |
| Governing WSO2 and third-party gateways from one control plane | WSO2 API Manager | WSO2 states one control plane can manage its gateways and third-party gateways including Kong, AWS, Azure and Envoy. Confirm the supported versions and policy coverage for each gateway you run. |
| Teams that need LLM, MCP or agent-to-agent proxies | Gravitee APIM | Gravitee's Enterprise Edition documentation lists these proxies. They require an Enterprise license. Confirm current availability with Gravitee before planning around them. |
| Custom authentication, policies and approval workflows in code | WSO2 API Manager | WSO2 supports custom authenticators, policies and workflows, and it accepts REST, GraphQL and AsyncAPI APIs. Confirm your team can maintain Java extensions on JDK 21 across upgrades. |
| Commercial support and vulnerability monitoring on Apache-2.0 code | WSO2 API Manager | WSO2 sells commercial subscriptions with expert support, continuous updates and vulnerability monitoring. Confirm subscription scope and support windows in a written quote. |
How each platform is built and deployed
Both platforms split a control plane from a gateway that handles API traffic, but they package and deploy those pieces differently. The cards below cover what each component does and which deployment paths each vendor documents, so you can judge upgrade and operations effort before committing.
Gravitee gateway and management API
The Gravitee gateway enforces access, policies and routing for API traffic, while the management API backend stores and serves the configuration that the Console and Portal use. Because these are separate components, you can plan capacity for traffic and administration independently. Check how many gateway nodes you need per environment, how the management API is scaled and backed up, and whether your upgrade path keeps gateway and backend versions aligned.
Gravitee Console and Portal UIs
The Console UI is the administrator interface for designing and publishing APIs, while the Portal UI is the catalog where consumers find documentation and subscribe. Both are served from the same platform, so access control for administrators and for external developers is a design decision you make early. Confirm how Portal branding, sign-up and subscription approval work in your identity setup before you expose it to partners.
Gravitee install options: Helm, Compose and cloud
Gravitee documents a Helm chart for Kubernetes, including AKS, GKE, EKS and OpenShift, plus Docker Compose with MongoDB for smaller installs and Gravitee Cloud SaaS on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud. The Helm path suits teams that already run Kubernetes platform operations, while Compose is simpler but moves more responsibility for resilience onto you. Ask which of these paths your edition and support terms cover.
WSO2 control plane, gateway and traffic manager
WSO2 API Manager separates an API control plane from a gateway that handles routing, mediation and security, and a traffic manager that applies throttling. Each has its own scaling and failure profile, so the traffic manager's throttling state and its placement relative to gateways matter for capacity planning. Ask WSO2 how throttling data is shared across gateway nodes in your topology and what that means for failover.
WSO2 Publisher and Developer Portal
The Publisher is where API owners define, document and publish APIs, and the Developer Portal is where consumers discover and subscribe to them. This split mirrors Gravitee's Console and Portal but uses different tooling and workflows. Test the publishing lifecycle with your own governance rules, including approvals and versioning, because the portal experience depends heavily on how your teams publish.
WSO2 hybrid, on-premises and SaaS options
WSO2 supports on-premises installs from extracted packages, a fully managed SaaS service with a 99.95% SLA stated on its API Manager page, and a hybrid model with a SaaS control plane and on-premises gateways. Hybrid keeps traffic inside your network while shifting control plane operations to WSO2. Confirm which model suits your data residency rules, and check how upgrades are scheduled in each path, since SaaS and self-hosted releases follow different cycles.
Capabilities side by side: event APIs, extensibility and identity
This table compares how Gravitee APIM and WSO2 API Manager handle REST and event APIs, extensibility, audit trails and developer portal features. Gravitee lists its Kafka, MQTT5, RabbitMQ and JMS endpoints, SSE, webhooks and audit trails as Enterprise Edition features, while WSO2 documents its extension points in its repository. Where a cell says to confirm, the supplied sources do not settle the point, so request the current edition matrix from each vendor before you score it.
