# Kong Gateway vs Otari

> Two self-hosted [API Gateway projects](https://selfhost.directory/api-gateway), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Kong Gateway | Otari |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 56/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #14 of 39 in API Gateway |
| GitHub stars | 44 314 ✓ | 748 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +128 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 10 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v0.33.0 · 27 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Lua | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 56/100 for Otari, so it is the safer default.

Otari ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.

Kong Gateway is growing faster right now (+128 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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