# apisix vs OpenWA

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

| | apisix | OpenWA |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 ✓ | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 39 in API Gateway | #2 of 19 in API Management |
| GitHub stars | 17 259 ✓ | 16 333 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +98 | +327 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 5 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | 3.19.0 · 28 Sept 2026 | v0.26.0 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Lua | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

apisix scores 78/100 against 77/100 for OpenWA, so it is the safer default.

apisix ships more often: 5 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for OpenWA.

If you want the quickest setup, OpenWA is easier to run; apisix needs more configuration.

OpenWA is growing faster right now (+327 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [apisix](https://selfhost.directory/project/apisix) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/apisix.md)
- [OpenWA](https://selfhost.directory/project/openwa) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openwa.md)

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