| Capability | Gravitee APIM | WSO2 API Manager |
|---|---|---|
| REST, GraphQL and AsyncAPI support | Confirm the supported API styles for your version with Gravitee; the sources reviewed do not list GraphQL or AsyncAPI coverage. | Supports REST, GraphQL and AsyncAPI APIs, according to its repository. |
| Kafka, MQTT5, RabbitMQ and JMS endpoints | Enterprise Edition feature: Kafka publish and subscribe over HTTP and WebSocket, MQTT5, RabbitMQ, Solace and JMS endpoints. | Not covered in the sources reviewed; confirm broker endpoints, licensing and support scope with WSO2. |
| Server-Sent Events and webhook entrypoints | Enterprise Edition feature: Server-Sent Events and Webhook entrypoints. | Not covered in the sources reviewed; confirm with WSO2 whether these entrypoints exist and in which subscription. |
| Custom authenticators and policies | Enterprise policy pack is included in Enterprise Edition; confirm the extension model for custom policies in your edition. | Extensible with custom authenticators, policies and workflows, according to its repository. |
| Audit trails | Enterprise Edition feature covering API consumption and activity. | Not covered in the sources reviewed; confirm audit log scope, export and retention with WSO2. |
| Developer portal features | Portal UI provides a catalog of APIs with documentation as a core component; confirm subscription and onboarding workflows for your edition. | Developer Portal and Publisher web interfaces; confirm subscription, documentation and workflow features against current docs. |
| Identity and client onboarding | Dynamic Client Registration is an Enterprise Edition feature; confirm how it integrates with your identity provider. | Custom authenticators are an extension point; confirm built-in identity provider integrations with WSO2. |
| Edition and support boundary | Enterprise Edition requires a license; Community Edition is self-hosted only. | Commercial subscriptions provide expert support, continuous product updates, vulnerability monitoring and licensed distribution for commercial use. |
What the Apache-2.0 core and paid tiers include
Gravitee API Management is licensed under Apache-2.0, and its repository describes it as a way to control who, when and how users access APIs and manage the API lifecycle. The core platform includes the gateway, the management API backend, the Console UI for administrators and the Portal UI, which is a catalog of APIs with documentation. The Community Edition is self-hosted, so your team runs the gateway and management components in its own infrastructure. The Enterprise features are a separate, licensed layer on top of this core.
- Core components: the gateway, management API, Console UI and Portal UI ship in the Apache-2.0 platform.
- Deployment paths: the repository lists Docker Compose with MongoDB and a Helm chart for Kubernetes, including AKS, GKE, EKS and OpenShift.
- Self-hosting responsibility: your team operates upgrades, backups and high availability for the Community Edition.
- Enterprise-only features: Kafka, MQTT5, RabbitMQ, Solace and JMS endpoints, data masking, GeoIP filtering and the Alert Engine are listed under the Enterprise Edition.
- Deployment models: SaaS, hybrid and fully self-hosted deployment are documented for Enterprise customers.
Confirm with Gravitee which components your target architecture needs before you assume the Community Edition covers them. Review the Gravitee Enterprise Edition documentation to see which features require a license.
The Enterprise Edition of Gravitee APIM requires a license, according to Gravitee's documentation. It adds event, security and AI capabilities to the Apache-2.0 core and is available for SaaS, hybrid and fully self-hosted deployment. Because the license is separate from the code, the cost question is about what you license and how it recurs, not about the core software. Ask Gravitee for the written licensing terms that apply to your deployment model before you plan around any feature.
- Event endpoints: Kafka publish and subscribe over HTTP and WebSocket, Azure Service Bus, MQTT5, RabbitMQ, Solace and JMS endpoints, plus Server-Sent Events and Webhook entrypoints.
- Security and audit: data masking, GeoIP filtering, Dynamic Client Registration and audit trails of API consumption and activity.
- Operations: the Alert Engine, Redis caching and Cloud Reporter.
- AI and agent traffic: Agent-to-Agent, LLM and MCP proxies, plus an enterprise policy pack.
- Deployment choice: SaaS, hybrid or fully self-hosted, depending on where your data and control plane must sit.
Ask which of these features are licensed per deployment, which are included in SaaS, and what support terms apply. Map each feature to a named requirement in your architecture so you pay only for what you use.
