# Kong Gateway vs llama.cpp

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

| | Kong Gateway | llama.cpp |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 93/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #2 of 25 in LLM Inference |
| GitHub stars | 44 314 | 132 646 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +128 | +3 289 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 1457 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | b11968 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Lua | C++ |

## Which one should you pick?

llama.cpp scores 93/100 against 82/100 for Kong Gateway, so it is the safer default.

llama.cpp ships more often: 1457 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.

llama.cpp is growing faster right now (+3 289 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Kong Gateway](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway.md)
- [llama.cpp](https://selfhost.directory/project/llamacpp) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/llamacpp.md)

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