--- title: "ai-getting-started vs kong" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started-vs-kong-kong" tools: ["a16z-infra-ai-getting-started", "kong-kong"] --- # ai-getting-started vs kong *GraphCanon updated Oct 4, 2026* ## Verdict Pick ai-getting-started if ai-getting-started is a TypeScript-based JavaScript AI tool tailored for weekend projects, offering everything from model implementation to deployment configurations; pick kong if kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. [ai-getting-started](https://ai-getting-started.com/) reports 4.1k GitHub stars, 659 forks, and 16 open issues, last pushed Aug 21, 2024. [kong](https://konghq.com/install/) has 44k stars, 5.2k forks, and 200 open issues, last pushed Sep 7, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [ai-getting-started's repository](https://github.com/a16z-infra/ai-getting-started) and [kong's repository](https://github.com/Kong/kong). | | [ai-getting-started](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started.md) | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | A Javascript AI getting started stack for weekend projects | The API and AI Gateway | | Stars | 4,142 | 44,157 | | Forks | 659 | 5,210 | | Open issues | 16 | 200 | | Language | TypeScript | Lua | | Adopt for | ai-getting-started is a TypeScript-based JavaScript AI tool tailored for weekend projects, offering everything from model implementation to deployment configurations. | Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Developer Tools, Model Training, Vector Databases | Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [ai-getting-started](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started.md) | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Active (82%) | | Days since push | 759d | 12d | | Open issues (now) | 16 | 200 | | Stars delta | +1 (30d) | +299 (30d) | | Open issues delta | 0 (30d) | +33 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: ai-getting-started - **Adopt for:** ai-getting-started is a TypeScript-based JavaScript AI tool tailored for weekend projects, offering everything from model implementation to deployment configurations. ## Decision facts: kong - **Adopt for:** Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. ## Choose when ### Choose ai-getting-started if… - ai-getting-started is primarily TypeScript; kong is Lua. - License: ai-getting-started is MIT, kong is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to ai-getting-started: deployment, image models, javascript, text models. - Also covers Model Training, Vector Databases. - ai-getting-started ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - * Use this tool if you are already familiar with or prefer working in TypeScript and want an easy entry point into AI project development. ### Choose kong if… - kong is primarily Lua; ai-getting-started is TypeScript. - License: kong is Apache-2.0, ai-getting-started is MIT. - Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, kubernetes. - requires Lua scripting ## When NOT to use ai-getting-started - * If your focus is on developing large-scale, production-level applications, this tool may not offer the necessary scalability features. - * Not suitable if you require highly customized vector stores or specific AI model training environments beyond what the package provides as it focuses more on a general setup. ## When NOT to use kong - prefers non-Lua languages - seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ## Common questions ### What is the difference between ai-getting-started and kong? ai-getting-started: A Javascript AI getting started stack for weekend projects. kong: The API and AI Gateway. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose ai-getting-started over kong? Choose ai-getting-started over kong when ai-getting-started is primarily TypeScript; kong is Lua; License: ai-getting-started is MIT, kong is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to ai-getting-started: deployment, image models, javascript, text models; Also covers Model Training, Vector Databases; ai-getting-started ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; * Use this tool if you are already familiar with or prefer working in TypeScript and want an easy entry point into AI project development. ### When should I choose kong over ai-getting-started? Choose kong over ai-getting-started when kong is primarily Lua; ai-getting-started is TypeScript; License: kong is Apache-2.0, ai-getting-started is MIT; Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, kubernetes; requires Lua scripting. ### When should I avoid ai-getting-started? * If your focus is on developing large-scale, production-level applications, this tool may not offer the necessary scalability features. * Not suitable if you require highly customized vector stores or specific AI model training environments beyond what the package provides as it focuses more on a general setup. ### When should I avoid kong? prefers non-Lua languages seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ### Is ai-getting-started or kong more popular on GitHub? kong has more GitHub stars (44,157 vs 4,142). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are ai-getting-started and kong open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (ai-getting-started: MIT, kong: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to ai-getting-started or kong? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [ai-getting-started alternatives](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/alternatives) and [kong alternatives](/tools/kong-kong/alternatives) ([ai-getting-started markdown twin](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/alternatives.md), [kong markdown twin](/tools/kong-kong/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started-vs-kong-kong.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, ai-getting-started or kong? ai-getting-started: Dormant. kong: Active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for ai-getting-started and kong? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [ai-getting-started trust report](/tools/a16z-infra-ai-getting-started/trust); [kong trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=a16z-infra-ai-getting-started`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=a16z-infra-ai-getting-started) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_