Apache APISIX vs Pingora
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?
Apache APISIX
Dynamic, real-time, high-performance API gateway
VS
Pingora
Rust framework to build fast, reliable network services
| Feature | Apache APISIX | Pingora |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Lua | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,968 | ★ 27,153 |
| First released | 2019 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Kong, AWS API Gateway | Nginx |
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
Choose Pingora if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Mature project with 27.2k GitHub stars
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache APISIX or Pingora better?
Neither is universally better. Pingora 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 Pingora free and open-source?
Yes. Apache APISIX is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Pingora under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Apache APISIX and Pingora with Docker?
Apache APISIX: yes. Pingora: check the project docs for container support.