# Kong vs vault

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

| | Kong | vault |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 81/100 ✓ | 78/100 |
| Rank in category | #1 of 19 in API Management | #1 of 12 in Secrets Management |
| GitHub stars | 44 317 ✓ | 36 448 |
| Stars, last 30 days | +131 | +165 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 3 | 10 ✓ |
| Latest release | 3.9.4 · 12 Oct 2026 | v2.2.1 · 22 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Advanced ✓ | Advanced |
| Official Docker image | Yes ✓ | No |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Other |
| Main language | Lua | Go |

## Which one should you pick?

Kong scores 81/100 against 78/100 for vault, so it is the safer default.

vault ships more often: 10 stable releases in the past year, against 3 for Kong.

## Details

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

## Related comparisons

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

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