Home/Compare/gateway vs kong

Comparison

gateway vs kong

Verdict

Pick gateway if unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs with production-grade capabilities in TypeScript; pick kong if kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes.

Markdown twin · gateway alternatives · kong alternatives

GraphCanon updated today

gateway logo

gateway

adaline/gateway

605pushed Jul 29, 2026
vs
kong logo

kong

Kong/kong

44kpushed Jul 22, 2026

Trust & integrity

Signalgatewaykong
Maintenance
Active (22d since push)
As of today · github_public_v1
Very active (3d since push)
As of 3w · github_public_v1
Provenance
Not a fork · Organization account
As of today · github_public_v1
Not a fork · Organization account
As of 3w · github_public_v1
OSV dependency advisories
No lockfile (source not queried)
As of 1mo · osv@v1
No lockfile (source not queried)
As of 1mo · osv@v1
deps.dev advisories
Not queried
deps.dev@v1
Not queried
deps.dev@v1
OpenSSF Scorecard
Not queried
openssf-scorecard@v1
Not queried
openssf-scorecard@v1

Tagline

gateway
Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs
kong
The API and AI Gateway

Stars

gateway
605
kong
44k

Forks

gateway
26
kong
5.2k

Open issues

gateway
2
kong
167

Language

gateway
TypeScript
kong
Lua

Adopt for

gateway
Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs with production-grade capabilities in TypeScript.
kong
Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes.

Persona

gateway
-
kong
-

Runtime

gateway
-
kong
-

License

gateway
MIT
kong
Apache-2.0

Last pushed

gateway
Jul 29, 2026
kong
Jul 22, 2026

Categories

gateway
Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks
kong
Developer Tools

Trust and health

Maintenance

gateway
Active (82%)
kong
Very active (96%)

Days since push

gateway
22d
kong
3d

Open issues (now)

gateway
2
kong
167

Stars delta

gateway
+4 (30d)
kong
Unknown

Open issues delta

gateway
+2 (30d)
kong
Unknown

Full report

Choose gateway if…

  • gateway is primarily TypeScript; kong is Lua.
  • License: gateway is MIT, kong is Apache-2.0.
  • Tags unique to gateway: ai-agents, anthropic, language-model, llm.
  • Also covers LLM Frameworks.
  • When you require access to more than 200 different LLMs through a unified interface, ensuring seamless integration and management in your development projects.

When NOT to use gateway

  • When your project only involves a few specific LLMs that don't require a comprehensive, unified SDK; in this case using direct SDKs from those LLM providers could simplify your setup.
  • If you are working primarily in languages other than TypeScript and need an SDK that supports those environments natively for better performance or community support.

Choose kong if…

  • kong is primarily Lua; gateway is TypeScript.
  • License: kong is Apache-2.0, gateway is MIT.
  • Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, kubernetes.
  • requires Lua scripting

When NOT to use kong

  • prefers non-Lua languages
  • seeks competitor-native AI capabilities

Explore

Sources

Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.

GitHub stars on cards: gateway 605 · kong 44k (synced Aug 21, 2026).

Common questions

What is the difference between gateway and kong?
gateway: Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs. kong: The API and AI Gateway. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
When should I choose gateway over kong?
Choose gateway over kong when gateway is primarily TypeScript; kong is Lua; License: gateway is MIT, kong is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to gateway: ai-agents, anthropic, language-model, llm; Also covers LLM Frameworks; When you require access to more than 200 different LLMs through a unified interface, ensuring seamless integration and management in your development projects.
When should I choose kong over gateway?
Choose kong over gateway when kong is primarily Lua; gateway is TypeScript; License: kong is Apache-2.0, gateway is MIT; Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, kubernetes; requires Lua scripting.
When should I avoid gateway?
When your project only involves a few specific LLMs that don't require a comprehensive, unified SDK; in this case using direct SDKs from those LLM providers could simplify your setup. If you are working primarily in languages other than TypeScript and need an SDK that supports those environments natively for better performance or community support.
When should I avoid kong?
prefers non-Lua languages seeks competitor-native AI capabilities
Is gateway or kong more popular on GitHub?
kong has more GitHub stars (43,858 vs 605). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
Are gateway and kong open source?
Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (gateway: MIT, kong: Apache-2.0).
Where can I find alternatives to gateway or kong?
GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at gateway alternatives and kong alternatives (gateway markdown twin, kong markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
Which is better maintained, gateway or kong?
gateway: Active. kong: Very 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 gateway and kong?
GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: gateway trust report; kong trust report.

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