Anubis vs Apache APISIX
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Anubis
Proof-of-work proxy to block AI scraper bots
VS
Apache APISIX
Dynamic, real-time, high-performance API gateway
| Feature | Anubis | Apache APISIX |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Go | Lua |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 21,230 | ★ 16,968 |
| First released | 2025 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Cloudflare Bot Management | Kong, AWS API Gateway |
Why pick each one
Choose Anubis if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 21.2k GitHub stars
Choose Apache APISIX if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 17k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Anubis or Apache APISIX better?
Anubis is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Apache APISIX if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Anubis and Apache APISIX free and open-source?
Yes. Anubis is licensed under MIT and Apache APISIX under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Anubis and Apache APISIX with Docker?
Anubis: yes. Apache APISIX: yes.