Kong Gateway vs OpenResty Manager
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?
Kong Gateway
Cloud-native, fast, scalable API gateway
VS
OpenResty Manager
Expose your services easily and securely
| Feature | Kong Gateway | OpenResty Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | free |
| Language | Lua | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 43,947 | ★ 1,438 |
| First released | 2015 | 2022 |
| Replaces | AWS API Gateway, Apigee | — |
Why pick each one
Choose Kong Gateway if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
- Mature project with 43.9k GitHub stars
Choose OpenResty Manager if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Active community (1.4k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is Kong Gateway or OpenResty Manager better?
Neither is universally better. Kong Gateway has the larger community, while OpenResty Manager is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kong Gateway and OpenResty Manager free and open-source?
Yes. Kong Gateway is licensed under Apache-2.0 and OpenResty Manager under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kong Gateway and OpenResty Manager with Docker?
Kong Gateway: yes. OpenResty Manager: yes.