Gravitee API Management vs Kong Gateway
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Gravitee API Management | Kong Gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 74 · Good | 99 · Excellent |
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | Java | Lua |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, kubernetes, helm |
| GitHub stars | ★ 455 | ★ 44,186 |
| First released | 2015 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Apigee, MuleSoft | AWS API Gateway, Apigee |
What are Gravitee API Management and Kong Gateway?
Gravitee API Management
Gravitee is a flexible, open-source API management platform that includes an API gateway, developer portal, and analytics. It supports REST, gRPC, and event-driven APIs.
- Full API lifecycle management
- Developer portal
- Event-native gateway
- Analytics dashboards
Kong Gateway
Kong Gateway is an open-source API gateway built on Nginx that manages, secures, and observes API traffic with a rich plugin ecosystem. It scales from single nodes to large clusters.
- Plugin-driven API management
- Rate limiting and auth
- Kubernetes ingress controller
- Declarative config
Gravitee API Management vs Kong Gateway: key differences
Gravitee API Management is written in Java, while Kong Gateway is built with Lua. Kong Gateway is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for Gravitee API Management. Kong Gateway has the considerably larger community, at 44,186 GitHub stars versus 455.
Why pick each one
Choose Gravitee API Management if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Written in Java
Choose Kong Gateway if…
- Rich plugin ecosystem
- Scales to clusters
- Built on proven Nginx
Watch out for
- Postgres typically required
- Steep configuration curve
- Some plugins enterprise-only
Frequently asked questions
Is Gravitee API Management or Kong Gateway better?
Kong Gateway is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler medium setup. Consider Gravitee API Management if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Gravitee API Management and Kong Gateway free and open-source?
Yes. Gravitee API Management is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Kong Gateway under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Gravitee API Management and Kong Gateway with Docker?
Gravitee API Management: yes. Kong Gateway: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Gravitee API Management or Kong Gateway?
Kong Gateway has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for Gravitee API Management. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.