inference-gatewayvsKong Gateway
Two self-hosted API Gateway projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| inference-gateway | Kong Gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 49/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #22 of 39 in API Gateway | #1 of 39 in API Gateway |
| GitHub stars | 217 | 44 314 |
| Stars, last 30 days | — | +128 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 20 | 3 |
| Latest release | v0.60.1 · 26 Oct 2026 | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Lua |
Which one should you pick?
Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 49/100 for inference-gateway, so it is the safer default.
inference-gateway ships more often: 20 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.
Kong Gateway is growing faster right now (+128 stars in 30 days).
inference-gateway details →Kong Gateway details →All API Gateway projects →