AudiobookshelfvsKong Gateway
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Audiobookshelf | Kong Gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 79/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 15 in Audiobook Management | #1 of 39 in API Gateway |
| GitHub stars | 14 839 | 44 319 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +402 | +129 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 | 3 |
| Latest release | v2.37.2 · 23 Oct 2026 | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Easy | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | JavaScript | Lua |
Which one should you pick?
Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 79/100 for Audiobookshelf, so it is the safer default.
Audiobookshelf ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.
If you want the quickest setup, Audiobookshelf is easier to run; Kong Gateway needs more configuration.
Audiobookshelf is growing faster right now (+402 stars in 30 days).
Audiobookshelf details →Kong Gateway details →
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