API7 Enterprise vs Kong: Enterprise API Gateways Compared (2026)
By API7.ai Team
Last updated: August 2026
API7 Enterprise and Kong are both commercial-grade API gateways on an NGINX/OpenResty core, but they differ in the foundation they build on, the configuration store, and who governs the open-source core. This guide compares foundation and governance, architecture, plugins, AI gateway, performance, and licensing so you can choose.
Both are commercial-grade gateways on an NGINX/OpenResty core — the difference is the foundation. API7 Enterprise is built on Apache-2.0 Apache APISIX, a vendor-neutral Apache Software Foundation project with a 600+ contributor community. It uses a relational-database-backed control plane; DP Manager exposes gateway configuration to stateless data planes through an etcd v3-compatible API. API7 Enterprise also adds a developer portal, compliance attestations, and SLA support. Kong pairs a mature plugin ecosystem and the managed Konnect platform with Kong Enterprise, on an open-source core governed by a single vendor, Kong Inc.
- Stateless APISIX data planes with a governed control plane: API7 Enterprise
- The largest ecosystem + a managed SaaS: Kong
- Compliance attestations and maintainer-backed SLA: API7 Enterprise
API7 Enterprise vs Kong at a glance
API7 Enterprise combines its vendor-neutral, ASF-governed APISIX foundation with stateless data planes, a relational-database-backed control plane, and maintainer-backed compliance and SLA; Kong leads on ecosystem size and a managed Konnect platform.
| Dimension | API7 Enterprise | Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | A governed, APISIX-based gateway with SLA support | A mature ecosystem with a managed Konnect platform |
| Core & config store | Stateless NGINX/OpenResty data plane; relational-DB-backed control plane (PostgreSQL default); DP Manager exposes gateway configuration to data planes through an etcd v3-compatible API | NGINX/OpenResty (Lua) + PostgreSQL or DB-less |
| Open-source foundation | ✓ Apache-2.0 Apache APISIX — vendor-neutral ASF governance | Apache-2.0 core governed by a single vendor (Kong Inc.) |
| Lock-in & migration | ✓ Contains all of open-source APISIX — two-way migration | Konnect and Enterprise features are proprietary to Kong |
| Config propagation | ✓ Dynamic via etcd watch (ms) | ~5s DB poll; DB-less needs reload |
| Licensing | Commercial, built on Apache-2.0 APISIX; CPU-core pricing | OSS free; Konnect and Kong Enterprise are commercial |
What is API7 Enterprise?
API7 Enterprise is API7.ai’s commercial gateway built on Apache APISIX. It combines stateless data planes with a governed, relational-database-backed control plane. DP Manager exposes gateway configuration to those data planes through an etcd v3-compatible API. API7 Enterprise also adds a developer portal, compliance attestations, and SLA support.
API7 Enterprise is API7.ai’s commercial API gateway and full API-lifecycle platform built on Apache APISIX. It runs stateless NGINX/OpenResty data planes and a governed control plane backed by PostgreSQL by default. DP Manager exposes gateway configuration to those data planes through an etcd v3-compatible API. It adds console RBAC, gateway groups, audit logging, a developer portal, compliance attestations, and commercial SLA support.
Core
Apache APISIX data plane + gateway configuration from DP Manager via an etcd v3-compatible API
License
Commercial (built on Apache-2.0 APISIX)
Best for
Governed APISIX with SLA support
Pros
- Same high-performance APISIX core, plus a managed control plane — RBAC/IAM, gateway groups, audit logging
- Built-in developer portal, API lifecycle management, and monetization
- Compliance attestations: SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, HIPAA, GDPR; FIPS 140-2 Level 1 builds
- SLA support from APISIX core maintainers (30-minute target response time for Severity Level 1 requests under Enhanced Support)
- 100+ open-source APISIX plugins plus enterprise add-ons (GraphQL, SOAP, traffic labeling)
Cons
- Commercial license — Apache APISIX itself is free and open source
- The data-plane engine is the same as APISIX OSS, not a faster core
- Newer commercial ecosystem than Kong’s long-established one
What is Kong?
Kong Gateway is an open-source API gateway on NGINX/OpenResty backed by PostgreSQL (or DB-less), with a large Plugin Hub and commercial Kong Enterprise / Konnect offerings on top.
Kong Gateway is an open-source API gateway built on NGINX/OpenResty, backed by PostgreSQL or run DB-less, with a large plugin ecosystem. Kong Inc. layers Kong Enterprise and the managed Kong Konnect platform — adding RBAC, workspaces, and advanced plugins — on top of the open-source core.
Core
NGINX/OpenResty (Lua) + PostgreSQL / DB-less
License
Apache-2.0 core + commercial Enterprise/Konnect
Best for
Mature ecosystem + managed Konnect
Pros
- Mature, widely adopted, with a large Plugin Hub (~130 plugins incl. partner)
- Managed Konnect SaaS and an established commercial-support ecosystem
- Flexible deployment: traditional (PostgreSQL), DB-less, and hybrid modes
- Kong AI Gateway with its own published AI benchmarks
Cons
- The open-source core and its roadmap are controlled by a single vendor, Kong Inc.
