--- title: "kong vs kueue" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/kong-kong-vs-kubernetes-sigs-kueue" tools: ["kong-kong", "kubernetes-sigs-kueue"] --- # kong vs kueue *GraphCanon updated Aug 25, 2026* ## Verdict Pick kong if kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes; pick kueue if kueue is a Kubernetes-native framework for queue management and job scheduling ideal for environments with large-scale workloads running on Kubernetes 1.29 or newer. [kong](https://konghq.com/install/) reports 44k GitHub stars, 5.2k forks, and 190 open issues, last pushed Aug 16, 2026. [kueue](https://kueue.sigs.k8s.io) has 2.8k stars, 720 forks, and 532 open issues, last pushed Aug 3, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [kong's repository](https://github.com/Kong/kong) and [kueue's repository](https://github.com/kubernetes-sigs/kueue). | | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | [kueue](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-kueue.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | The API and AI Gateway | Kubernetes-native Job Queueing | | Stars | 44,035 | 2,766 | | Forks | 5,206 | 720 | | Open issues | 190 | 532 | | Language | Lua | Go | | Adopt for | Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. | Kueue is a Kubernetes-native framework for queue management and job scheduling ideal for environments with large-scale workloads running on Kubernetes 1.29 or newer. | | 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._ | | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | [kueue](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-kueue.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Active (82%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 9d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 190 | 532 | | Stars delta | +177 (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | +23 (30d) | Unknown | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-kueue/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: kong - **Adopt for:** Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. ## Decision facts: kueue - **Hosting:** self hosted - **Pricing:** freemium - Kueue is free and open-source under the Apache-2.0 license, allowing for unrestricted use in both personal and commercial projects. - **Adopt for:** Kueue is a Kubernetes-native framework for queue management and job scheduling ideal for environments with large-scale workloads running on Kubernetes 1.29 or newer. ## Choose when ### Choose kong if… - kong is primarily Lua; kueue is Go. - Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, llm-gateway. - requires Lua scripting ### Choose kueue if… - kueue is primarily Go; kong is Lua. - Pricing: Kueue is free and open-source under the Apache-2.0 license, allowing for unrestricted use in both personal and commercial projects.. - Tags unique to kueue: devops tools, job-queue, k8s, k8s-sig-scheduling. - kueue ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Use Kueue if your project requires Kubernetes-native components that seamlessly integrate with existing cluster configurations, ensuring efficient handling of large-scale workloads. ## When NOT to use kong - prefers non-Lua languages - seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ## When NOT to use kueue - Avoid Kueue if your project operates on a version of Kubernetes older than 1.29 as it will not be compatible. - If your team lacks experience with Kubernetes or if the workload does not necessitate a native Kubernetes integration, other tools better suited to different environments may offer more utility. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between kong and kueue? kong: The API and AI Gateway. kueue: Kubernetes-native Job Queueing. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose kong over kueue? Choose kong over kueue when kong is primarily Lua; kueue is Go; Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, llm-gateway; requires Lua scripting. ### When should I choose kueue over kong? Choose kueue over kong when kueue is primarily Go; kong is Lua; Pricing: Kueue is free and open-source under the Apache-2.0 license, allowing for unrestricted use in both personal and commercial projects.; Tags unique to kueue: devops tools, job-queue, k8s, k8s-sig-scheduling; kueue ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Use Kueue if your project requires Kubernetes-native components that seamlessly integrate with existing cluster configurations, ensuring efficient handling of large-scale workloads. ### When should I avoid kong? prefers non-Lua languages seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ### When should I avoid kueue? Avoid Kueue if your project operates on a version of Kubernetes older than 1.29 as it will not be compatible. If your team lacks experience with Kubernetes or if the workload does not necessitate a native Kubernetes integration, other tools better suited to different environments may offer more utility. ### Is kong or kueue more popular on GitHub? kong has more GitHub stars (44,035 vs 2,766). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are kong and kueue open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (kong: Apache-2.0, kueue: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to kong or kueue? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [kong alternatives](/tools/kong-kong/alternatives) and [kueue alternatives](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-kueue/alternatives) ([kong markdown twin](/tools/kong-kong/alternatives.md), [kueue markdown twin](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-kueue/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/kong-kong-vs-kubernetes-sigs-kueue.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, kong or kueue? kong: Active. kueue: 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 kong and kueue? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [kong trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust); [kueue trust report](/tools/kubernetes-sigs-kueue/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=kong-kong`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=kong-kong) - 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/_