--- title: "CopilotKit vs kong" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/copilotkit-copilotkit-vs-kong-kong" tools: ["copilotkit-copilotkit", "kong-kong"] --- # CopilotKit vs kong *GraphCanon updated Oct 4, 2026* ## Verdict Pick CopilotKit if copilotKit is a frontend stack for building AI agents and generative UIs, supporting React, Angular, and other platforms, with a focus on TypeScript; pick kong if kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. [CopilotKit](https://docs.copilotkit.ai) reports 37k GitHub stars, 4.6k forks, and 297 open issues, last pushed Sep 18, 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 [CopilotKit's repository](https://github.com/CopilotKit/CopilotKit) and [kong's repository](https://github.com/Kong/kong). | | [CopilotKit](/tools/copilotkit-copilotkit.md) | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | The Frontend Stack for Agents & Generative UI | The API and AI Gateway | | Stars | 37,405 | 44,157 | | Forks | 4,641 | 5,210 | | Open issues | 297 | 200 | | Language | TypeScript | Lua | | Adopt for | CopilotKit is a frontend stack for building AI agents and generative UIs, supporting React, Angular, and other platforms, with a focus on TypeScript. | Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [CopilotKit](/tools/copilotkit-copilotkit.md) | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Active (82%) | | Days since push | 0d | 12d | | Open issues (now) | 297 | 200 | | Stars delta | +775 (30d) | +299 (30d) | | Open issues delta | -73 (30d) | +33 (30d) | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/copilotkit-copilotkit/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: CopilotKit - **Adopt for:** CopilotKit is a frontend stack for building AI agents and generative UIs, supporting React, Angular, and other platforms, with a focus on TypeScript. ## Decision facts: kong - **Adopt for:** Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. ## Choose when ### Choose CopilotKit if… - CopilotKit is primarily TypeScript; kong is Lua. - License: CopilotKit is MIT, kong is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to CopilotKit: agent, agent-native, agentic-ai, ai-agent. - Also covers AI Agents. - When you are developing AI agents or generative UIs in React or Angular and prefer TypeScript for strong typing and better developer experience. ### Choose kong if… - kong is primarily Lua; CopilotKit is TypeScript. - License: kong is Apache-2.0, CopilotKit is MIT. - Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, kubernetes. - requires Lua scripting ## When NOT to use CopilotKit - If your project is not focused on frontend development or does not require integration with AI agents and generative UIs. - When you are working in a non-TypeScript environment, as CopilotKit is primarily designed for TypeScript. - If your project does not align with the MIT License terms, as CopilotKit is distributed under this license. ## When NOT to use kong - prefers non-Lua languages - seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ## Common questions ### What is the difference between CopilotKit and kong? CopilotKit: The Frontend Stack for Agents & Generative UI. kong: The API and AI Gateway. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose CopilotKit over kong? Choose CopilotKit over kong when CopilotKit is primarily TypeScript; kong is Lua; License: CopilotKit is MIT, kong is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to CopilotKit: agent, agent-native, agentic-ai, ai-agent; Also covers AI Agents; When you are developing AI agents or generative UIs in React or Angular and prefer TypeScript for strong typing and better developer experience. ### When should I choose kong over CopilotKit? Choose kong over CopilotKit when kong is primarily Lua; CopilotKit is TypeScript; License: kong is Apache-2.0, CopilotKit is MIT; Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, kubernetes; requires Lua scripting. ### When should I avoid CopilotKit? If your project is not focused on frontend development or does not require integration with AI agents and generative UIs. When you are working in a non-TypeScript environment, as CopilotKit is primarily designed for TypeScript. If your project does not align with the MIT License terms, as CopilotKit is distributed under this license. ### When should I avoid kong? prefers non-Lua languages seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ### Is CopilotKit or kong more popular on GitHub? kong has more GitHub stars (44,157 vs 37,405). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are CopilotKit and kong open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (CopilotKit: MIT, kong: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to CopilotKit or kong? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [CopilotKit alternatives](/tools/copilotkit-copilotkit/alternatives) and [kong alternatives](/tools/kong-kong/alternatives) ([CopilotKit markdown twin](/tools/copilotkit-copilotkit/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/copilotkit-copilotkit-vs-kong-kong.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, CopilotKit or kong? CopilotKit: 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 CopilotKit and kong? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [CopilotKit trust report](/tools/copilotkit-copilotkit/trust); [kong trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=copilotkit-copilotkit`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=copilotkit-copilotkit) - 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/_