Kong Gateway vs Technitium DNS Server
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
Technitium DNS Server
Self-hosted DNS server with ad-blocking and a web console
| Feature | Kong Gateway | Technitium DNS Server |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Lua | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, kubernetes, helm | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 43,947 | ★ 9,449 |
| First released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Replaces | AWS API Gateway, Apigee | Pi-hole, AdGuard Home |
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 Technitium DNS Server if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.4k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Kong Gateway or Technitium DNS Server better?
Neither is universally better. Kong Gateway has the larger community, while Technitium DNS Server is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kong Gateway and Technitium DNS Server free and open-source?
Yes. Kong Gateway is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Technitium DNS Server under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kong Gateway and Technitium DNS Server with Docker?
Kong Gateway: yes. Technitium DNS Server: yes.