WSO2 API Manager is licensed under Apache-2.0, according to its GitHub repository. The repository describes an API control plane, a gateway for routing, mediation and security, a traffic manager for throttling, and Developer Portal and Publisher web interfaces. It supports REST, GraphQL and AsyncAPI APIs and can be extended with custom authenticators, policies and workflows. The open-source distribution is what your team builds and operates itself, so the work of maintenance stays with you.
- Full control plane: the control plane, gateway, traffic manager and both web interfaces are in the Apache-2.0 repository.
- API types: REST, GraphQL and AsyncAPI are supported.
- Extensibility: custom authenticators, policies and workflows can be added.
- Build requirement: the repository notes that building the product requires JDK 21, and the 4.7.0 release was published on April 29, 2026.
- Deployment paths: on-premises installation from extracted packages, Kubernetes through the separate WSO2 API Platform for Kubernetes, and a managed cloud service.
Confirm with WSO2 which deployment path, JDK version and release line your platform team will standardize on, and who owns security patching between releases.
WSO2 sells commercial subscriptions for API Manager. According to the repository, these provide expert support, continuous product updates, vulnerability monitoring and access to the licensed distribution for commercial use. The subscription is the commercial answer to the question of who patches, supports and clears the product for production use in your organization. Cost depends on the subscription terms WSO2 quotes, so ask for them in writing.
- Expert support: access to WSO2 engineers for production issues, as described in the subscription terms.
- Continuous updates: product updates delivered through the subscription.
- Vulnerability monitoring: WSO2 monitors for vulnerabilities in the product under the subscription.
- Licensed distribution: access to the licensed distribution for commercial use.
- Managed options: the API Manager page describes a fully managed SaaS deployment with a 99.95% SLA and a hybrid model with a SaaS control plane and on-premises gateways.
Request the support response terms, update cadence, vulnerability notification process and the SLA language for the deployment model you select.
WSO2 states that its API Platform components are open source under Apache-2.0 except the Monetization module. This is the one component in the platform that does not follow the Apache-2.0 model, so it changes what you can run without a commercial agreement. The exception matters most to teams that plan to charge for API access, because monetization features are where the license boundary sits. Read the WSO2 licensing terms for the Monetization module before you design a billing or usage model around it.
- Scope of the exception: only the Monetization module is excluded from Apache-2.0, according to WSO2.
- Who it affects: teams that plan to meter, charge or bill for API usage.
- Who it does not affect: teams that only need routing, security, throttling and publishing from the Apache-2.0 components.
- Gateway reach: one control plane can manage WSO2 gateways and third-party gateways, including Kong, AWS, Azure and Envoy, according to WSO2.
- Comparison point: Gravitee's Enterprise features are a separate licensed layer, so compare the two boundaries feature by feature rather than by license name.
If monetization is in scope, confirm with WSO2 whether the Monetization module is licensed separately and what it costs to run in your environment.
What drives the running cost of each platform
This table lists the cost components for self-hosted Gravitee APIM and WSO2 API Manager, who is paid for each one, and whether it is one-time or recurring. Read each row as a question to answer in your own environment and quote, since neither vendor's price is supplied here. The main takeaway is that WSO2 cost leans on JDK 21 build and upgrade skills and an optional commercial subscription, while Gravitee cost leans on Enterprise license scope and MongoDB and Helm operations.
| Cost component | Gravitee APIM | WSO2 API Manager | One-time or recurring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure for gateways and data stores | Gateway nodes plus the management backend and a MongoDB deployment, per the Docker Compose and Helm options in the repository README. Confirm sizing with Gravitee for your traffic. | Gateway, control plane and traffic manager components, deployed from extracted packages or on Kubernetes. Confirm sizing and whether on-premises gateways pair with a SaaS control plane. | Recurring (hosting and cloud spend) |
| Build and platform skills | Helm chart operation on Kubernetes (AKS, GKE, EKS, OpenShift) and MongoDB administration for the Docker Compose path. Ask which skills the chosen topology needs. | Java toolchain work: the repository notes building the product requires JDK 21, so build pipelines and runtime staff need that skill set. | One-time to set up, recurring to keep staff current |
| Subscription or Enterprise license fees | Enterprise Edition requires a license. Ask which event, security and AI features are in the quoted scope, since these are Enterprise-only. | Commercial subscriptions from WSO2 provide expert support, continuous product updates, vulnerability monitoring and access to the licensed distribution for commercial use. Ask what the subscription excludes. | Recurring (annual or term fees, to be confirmed in writing) |
| Installation and implementation services | Fixed-scope work from an implementer for deployment, policy design and portal setup, if you buy it. Scope and deliverables should be agreed in writing before work starts. | Same pattern: deployment from packages or Kubernetes, custom authenticators, policies and workflows. Ask for the extension scope explicitly. | One-time |
| Upgrades and regression testing | Version changes across the gateway, console and portal, including Enterprise features. Ask how upgrade paths and release tags are supported for your version. | Upgrades across the control plane, gateway and traffic manager, plus testing of custom extensions after each release such as 4.7.0 (April 29, 2026, per the repository). | Recurring (each release cycle) |
| Operations, monitoring and support | Ongoing operation of the gateway, backend and MongoDB, plus audit trail and alerting configuration. Confirm who owns on-call and incident response. | Operation of the API control plane and gateways, plus any hybrid links between a SaaS control plane and on-premises gateways. Confirm the support tier and response commitments in the quote. | Recurring |
| Exit and switching cost | Cost of moving APIs, policies and portal content if you leave the platform later. Ask how configuration can be exported. | Cost of moving custom authenticators, policies and workflows if you leave. Ask which extension code stays portable. | One-time (at exit) |
Moving API management from one platform to the other
This sequence moves APIs, policies, subscriptions and consumers from one control plane to the other without a single cutover day. The output is a documented inventory, rebuilt security and throttling settings, a period where both gateways serve traffic, and a retired source platform with its portal and access records preserved.
Inventory APIs, policies and subscriptions
The API owner and platform team list every API published on the current platform, including its version, backend endpoints, documentation, policies applied at API and plan level, and the applications subscribed to each plan. Include event and asynchronous APIs separately, because their endpoint types and policy chains may not map one to one. The inventory is done when every API has an owner, a target name on the new platform and a named list of consumers that a reviewer has signed off.
Confirm export and import options with each vendor
Before any build work starts, the migration lead asks Gravitee and WSO2 in writing which export formats, configuration APIs and import tooling each product supports for your version and deployment model. Ask whether API definitions, plans, subscriptions and applications can be exported in a machine-readable form, and what is excluded. The step closes when the answers are recorded in the migration plan and any gaps are assigned to an owner, since the exact tooling depends on each vendor's export options and must be confirmed rather than assumed.
Rebuild authentication and throttling on the target
Security engineers recreate identity integration, such as OAuth2 or OpenID Connect settings, API keys, mutual TLS and any custom authenticators, on the target platform. Rate limits, quotas and traffic rules are rebuilt per plan and per application, and each setting is compared against the source configuration. Custom policies and workflows need to be rewritten or re-implemented, because they do not move automatically. The step is complete when a test suite shows matching allow and deny results for each consumer type.
Run both gateways in parallel
The platform team deploys the target gateway next to the existing one and routes a small set of non-critical APIs through it, using DNS, load balancer or client configuration changes that can be reversed quickly. Logs, metrics and audit trails are compared between the two gateways for latency, error rates and policy outcomes. Backend connections, certificates and network paths are verified in the target environment. The step closes when parity checks pass for each migrated API and the rollback procedure has been tested.
Migrate consumers and the developer portal
Application teams update their endpoints, credentials and client configuration, and the team moves API documentation, plans and onboarding flows to the new developer portal. Subscription requests are reissued or re-approved where the new platform requires it, and consumers are notified of the cutover window and any changed URLs or scopes. Support staff track which consumers still call the old gateway. The step is done when the source gateway shows no production traffic for the migrated APIs and every consumer has confirmed access on the target.
Retire the old control plane
Once traffic has moved and the rollback window has closed, the team disables the old publishing and gateway instances and archives configuration, logs and audit records according to retention obligations. Secrets and certificates held only by the old platform are revoked or rotated, and access for former administrators is removed. The final check is a written record listing each retired component, where its archived data is stored and who approved the decommissioning.
