Kong

Self-Hosted

Open-source API gateway and management platform

Overview

Kong is a cloud-native, open-source API gateway designed to manage, secure, and scale APIs and microservices. It supports traffic control (routing, rate limiting), authentication (OAuth2, JWT), and analytics. Deployable via Docker, Kubernetes, or traditional servers, it integrates with Prometheus and Grafana. Ideal for microservices architectures, it offers 100+ plugins for extensibility and multi-cloud support. Its lightweight design ensures low latency while providing enterprise-grade features for full API lifecycle management.

Self-Hosting Resources

Find Official Image on Docker Hub View Source & Docs

Below is a reference structure for docker-compose.yml. ⚠️ Do NOT run blindly. Replace placeholders with official values.

docker-compose.template.yml TEMPLATE


version: '3'
services:
  kong:
    image: <OFFICIAL_IMAGE_NAME>:latest
    container_name: kong
    ports:
      - "8080:<APP_INTERNAL_PORT>"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped

Key Features

Traffic management (routing, rate limiting, load balancing)
API security (authentication, authorization, encryption)
Extensible via 100+ pre-built or custom plugins

Frequently Asked Questions

? Is Kong hard to install?

Kong is easy to set up for basic use cases via Docker, Kubernetes Helm charts, or binary packages. Advanced setups (clustering, plugin integration) may require familiarity with API management and cloud-native tools, but documentation is comprehensive.

? Is Kong a good alternative to AWS API Gateway?

Yes—Kong’s open-source core offers similar traffic management and security features at no cost, and it’s cloud-agnostic (works across AWS, GCP, Azure). While AWS API Gateway integrates deeply with AWS services, Kong provides more flexibility for multi-cloud or on-prem environments.

? Is Kong completely free?

Kong’s core gateway (Kong Gateway OSS) is 100% free and open-source. Enterprise features like advanced analytics, SSO, and dedicated support require a paid Kong Enterprise subscription.

Top Alternatives

Apigee Search Google

AWS API Gateway Search Google

Azure API Management Search Google

Tool Info

Pricing Free/Open Source

Category Software Development - API Management

Platform Self-Hosted

Pros

⊕ Cloud-native and Kubernetes-friendly deployment
⊕ Low latency for high-performance API workflows
⊕ Open-source core with enterprise-grade functionality

Cons

⊖ Advanced configurations require technical expertise
⊖ Enterprise features (SSO, 24/7 support) are paid
⊖ Plugin compatibility checks needed for updates