KongvsTypesense
Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.
| Kong | Typesense | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 79/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 19 in API Management | #6 of 41 in Search Engines |
| GitHub stars | 44 324 | 27 063 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +133 | +470 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 4 |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v30.2 · 19 Apr 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Easy |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Main language | Lua | C |
Which one should you pick?
Kong scores 81/100 against 79/100 for Typesense, so it is the safer default.
Typesense ships more often: 4 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong.
If you want the quickest setup, Typesense is easier to run; Kong needs more configuration.
Typesense is growing faster right now (+470 stars in 30 days).
Kong details →Typesense details →
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