--- title: "clusternet vs kong" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/clusternet-clusternet-vs-kong-kong" tools: ["clusternet-clusternet", "kong-kong"] --- # clusternet vs kong *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick clusternet if clusternet simplifies Kubernetes cluster management across various cloud types including public, private and edge environments using Go language under Apache-2.0 license; pick kong if kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. [clusternet](https://clusternet.io) reports 1.5k GitHub stars, 208 forks, and 72 open issues, last pushed Sep 17, 2026. [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 [clusternet's repository](https://github.com/clusternet/clusternet) and [kong's repository](https://github.com/Kong/kong). | | [clusternet](/tools/clusternet-clusternet.md) | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Kubernetes cluster management made easier | The API and AI Gateway | | Stars | 1,451 | 44,157 | | Forks | 208 | 5,210 | | Open issues | 72 | 200 | | Language | Go | Lua | | Adopt for | Clusternet simplifies Kubernetes cluster management across various cloud types including public, private and edge environments using Go language under Apache-2.0 license. | Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | Developer Tools | Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [clusternet](/tools/clusternet-clusternet.md) | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Active (82%) | | Days since push | 1d | 12d | | Open issues (now) | 72 | 200 | | Stars delta | +4 (30d) | +299 (30d) | | Open issues delta | 0 (30d) | +33 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/clusternet-clusternet/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: clusternet - **Adopt for:** Clusternet simplifies Kubernetes cluster management across various cloud types including public, private and edge environments using Go language under Apache-2.0 license. ## Decision facts: kong - **Adopt for:** Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. ## Choose when ### Choose clusternet if… - clusternet is primarily Go; kong is Lua. - Tags unique to clusternet: cluster-management, distributed-cloud, edge-cloud, hybrid-cloud. - clusternet ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - When needing to unify the management of diverse Kubernetes clusters whether they be in a public, private, or edge environment ### Choose kong if… - kong is primarily Lua; clusternet is Go. - Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, llm-gateway, microservices. - requires Lua scripting ## When NOT to use clusternet - If looking for tools specifically designed for non-Kubernetes environments, Clusternet focuses exclusively on Kubernetes ecosystem - When a custom cluster-management solution is required, as Clusternet may not offer extensive customization options out-of-the-box available in some competitor solutions ## When NOT to use kong - prefers non-Lua languages - seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ## Common questions ### What is the difference between clusternet and kong? clusternet: Kubernetes cluster management made easier. kong: The API and AI Gateway. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose clusternet over kong? Choose clusternet over kong when clusternet is primarily Go; kong is Lua; Tags unique to clusternet: cluster-management, distributed-cloud, edge-cloud, hybrid-cloud; clusternet ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When needing to unify the management of diverse Kubernetes clusters whether they be in a public, private, or edge environment. ### When should I choose kong over clusternet? Choose kong over clusternet when kong is primarily Lua; clusternet is Go; Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, llm-gateway, microservices; requires Lua scripting. ### When should I avoid clusternet? If looking for tools specifically designed for non-Kubernetes environments, Clusternet focuses exclusively on Kubernetes ecosystem When a custom cluster-management solution is required, as Clusternet may not offer extensive customization options out-of-the-box available in some competitor solutions ### When should I avoid kong? prefers non-Lua languages seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ### Is clusternet or kong more popular on GitHub? kong has more GitHub stars (44,157 vs 1,451). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are clusternet and kong open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (clusternet: Apache-2.0, kong: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to clusternet or kong? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [clusternet alternatives](/tools/clusternet-clusternet/alternatives) and [kong alternatives](/tools/kong-kong/alternatives) ([clusternet markdown twin](/tools/clusternet-clusternet/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/clusternet-clusternet-vs-kong-kong.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, clusternet or kong? clusternet: Very 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 clusternet and kong? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [clusternet trust report](/tools/clusternet-clusternet/trust); [kong trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=clusternet-clusternet`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=clusternet-clusternet) - 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/_