# Kong Gateway vs Vert

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

| | Kong Gateway | Vert |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 82/100 ✓ | 71/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 39 in API Gateway | #2 of 10 in File Conversion |
| GitHub stars | 44 314 ✓ | 16 162 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +128 | +532 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 ✓ | 0 |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Moderate | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Lua | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong Gateway scores 82/100 against 71/100 for Vert, so it is the safer default.

Kong Gateway ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Vert.

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

Vert is growing faster right now (+532 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

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