# Kong Gateway vs setup-ipsec-vpn

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

| | Kong Gateway | setup-ipsec-vpn |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 78/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #3 of 56 in VPN |
| GitHub stars | 44 314 ✓ | 28 882 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +128 | +325 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Lua | Shell |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 78/100 for setup-ipsec-vpn, so it is the safer default.

Kong Gateway ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for setup-ipsec-vpn.

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

setup-ipsec-vpn is growing faster right now (+325 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Kong Gateway](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong-gateway.md)
- [setup-ipsec-vpn](https://selfhost.directory/project/setup-ipsec-vpn) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/setup-ipsec-vpn.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kong-gateway-vs-setup-ipsec-vpn