# Kong vs OpenWA

> Two self-hosted [API Management projects](https://selfhost.directory/api-management), compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | Kong | OpenWA |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 ✓ | 77/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 19 in API Management | #2 of 19 in API Management |
| GitHub stars | 44 314 ✓ | 16 333 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +128 | +327 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 3 |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v0.26.0 · 28 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Main language | Lua | Typescript |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong scores 81/100 against 77/100 for OpenWA, so it is the safer default.

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

OpenWA is growing faster right now (+327 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [Kong](https://selfhost.directory/project/kong) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/kong.md)
- [OpenWA](https://selfhost.directory/project/openwa) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openwa.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Kong vs Traefik](https://selfhost.directory/compare/kong-vs-traefik)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/kong-vs-openwa