# Gitea Runner vs Kong

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

| | Gitea Runner | Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 74/100 | 81/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 8 in DevOps | #1 of 19 in API Management |
| GitHub stars | 58 744 ✓ | 44 316 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +604 ✓ | +130 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 15 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v28.2.0 · 18 Oct 2026 ✓ | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Lua |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong scores 81/100 against 74/100 for Gitea Runner, so it is the safer default.

Gitea Runner ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong.

If you want the quickest setup, Gitea Runner is easier to run; Kong needs more configuration.

Gitea Runner is growing faster right now (+604 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Gitea Runner](https://selfhost.directory/project/gitea-runner) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/gitea-runner.md)
- [Kong](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Kong vs Traefik](https://selfhost.directory/compare/kong-vs-traefik)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/gitea-runner-vs-kong