Comparison
grafbase vs kong
Verdict
Pick grafbase if grafbase, an enterprise-grade GraphQL Federation Gateway in Rust and WebAssembly for integrating AI models via API; pick kong if kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes.
Markdown twin · grafbase alternatives · kong alternatives
GraphCanon updated 4w
Trust & integrity
| Signal | grafbase | kong |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Active (25d since push) As of 4w · github_public_v1 | Very active (3d since push) As of 1mo · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of 4w · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 1mo · 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
- grafbase
- GraphQL Federation Gateway for AI APIs in Rust and WebAssembly
- kong
- The API and AI Gateway
Stars
- grafbase
- 1.2k
- kong
- 44k
Forks
- grafbase
- 71
- kong
- 5.2k
Open issues
- grafbase
- 13
- kong
- 167
Language
- grafbase
- Rust
- kong
- Lua
Adopt for
- grafbase
- Grafbase, an enterprise-grade GraphQL Federation Gateway in Rust and WebAssembly for integrating AI models via API.
- kong
- Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes.
Persona
- grafbase
- -
- kong
- -
Runtime
- grafbase
- -
- kong
- -
License
- grafbase
- MPL-2.0
- kong
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- grafbase
- Jul 1, 2026
- kong
- Jul 22, 2026
Categories
- grafbase
- Developer Tools
- kong
- Developer Tools
Trust and health
Maintenance
- grafbase
- Active (82%)
- kong
- Very active (96%)
Days since push
- grafbase
- 25d
- kong
- 3d
Open issues (now)
- grafbase
- 13
- kong
- 167
Full report
- grafbase
- Trust report
- kong
- Trust report
Choose grafbase if…
- grafbase is primarily Rust; kong is Lua.
- License: grafbase is MPL-2.0, kong is Apache-2.0.
- Grafbase operates as a self-hosted solution, giving users full control over their GraphQL gateway and associated services.
- Tags unique to grafbase: ai, api, graphql, rust.
- You require an enterprise-level GraphQL gateway with support for Rust and WebAssembly to integrate advanced AI APIs.
When NOT to use grafbase
- You do not require advanced federation capabilities or specific use of Rust and WebAssembly in your GraphQL implementation.
- If your project has limited scalability needs and can suffice with simpler, monolithic GraphQL service solutions.
- When seeking a platform with broader language support rather than focusing primarily on Rust and WebAssembly.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (grafbase/grafbase) · observed Jul 27, 2026
- GitHub forks (grafbase/grafbase) · observed Jul 27, 2026
- Last push (grafbase/grafbase) · observed Jul 1, 2026
- License file (MPL-2.0) · observed Jul 27, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (Kong/kong) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- GitHub forks (Kong/kong) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- Last push (Kong/kong) · observed Jul 22, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 14, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: grafbase 1.2k · kong 44k (synced Jul 27, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between grafbase and kong?
- grafbase: GraphQL Federation Gateway for AI APIs in Rust and WebAssembly. kong: The API and AI Gateway. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose grafbase over kong?
- Choose grafbase over kong when grafbase is primarily Rust; kong is Lua; License: grafbase is MPL-2.0, kong is Apache-2.0; Grafbase operates as a self-hosted solution, giving users full control over their GraphQL gateway and associated services; Tags unique to grafbase: ai, api, graphql, rust; You require an enterprise-level GraphQL gateway with support for Rust and WebAssembly to integrate advanced AI APIs.
- When should I choose kong over grafbase?
- Choose kong over grafbase when kong is primarily Lua; grafbase is Rust; License: kong is Apache-2.0, grafbase is MPL-2.0; Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, kubernetes; requires Lua scripting.
- When should I avoid grafbase?
- You do not require advanced federation capabilities or specific use of Rust and WebAssembly in your GraphQL implementation. If your project has limited scalability needs and can suffice with simpler, monolithic GraphQL service solutions. When seeking a platform with broader language support rather than focusing primarily on Rust and WebAssembly.
- When should I avoid kong?
- prefers non-Lua languages seeks competitor-native AI capabilities
- Is grafbase or kong more popular on GitHub?
- kong has more GitHub stars (43,858 vs 1,230). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are grafbase and kong open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (grafbase: MPL-2.0, kong: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to grafbase or kong?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at grafbase alternatives and kong alternatives (grafbase 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, grafbase or kong?
- grafbase: 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 grafbase and kong?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: grafbase trust report; kong trust report.