--- title: "kong vs console" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/kong-kong-vs-kubestellar-console" tools: ["kong-kong", "kubestellar-console"] --- # kong vs console *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 console if console is a fully integrated automated Kubernetes management tool with paths for hosted demo access and self-hosted local installation. [kong](https://konghq.com/install/) reports 44k GitHub stars, 5.2k forks, and 190 open issues, last pushed Aug 16, 2026. [console](https://console.kubestellar.io) has 125 stars, 130 forks, and 29 open issues, last pushed Aug 2, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [kong's repository](https://github.com/Kong/kong) and [console's repository](https://github.com/kubestellar/console). | | [kong](/tools/kong-kong.md) | [console](/tools/kubestellar-console.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | The API and AI Gateway | Kubernetes management and orchestration solution | | Stars | 44,035 | 125 | | Forks | 5,206 | 130 | | Open issues | 190 | 29 | | Language | Lua | TypeScript | | Adopt for | Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. | Console is a fully integrated automated Kubernetes management tool with paths for hosted demo access and self-hosted local installation. | | 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) | [console](/tools/kubestellar-console.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Active (82%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 9d | 0d | | Open issues (now) | 190 | 29 | | Stars delta | +177 (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | +23 (30d) | Unknown | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kubestellar-console/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: kong - **Adopt for:** Kong is Lua-based and Apache-2.0 licensed for API and AI gateway purposes. ## Decision facts: console - **Adopt for:** Console is a fully integrated automated Kubernetes management tool with paths for hosted demo access and self-hosted local installation. ## Choose when ### Choose kong if… - kong is primarily Lua; console is TypeScript. - Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, llm-gateway. - requires Lua scripting ### Choose console if… - console is primarily TypeScript; kong is Lua. - Tags unique to console: automated orchestration, management console, self-hosting. - console ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - Need to evaluate console features without setup of your own clusters ## When NOT to use kong - prefers non-Lua languages - seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ## When NOT to use console - Seeking direct interaction with your local Kubernetes agent at first glance - Preferring immediate integration and management in an existing non-Kubernetes environment ## Common questions ### What is the difference between kong and console? kong: The API and AI Gateway. console: Kubernetes management and orchestration solution. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose kong over console? Choose kong over console when kong is primarily Lua; console is TypeScript; Tags unique to kong: ai-gateway, api-gateway, cloud-native, llm-gateway; requires Lua scripting. ### When should I choose console over kong? Choose console over kong when console is primarily TypeScript; kong is Lua; Tags unique to console: automated orchestration, management console, self-hosting; console ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; Need to evaluate console features without setup of your own clusters. ### When should I avoid kong? prefers non-Lua languages seeks competitor-native AI capabilities ### When should I avoid console? Seeking direct interaction with your local Kubernetes agent at first glance Preferring immediate integration and management in an existing non-Kubernetes environment ### Is kong or console more popular on GitHub? kong has more GitHub stars (44,035 vs 125). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are kong and console open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (kong: Apache-2.0, console: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to kong or console? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [kong alternatives](/tools/kong-kong/alternatives) and [console alternatives](/tools/kubestellar-console/alternatives) ([kong markdown twin](/tools/kong-kong/alternatives.md), [console markdown twin](/tools/kubestellar-console/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-kubestellar-console.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, kong or console? kong: Active. console: 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 console? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [kong trust report](/tools/kong-kong/trust); [console trust report](/tools/kubestellar-console/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/_