# Knock-Knock vs Kong Gateway

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

| | Knock-Knock | Kong Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 48/100 | 82/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #49 of 78 in Security | #1 of 39 in API Gateway |
| GitHub stars | 214 | 44 319 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +0 | +129 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 5 ✓ | 3 |
| Latest release | v3.0.0 · 26 Jul 2026 | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Python | Lua |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 48/100 for Knock-Knock, so it is the safer default.

Knock-Knock ships more often: 5 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.

If you want the quickest setup, Kong Gateway is easier to run; Knock-Knock needs more configuration.

Kong Gateway is growing faster right now (+129 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Knock-Knock](https://selfhost.directory/project/knock-knock) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/knock-knock.md)
- [Kong Gateway](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/knock-knock-vs-kong-gateway