Where implementation projects run long
Event endpoint configuration and AsyncAPI definitions are the most common source of rework. Gravitee's Enterprise Edition adds Kafka publish and subscribe over HTTP and WebSocket, MQTT5, RabbitMQ, Solace, JMS and other event endpoints, while WSO2 API Manager supports AsyncAPI alongside REST and GraphQL. In both cases the schedule slips when event schemas, topic naming, consumer groups and authentication rules are not agreed before the gateway is configured. Ask each vendor, and your own architecture team, to produce the AsyncAPI or equivalent contract for every event API in scope first, and confirm which endpoint types your chosen edition actually includes before anyone builds a flow.
License scope is the overrun that surfaces late. Both products are Apache-2.0, but the features that often matter in regulated estates sit in different places. Gravitee lists data masking, GeoIP filtering, Dynamic Client Registration, the Alert Engine, Redis caching and audit trails of API consumption as Enterprise Edition features and states that Enterprise requires a license. WSO2 states that its API Platform components are Apache-2.0 except the Monetization module, and that its commercial subscriptions provide expert support, updates and vulnerability monitoring. Map each control your identity, policy and monitoring design depends on to a specific edition or subscription before the design is signed off, so the project does not stall when a feature turns out to be out of scope.
Upgrade cycles and existing gateways add work that repeats for the life of the platform. Deployment topology, identity and policy design, and portal branding are set up once, but they must survive every upgrade. WSO2 API Manager 4.7.0 requires JDK 21 to build, and Gravitee's repository tags and documentation track different release lines, so the upgrade path for your chosen version should be written into the plan. If you run other gateways, WSO2 states that one control plane can manage third-party gateways including Kong, AWS, Azure and Envoy; confirm how policies, subscriptions and analytics map across those gateways before you commit to a single control plane. Ask both vendors for their supported upgrade paths and release notes for the versions you plan to run.
Questions buyers ask before choosing or hiring help
What drives the cost of running Gravitee or WSO2 API Manager?
The main drivers are how many APIs and environments you run, how many gateways sit in each network zone, and which deployment model you pick. Each platform has a license or subscription component and an effort component. For Gravitee, the Enterprise Edition requires a license, so the license scope is a line item only if you need its event, security or AI features. For WSO2, a commercial subscription covers expert support, continuous product updates and vulnerability monitoring, and it is priced separately from the Apache-2.0 code. Ask each vendor for a written quote that lists the license tier, the number of gateways and the support level, and separate one-time setup from recurring subscription and operating effort.
How long does it take to reach production with either platform?
No timeline is supplied for either platform, so treat any duration as something to confirm in writing. The schedule depends on the deployment model (SaaS, hybrid or fully self-hosted), the number of APIs to onboard, how many identity and policy integrations you need, and whether your team has run the chosen runtime before. WSO2 documents a Kubernetes route through a separate WSO2 API Platform for Kubernetes, and Gravitee documents Helm and Docker Compose paths, so the platform engineering work differs. Ask for a fixed-scope plan that names the environments, the first API cohort and the acceptance tests before work begins.
What skills and staff does my team need to run the platform?
Your team needs people who can operate the runtime, the control plane and the identity layer. Expect to need staff with Kubernetes or VM administration skills for whichever deployment you choose, Java experience for WSO2 API Manager, which the repository says requires JDK 21 to build, and API design skills for REST, GraphQL or AsyncAPI definitions. Gravitee needs MongoDB in the Docker Compose path, so database administration matters there. Assign an owner for upgrades, certificate rotation and policy changes before go-live, because these recur for the life of the platform.
Can a small team run either platform without outside help?
It is possible for a team with platform and API engineering experience, but the answer depends on how many gateways, event endpoints and identity integrations you run. Both products are Apache-2.0 at their core, so you can download and operate them without a vendor contract. The gaps appear in support response, security patch tracking and upgrade testing. WSO2 sells commercial subscriptions that include expert support and vulnerability monitoring, and Gravitee offers SaaS, hybrid and self-hosted options for Enterprise customers. DeployOpen plans, implements, hardens, backs up, upgrades and documents self-hosted platforms in your own infrastructure, and ongoing support is available as a retainer. Scope any help in writing before work starts.
