--- title: "gateway vs kong" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/adaline-gateway-vs-kong-kong" tools: ["adaline-gateway", "kong-kong"] --- # gateway vs kong *GraphCanon updated Aug 25, 2026* ## 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. [gateway](https://www.adaline.ai/docs) reports 605 GitHub stars, 26 forks, and 2 open issues, last pushed Jul 29, 2026. [kong](https://konghq.com/install/) has 44k stars, 5.2k forks, and 190 open issues, last pushed Aug 16, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [gateway's repository](https://github.com/adaline/gateway) and [kong's repository](https://github.com/Kong/kong). | | [gateway](/tools/adaline-gateway.md) | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs | The API and AI Gateway | | Stars | 605 | 44,035 | | Forks | 26 | 5,206 | | Open issues | 2 | 190 | | Language | TypeScript | Lua | | Adopt for | Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs with production-grade capabilities in TypeScript. | 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, LLM Frameworks | Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [gateway](/tools/adaline-gateway.md) | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Days since push | 22d | 9d | | Open issues (now) | 2 | 190 | | Stars delta | +4 (30d) | +177 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +2 (30d) | +23 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/adaline-gateway/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: gateway - **Adopt for:** Unified SDK for calling over 200 LLMs with production-grade capabilities in TypeScript. - **License detail:** MIT ## Decision facts: kong - **Adopt for:** Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. ## Choose when ### 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. ### 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 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 NOT to use kong - prefers non-Lua languages - seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ## 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 (44,035 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](/tools/adaline-gateway/alternatives) and [kong alternatives](/tools/kong-kong/alternatives) ([gateway markdown twin](/tools/adaline-gateway/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/adaline-gateway-vs-kong-kong.md) 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: 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](/tools/adaline-gateway/trust); [kong trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=adaline-gateway`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=adaline-gateway) - 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/_