SHSelfHostIndex

Apache APISIX vs Envoy

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?
AP Apache APISIX Dynamic, real-time, high-performance API gateway VS EN Envoy Cloud-native high-performance edge and service proxy
FeatureApache APISIXEnvoy
CategoryReverse Proxy & GatewaysReverse Proxy & Gateways
LicenseApache-2.0Apache-2.0
LanguageLuaC++
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, kubernetes, helmdocker, kubernetes, binary
GitHub stars★ 16,968★ 28,735
First released20192016
ReplacesKong, AWS API GatewayNginx, HAProxy

Why pick each one

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
Apache APISIX details

Choose Envoy if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 28.7k GitHub stars
Envoy details

Frequently asked questions

Is Apache APISIX or Envoy better?

Neither is universally better. Envoy has the larger community, while Apache APISIX is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are Apache APISIX and Envoy free and open-source?

Yes. Apache APISIX is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Envoy under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Apache APISIX and Envoy with Docker?

Apache APISIX: yes. Envoy: yes.

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