What does the Gravitee Enterprise license cover?
The Enterprise license covers features that the Community Edition does not include. According to Gravitee's documentation, these include Kafka publish and subscribe over HTTP and WebSocket, Azure Service Bus, MQTT5, RabbitMQ, Solace and JMS endpoints, Server-Sent Events and Webhook entrypoints, audit trails of API consumption and activity, data masking, GeoIP filtering, Dynamic Client Registration, an enterprise policy pack, the Alert Engine, Redis caching, Cloud Reporter, and Agent-to-Agent, LLM and MCP proxies. Confirm which of these you need, because the license scope drives the cost. If you only need the core gateway and portal, check whether the Community Edition meets your requirements before buying the Enterprise license. Ask Gravitee to confirm the license terms in writing.
Does WSO2 API Manager need a commercial subscription for production?
The product is Apache-2.0 licensed, so the code is free to use, but WSO2 describes its commercial subscriptions as providing expert support, continuous product updates, vulnerability monitoring and access to the licensed distribution for commercial use. Whether you need the subscription depends on your support obligations and your internal capacity to track security fixes. Ask WSO2 which parts of the distribution are covered by the subscription and what the support response terms are. Also confirm that the Monetization module, which WSO2 says is not open source under Apache-2.0, is excluded from your plan unless you need it.
How hard is it to switch from one API management platform to the other later?
Switching cost is driven by how much policy, identity and API definition work is specific to the platform. API definitions in OpenAPI, AsyncAPI or GraphQL formats move more easily than gateway-specific policies, custom authenticators and workflows. WSO2 states that one control plane can manage WSO2 gateways and third-party gateways including Kong, AWS, Azure and Envoy, which may ease a gradual migration, but you should test that path for your own policies. Gravitee's Enterprise features such as event endpoints and AI proxies can create dependencies that must be rebuilt on the other side. Keep API contracts in version control, document every custom policy, and budget a migration test cycle with the platform owner.
What should I ask for in a quote before choosing a partner?
Ask for a written scope that lists the platform version, deployment model, number of gateways and environments, APIs and event endpoints to onboard, identity integrations, and the acceptance tests for go-live. Require separate line items for one-time implementation, hardening and documentation, and recurring items such as subscriptions, support retainers and upgrade work. Ask which licenses the quote assumes, who holds them, and what happens if scope grows. DeployOpen does not publish a price list. A quote follows from the written scope, and most engagements are fixed-scope, with scope, deliverables and timelines agreed before work starts.
How DeployOpen helps you choose and implement
DeployOpen is a Chainscore Labs company that plans, implements, hardens, integrates, documents and supports self-hosted open-source platforms inside the client's own cloud accounts, data centers or air-gapped networks. For a Gravitee or WSO2 deployment, the work usually starts with a decision list that the written scope can reference: which Gravitee Enterprise features you need (such as Kafka, MQTT5 or RabbitMQ endpoints), which deployment shape you run (Helm on Kubernetes, Docker Compose with MongoDB, or a hybrid model), and whether a WSO2 control plane must manage third-party gateways. Most engagements are fixed-scope, so scope, deliverables and timelines are agreed in writing before any work begins.
DeployOpen is not a partner or reseller of Gravitee or WSO2, and it does not recommend either platform in advance. The choice should follow from your own traffic patterns, event endpoints, identity model and operating capacity. Before you request a quote, confirm licensing directly with each vendor, because the answer changes the scope. Gravitee documents that its Enterprise Edition requires a license, and WSO2 sells commercial subscriptions that include expert support, continuous product updates and vulnerability monitoring. Ask each vendor which components your architecture needs under those terms, and record that list in the scope document so both options are quoted against the same requirements.
Ongoing support, upgrades and continuous testing are available as retainers, separate from the initial implementation. Plan for them early, because both platforms follow their own release cycles. The Gravitee repository was tagged core_4.13.1 on October 15, 2026, and WSO2 API Manager 4.7.0 requires JDK 21 to build. Ask DeployOpen to include upgrade procedures, backup and restore steps and security testing of your APIs in the written scope, and confirm each vendor's support window for the release you choose. WSO2's API Manager page is a useful starting point for its deployment options.
