# apisix vs Pterodactyl

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

| | apisix | Pterodactyl |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 78/100 ✓ | 75/100 |
| Rank in category | #2 of 39 in API Gateway | #4 of 62 in Game Servers |
| GitHub stars | 17 265 ✓ | 9 438 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +100 | +183 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 5 | 11 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.19.0 · 28 Sept 2026 | v1.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Lua | PHP |

## Which one should you pick?

apisix scores 78/100 against 75/100 for Pterodactyl, so it is the safer default.

Pterodactyl ships more often: 11 stable releases in the past year, against 5 for apisix.

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

## Details

- [apisix](https://selfhost.directory/project/apisix) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/apisix.md)
- [Pterodactyl](https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pterodactyl.md)

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