# Kong Gateway vs nginx-ldap-auth

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

| | Kong Gateway | nginx-ldap-auth |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 43/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #31 of 40 in Authentication |
| GitHub stars | 44 316 ✓ | 709 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +130 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-2-Clause |
| Main language | Lua | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 43/100 for nginx-ldap-auth, so it is the safer default.

Kong Gateway ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for nginx-ldap-auth.

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

Kong Gateway is growing faster right now (+130 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Kong Gateway](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway.md)
- [nginx-ldap-auth](https://selfhost.directory/project/nginx-ldap-auth) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/nginx-ldap-auth.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kong-gateway-vs-nginx-ldap-auth