Kong vs Gloo Edge: NGINX vs Envoy API Gateway (2026)
By API7.ai Team
Last updated: August 2026
Kong and Gloo Edge sit on opposite sides of the NGINX-vs-Envoy divide. Kong is an NGINX/OpenResty API gateway that runs almost anywhere; Gloo Edge is an Envoy-powered, Kubernetes-native gateway from Solo.io. This guide compares architecture, Kubernetes and Istio integration, extensibility, security, and pricing.
Kong is an NGINX/OpenResty API gateway with a large plugin hub that runs on bare metal, VMs, Docker, and Kubernetes; Gloo Edge is an Envoy-powered, Kubernetes-native gateway built on the Gateway API with deep Istio integration. Choose Kong for deployment flexibility and a packaged plugin ecosystem; choose Gloo Edge for an Envoy-native, cloud-first stack.
- Deployment-flexible gateway across mixed environments: Kong
- Envoy-native, Kubernetes-first platform: Gloo Edge
- Deep Istio integration: Gloo Edge
Kong vs Gloo Edge at a glance
Kong leads on deployment flexibility and a packaged plugin hub; Gloo Edge leads on Envoy-native, Kubernetes-first design with Gateway API and Istio integration.
| Dimension | Kong | Gloo Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Deployment-flexible API gateway, any environment | Envoy-powered, Kubernetes-native gateway |
| Core & runtime | NGINX/OpenResty (Lua) | Envoy proxy + Gloo control plane |
| Data store | PostgreSQL or DB-less (Cassandra removed in 3.4) | CRDs (no database) |
| Kubernetes | Kong Ingress Controller (added later) | ✓ Built on Kubernetes Gateway API |
| Service mesh | Kong Mesh (separate product) | ✓ Istio integration (Envoy sidecar) |
| Extensibility | Plugin hub + PDK (Lua/Go/Python/JS) | Envoy filters + Wasm |
| License | Apache-2.0 core + Enterprise | Apache-2.0 core + Enterprise |
| Pricing | Konnect Plus public; Enterprise custom | Custom (no public price list) |
What is Kong?
Kong is an API gateway built on NGINX/OpenResty (Lua) with a large plugin hub, runnable on bare metal, VMs, Docker, and Kubernetes using PostgreSQL or a DB-less declarative mode.
Kong is an API gateway built on NGINX/OpenResty (Lua) with a large plugin hub for authentication, rate limiting, and traffic control. It runs on bare metal, VMs, Docker, and Kubernetes, using PostgreSQL or a DB-less declarative mode.
Core
NGINX/OpenResty (Lua)
Data store
PostgreSQL or DB-less
Best for
Deployment-flexible API gateway
Pros
- NGINX/OpenResty foundation with a large plugin hub
- Runs anywhere: bare metal, VMs, Docker, Kubernetes
- PostgreSQL or DB-less (declarative) deployment modes
- Custom plugins in Lua, Go, Python, or JavaScript
Cons
- Cassandra support removed in 3.4 — migrate to PostgreSQL or DB-less
- Advanced features (e.g. OIDC) and Dev Portal require Enterprise
- Service mesh is a separate product (Kong Mesh)
- Not originally designed for Kubernetes
What is Gloo Edge?
Gloo Edge is an Envoy-powered, Kubernetes-native gateway from Solo.io, built on the Kubernetes Gateway API and configured through CRDs that translate into Envoy configuration.
Gloo Edge is an Envoy-powered, Kubernetes-native ingress controller and API gateway from Solo.io. Built on the Kubernetes Gateway API, it translates Gateway API and Gloo custom resources into Envoy configuration via an xDS control plane.
Core
Envoy proxy + Gloo control plane
Config
Kubernetes CRDs / Gateway API
Best for
Envoy-native, K8s-first stacks
Pros
- Envoy-powered, Kubernetes-native data plane
- Built on the Kubernetes Gateway API; CRD-driven
- Native Istio integration via Envoy sidecar with mTLS
- Wasm-based Envoy filters (Enterprise)
Cons
- Primarily Kubernetes / cloud-native — less suited to bare-metal-first stacks
- ext-auth, WAF, and Gloo Portal are Enterprise-only
- Smaller packaged plugin catalog vs Kong (extends via Envoy/Wasm)
- No public price list — Enterprise pricing is custom (contact sales)
Architecture: NGINX vs Envoy
Kong is an NGINX/OpenResty gateway you configure via an Admin API or declaratively; Gloo Edge is an Envoy control plane that compiles Kubernetes Gateway API and Gloo resources into Envoy config over xDS.
Kong runs on NGINX/OpenResty and executes plugins in Lua. You configure it through its Admin API or declaratively with decK, and it persists state in PostgreSQL — or runs DB-less from a YAML/JSON declarative file. Since Kong Gateway 3.4, Cassandra is no longer a supported data store; existing users migrate to PostgreSQL or DB-less mode.
Gloo Edge is an Envoy control plane. Its gloo pod watches Kubernetes Gateway API and Gloo custom resources, translates them into Envoy configuration, and distributes that config to the gateway proxies over the xDS protocol. The result is a cloud-native, CRD-driven gateway with no separate database, at the cost of being primarily Kubernetes-focused.
Kubernetes & service mesh
Gloo Edge is Kubernetes-native (built on the Gateway API) and integrates with Istio via an Envoy sidecar; Kong supports Kubernetes through an Ingress Controller and offers mesh as a separate product, