# Kong Gateway vs Rocket.Chat

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

| | Kong Gateway | Rocket.Chat |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 82/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #1 of 13 in Instant Messaging |
| GitHub stars | 44 316 | 46 348 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +130 | +187 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 36 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | 8.5.4 · 16 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Lua | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway and Rocket.Chat score the same (82/100), so the choice comes down to the details below.

Rocket.Chat ships more often: 36 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.

## Details

- [Kong Gateway](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway.md)
- [Rocket.Chat](https://selfhost.directory/project/rocketchat) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/rocketchat.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Discourse vs Rocket.Chat](https://selfhost.directory/compare/discourse-vs-rocketchat)
- [Rocket.Chat vs Zulip](https://selfhost.directory/compare/rocketchat-vs-zulip)

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