Kong Gateway

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Score7.0

Rank#2 of 37

PriceFree

Free planYes

Free trialYes

Runs onAPI, Linux, Self-hosted, Web

Summary

Kong Gateway is an open-source API gateway designed for microservices and distributed architectures in hybrid and multi-cloud environments. It manages API traffic and supports REST, HTTP, Kafka, WebSockets, gRPC, GraphQL, UDP, TCP and TLS. Configuration is available through an API, a web UI or declarative configuration, including updates managed through CI/CD pipelines. Built-in plugins cover security, authentication, transformation and analytics; custom plugins can be developed with Kong’s Plugin Development Kit. Kong says the gateway can run on premises, in cloud, Kubernetes or serverless environments, with or without a database. For Kubernetes deployments, Kong Ingress Controller uses Kubernetes-native resources to configure traffic management, transformations and observability across clusters. Kong describes its NGINX engine as lightweight and says it handles 50K+ transactions per second per node. Linux packages, binaries, Docker images and Kubernetes deployment instructions are available. Windows installation requires Docker, as Kong does not provide a native Windows installation method. Kong Gateway Open Source is free, and a 30-day Konnect trial is available without a credit card.

Who it is for

Kong Gateway suits teams managing APIs for microservices or distributed systems across hybrid and multi-cloud environments. It may also fit Kubernetes users who want to configure gateway behavior with Kubernetes-native resources.

What is good

Supports REST, HTTP, Kafka, WebSockets, gRPC and GraphQL.
Configuration can use an API, web UI or declarative files.
Built-in plugins cover security, authentication, transformation and analytics.
Can run on premises, in cloud, Kubernetes or serverless environments.

What to know first

Windows installation requires Docker.
There is no native Windows installation method.
Konnect Plus includes 1M API requests per month; additional requests cost $200/month per 1M.

Verdict

Kong Gateway offers deployment and configuration options for teams managing API traffic across multiple environments. The free open-source gateway is available, but check the Windows installation limitation and plan details if you need Konnect features.

Kong Gateway plans and pricing

All plans

Kong Gateway Open Source Free Open-source API gateway; no paid-plan limits stated on the product page konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026

Konnect Free trial Free 30 days; no credit card required Enterprise functionality; no Gateway limits; analytics retained for 30 days konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026

Konnect Enterprise Not published Custom pricing billed annually No Gateway limits · unlimited developer portals and published APIs · fully self-hosted API gateways available konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026

Konnect Plus Not published Charged per Gateway per month, bill monthly Up to 5 serverless gateways · 2 hybrid gateways · 2 dedicated cloud gateways · 1M API requests/month included · $200/month per additional 1M requests konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026

Compared on API monetization software

Free plan: Nokonghq.com
Paid from: $25/mokonghq.com
API catalog: Yeskonghq.com

Facts

Purpose: Kong Gateway is an open-source API gateway built for hybrid and multi-cloud environments and optimized for microservices and distributed architectures.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Performance: Kong describes its NGINX engine as ultra-lightweight and states it handles 50K+ transactions per second per node.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Configuration: The gateway can be configured through an API, web UI, or declarative configuration, including updates managed through CI/CD pipelines.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Deployment: Kong says the gateway can run on premises, in cloud, Kubernetes, or serverless environments, with or without a database and in hybrid or cloud-hosted modes.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Plugins: Built-in plugins cover security, authentication, transformation, and analytics, and custom plugins can be developed with Kong's Plugin Development Kit.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Kubernetes: Kong Ingress Controller configures Kong Gateway using Kubernetes-native resources and supports traffic management, transformations, and observability across clusters.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Protocol support: Konnect Plus lists support for REST, HTTP, LLMs, Kafka, WebSockets, gRPC, and GraphQL.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Security controls: Kong's product page lists security and authentication plugins, while its pricing page lists RBAC and identifies SSO and audit logs as Enterprise features.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Support: Konnect Plus includes email support with a two-business-day SLA; Enterprise lists dedicated customer success and technical account managers and higher SLAs.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Linux installation: Kong's installation documentation provides Linux packages and binaries, Docker images, and Kubernetes deployment instructions.developer.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Windows limitation: Kong's documentation says Windows installation uses Docker and that Kong does not provide a native Windows installation method.developer.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026
Company history: Kong's company page says its story began in Milan in 2009 and that the API gateway was open-sourced and named Kong later in the company's history.konghq.com · 29 Sept 2026