Kong GatewayvsPixelFed
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Kong Gateway | PixelFed | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 64/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #11 of 69 in Social Networks & Forums |
| GitHub stars | 44 314 | 7 131 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +128 | +24 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 15 |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v0.15.2 · 21 Oct 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Lua | PHP |
Which one should you pick?
Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 64/100 for PixelFed, so it is the safer default.
PixelFed ships more often: 15 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.
If you want the quickest setup, Kong Gateway is easier to run; PixelFed needs more configuration.
Kong Gateway is growing faster right now (+128 stars in 30 days).
Kong Gateway details →PixelFed details →