# apisix vs NATS

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | apisix | NATS |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 39 in API Gateway | #2 of 12 in Message Broker |
| GitHub stars | 17 263 | 20 954 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +98 | +189 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 5 | 18 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.19.0 · 28 Sept 2026 | v2.14.9 · 26 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Lua | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

NATS scores 80/100 against 78/100 for apisix, so it is the safer default.

NATS ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 5 for apisix.

## Details

- [apisix](https://selfhost.directory/project/apisix) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/apisix.md)
- [NATS](https://selfhost.directory/project/nats) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nats.md)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/apisix-vs-nats