# Kong vs unsloth

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

| | Kong | unsloth |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 | 85/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #1 of 19 in API Management | #1 of 7 in Local AI |
| GitHub stars | 44 318 | 78 720 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +127 | +1 996 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 ✓ | 2 |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 ✓ | prebuilt-wheels-cu13 · 27 Sept 2026 |
| Setup | Advanced | Moderate ✓ |
| Official Docker image | Yes | Yes |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Lua | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

unsloth scores 85/100 against 81/100 for Kong, so it is the safer default.

Kong ships more often: 3 stable releases in the past year, against 2 for unsloth.

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

unsloth is growing faster right now (+1 996 stars in 30 days).

## Details

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

## Related comparisons

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

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