# Kong Gateway vs trigger

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

| | Kong Gateway | trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 76/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #7 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 44 316 ✓ | 16 645 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +130 | +258 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 49 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v4.8.1 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Moderate ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Lua | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 76/100 for trigger, so it is the safer default.

trigger ships more often: 49 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong Gateway.

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

## Details

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

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