# Kong Gateway vs Orca

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

| | Kong Gateway | Orca |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 91/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #1 of 209 in AI Agents |
| GitHub stars | 44 314 | 108 815 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +128 | +8 908 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 15 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v1.4.243 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Lua | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Orca scores 91/100 against 82/100 for Kong Gateway, so it is the safer default.

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

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

Orca is growing faster right now (+8 908 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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