Kong GatewayvsApache SkyWalking
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Kong Gateway | Apache SkyWalking | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #2 of 9 in Application Performance Monitoring |
| GitHub stars | 44 321 | 24 978 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +131 | +4 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 3 |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v11.0.0 · 28 Aug 2026 |
| Setup | Moderate | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Lua | Java |
Which one should you pick?
Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 76/100 for Apache SkyWalking, so it is the safer default.
If you want the quickest setup, Kong Gateway is easier to run; Apache SkyWalking needs more configuration.
Kong Gateway is growing faster right now (+131 stars in 30 days).
Kong Gateway details →Apache SkyWalking details →