KongvsLlana
Two self-hosted API Management projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Kong | Llana | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 48/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 19 in API Management | #16 of 19 in API Management |
| GitHub stars | 44 314 | 207 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +128 | — |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 0 |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | — |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSD-4-Clause |
| Main language | Lua | Typescript |
Which one should you pick?
Kong scores 81/100 against 48/100 for Llana, so it is the safer default.
Kong ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 0 for Llana.
If you want the quickest setup, Llana is easier to run; Kong needs more configuration.
Kong is growing faster right now (+128 stars in 30 days).
Kong details →Llana details →All API Management projects →
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