- DB-backed config propagates on a ~5s poll; DB-less requires reloads
- Cassandra was removed in Kong 3.4 (PostgreSQL or DB-less now)
Architecture: control-plane storage and data-plane delivery
API7 Enterprise persists control-plane state in PostgreSQL by default. DP Manager exposes gateway configuration to stateless data planes through an etcd v3-compatible API. Kong persists state in PostgreSQL or runs DB-less from a declarative file.
API7 Enterprise runs stateless Apache APISIX data plane nodes built on NGINX/OpenResty. Its separate control plane persists configuration and management state in PostgreSQL by default; MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server are also supported. DP Manager exposes gateway configuration from the selected relational database through an etcd v3-compatible API, which data planes watch and cache in memory. This keeps the relational database outside the traffic-serving data plane and removes the need for a standalone etcd cluster. See the API7 Enterprise architecture and database support matrix.
Kong runs in traditional mode backed by PostgreSQL, in DB-less mode from a declarative config file, or in hybrid mode separating control and data planes. In traditional mode, nodes pick up changes on a polling interval (the documented db_update_frequency default is 5 seconds); DB-less applies changes on reload. Cassandra was removed as a datastore in Kong Gateway 3.4.
API7 Enterprise vs Kong: feature comparison
The two converge on NGINX-based proxying, then diverge on foundation and governance, config store, developer portal, and plugin breadth.
| Feature | API7 Enterprise | Kong |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Stateless Apache APISIX data plane; relational-DB-backed control plane (PostgreSQL default); DP Manager exposes gateway configuration to data planes through an etcd v3-compatible API | NGINX/OpenResty (Lua) + PostgreSQL, or DB-less; hybrid mode separates CP/DP |
| Config propagation | etcd watch — milliseconds, no restart | Traditional mode polls the DB (~5s default); DB-less applies on reload |
| Open-source foundation | Built on Apache-2.0 Apache APISIX; 100+ plugins in open source, no data-plane paywall | Apache-2.0 Kong Gateway core, governed by a single vendor (Kong Inc.) |
| Control plane, RBAC & multi-tenancy | ✓ Console RBAC/IAM (Keycloak, Okta, OIDC/OAuth, 2FA), gateway groups, audit logging | ✓ RBAC, workspaces, and teams in Kong Enterprise / Konnect |
| Plugins | 100+ APISIX plugins + enterprise add-ons (GraphQL rate-limit/cache, SOAP, traffic labeling, oas-validator) | ~130 on the Kong Plugin Hub (incl. partner/3rd-party); several advanced plugins Enterprise |
| Custom plugin languages | Lua, Go, Java, Python, WebAssembly | Lua, Go, Python, JavaScript (PDK); Wasm (beta) |
| Protocols | HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, gRPC (+ transcoding), WebSocket, TCP/UDP, MQTT, Dubbo | HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, gRPC (+ transcoding, OSS), WebSocket, TCP/TLS, UDP |
| Developer portal | ✓ Built-in developer portal — docs, auth, rate limiting, monetization | Konnect Dev Portal across tiers (free tier); self-hosted Dev Portal is Enterprise |
| AI / LLM gateway | ✓ Multi-LLM routing, token rate limits, prompt guardrails, budgets | Kong AI Gateway plugins — some advanced features Enterprise |
| Security & compliance | JWT, OAuth2/OIDC, mTLS, key-auth in the APISIX core; SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001:2022, HIPAA, GDPR; FIPS 140-2 Level 1 (FIPS-validated OpenSSL) | JWT, OAuth2, key-auth, ACL, mTLS; OIDC is Enterprise; see Kong’s Trust Center for Konnect compliance |
| Performance (self-reported) | APISIX core ~18,000 QPS per core at 0.2 ms | Kong publishes a single-node basic-proxy benchmark (~137,850 RPS, no plugins); methodology differs |
| Support & SLA | Support from APISIX core maintainers; 30-minute target response time for Severity Level 1 requests under Enhanced Support; first-priority security fixes | Kong Inc. commercial support; large partner ecosystem |
When to choose API7 Enterprise vs Kong
Choose API7 Enterprise for stateless APISIX data planes with a governed control plane, compliance, and SLA; choose Kong for the largest ecosystem and a managed Konnect platform.
Choose API7 Enterprise if you…
- Want a governed control plane — RBAC, gateway groups, audit — on the vendor-neutral APISIX core
- Need compliance attestations (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, HIPAA, GDPR) and an SLA
- Prefer stateless data planes that do not connect directly to the control-plane database
- Want support directly from the APISIX core maintainer team
Choose Kong if you…
- Want the largest plugin ecosystem and a managed Konnect SaaS
- Are standardized on Kong tooling across the organization
- Prefer Kong’s long-established commercial ecosystem and partner network
Bottom line: if you want a commercial gateway rooted in the vendor-neutral, ASF-governed Apache APISIX core — with two-way open-source migration, a governed control plane, compliance attestations, and a maintainer-backed SLA — API7 Enterprise is the stronger fit; if you want the largest plugin ecosystem and a managed SaaS and are comfortable with a single-vendor stack, Kong is a solid choice. Explore API7 Enterprise or start a free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Related comparisons
API7 Enterprise vs Apache APISIX · Apache APISIX vs Kong · All gateway comparisons
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