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Kong

API Management

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★★★★☆ 4.4 / 5 on G2 · 4.5 on Capterra (327 G2 reviews)
4.4 / 5
G2 rating, 327 reviews [source]
Open source
+ Konnect SaaS [source]
High performance
Gateway [source]
Plugins
Extensible [source]

Quick facts

CategoryAPI gateway and management
VendorKong Inc.
Starts atOpen source free; Konnect quote
Best forHigh performance gateways
DeploymentSelf hosted and cloud (Konnect)
Free planYes, open source
IntegrationsPlugin hub, Kubernetes, cloud native
G2 rating4.4 / 5
Capterra rating4.5 / 5
StrengthPerformance and extensibility

What is Kong?

Kong is a high performance, open source API gateway, with Kong Konnect SaaS, extensible via plugins and strong for microservices and cloud native. Kong Gateway is a fast, lightweight, open source API gateway that handles authentication, rate limiting, routing, transformation and more, extended by a rich hub of plugins, and runs well in cloud native and Kubernetes environments. Kong Konnect adds a SaaS control plane and full API management on top. Popular with teams wanting a fast, flexible, open gateway for microservices and APIs, Kong combines performance, extensibility and openness. For high performance API gateways, Kong is a leading choice.

Kong's distinction is high performance, extensibility and openness as a cloud native gateway. It is fast and lightweight, extensible through a large plugin hub, open source at its core, and well suited to microservices and Kubernetes, with Konnect adding managed control and full management. That performance, plugin extensibility and open, cloud native design set it apart from heavier enterprise platforms and proprietary gateways.

Kong at a glanceKong is a high performance, open source API gateway with a rich plugin ecosystem [Kong]. It holds a 4.4 out of 5 rating across 327 reviews on G2 and 4.5 on Capterra, popular for fast, flexible gateways.

Who Kong is best for

Kong is best for teams that want a fast, flexible, extensible API gateway, especially for microservices and cloud native and Kubernetes environments, including those valuing open source and self hosting, with Konnect for managed control and management. It suits performance and cloud native focused teams. It is a weaker fit for enterprises wanting a full, heavily governed platform with monetisation out of the box, where Apigee fits, API design and testing, where Postman fits, or integration heavy needs, where MuleSoft fits.

Key features

The core strengths are a high performance, lightweight gateway handling authentication, rate limiting, routing and transformation, extensibility through a large plugin hub, and strong cloud native and Kubernetes support (Kong Ingress). Kong Konnect adds a SaaS control plane, full API management and analytics. Its performance, plugin extensibility, and open cloud native design are its defining advantages.

Kong pricing

Kong Gateway is open source and free to self host, with Kong Konnect (the SaaS platform) priced on usage and capability, typically by API requests or services and quoted, plus enterprise editions. So teams can start free with the open source gateway and pay for Konnect or enterprise features and support. Costs scale with usage and features. Get details via the Kong pricing page.

Integrations and ecosystem

Kong offers a large plugin hub for authentication, security, traffic control, logging and more, strong Kubernetes integration (Kong Ingress Controller), and connections to the cloud native ecosystem, with Konnect integrations. Its plugin ecosystem and cloud native and Kubernetes integration, which let teams extend and run the gateway flexibly, are a signature strength.

Kong and performance

Performance and extensibility are the signature strength: Kong is a fast, lightweight gateway that scales for high traffic microservices, and its plugin hub lets teams add exactly the capabilities they need, open source and cloud native. For teams wanting a fast, flexible gateway for microservices and APIs, this performance and extensibility are the main reasons to choose Kong.

Ease of use and support

Kong is well rated for performance, flexibility and its plugin ecosystem, with good community and enterprise support, though reviewers note that advanced setup and self hosting need expertise. Its G2 reviews praise performance, plugins and cloud native fit, with configuration complexity and the step up to full management the main considerations.

Is Kong worth it?

For teams that want a fast, flexible, extensible API gateway for microservices and cloud native environments, with open source and a managed Konnect option, Kong is a leading, well rated choice. The main caution is that advanced use needs expertise and full management steps up to Konnect or enterprise, so enterprises wanting a complete governed platform may prefer Apigee, and API development teams Postman, but for high performance gateways Kong leads.

Pricing

Kong Gateway (open source)

$0
free
  • High performance gateway
  • Plugin hub
  • Self hosted

Kong Konnect

Usage
quote
  • SaaS control plane
  • Full API management
  • Analytics

Enterprise

Custom
quote
  • Advanced features
  • Support
  • Governance

Pros and cons

Pros

  • High performance, lightweight gateway
  • Rich plugin ecosystem
  • Open source core
  • Strong cloud native and Kubernetes fit
  • Konnect SaaS for management

Cons

  • Advanced setup needs expertise
  • Full management steps up to Konnect/enterprise
  • Less out of the box governance than Apigee
  • Not a development tool like Postman

Kong alternatives

These api management tools come up most often against Kong.

Google Apigee

Full-lifecycle enterprise API management platform

MuleSoft Anypoint Platform

Integration and API management from Salesforce

Postman

API development, testing, and collaboration platform

Kong FAQ

What is Kong used for?
Kong is used as a high performance API gateway: handling authentication, rate limiting, routing, transformation and security in front of APIs, extensible via plugins, strong for microservices and Kubernetes, with Kong Konnect adding a SaaS control plane and full API management.
How much does Kong cost?
Kong Gateway is open source and free to self host, with Kong Konnect (SaaS) priced on usage and capability, quoted, plus enterprise editions, so teams can start free and pay for managed features and support. See the Kong pricing page.
Is Kong open source?
Yes. Kong Gateway is open source and free to self host, which is central to its appeal, with Kong Konnect (SaaS) and enterprise editions adding a managed control plane, full API management and support on top.
Kong vs Apigee, which is better?
Kong is a high performance, often open source gateway strong for microservices, while Apigee is a full enterprise API management platform with governance and monetisation. Kong suits fast flexible gateways; Apigee suits enterprise API management at scale.
Is Kong good for microservices?
Yes. Kong is high performance, lightweight and cloud native, with strong Kubernetes integration (Kong Ingress Controller) and a plugin ecosystem, making it a popular API gateway for microservices and cloud native architectures.
What is Kong Konnect?
Kong Konnect is Kong's SaaS platform that adds a managed control plane, full API management, analytics and developer portal on top of Kong Gateway, so teams get managed API management without self hosting the control plane.

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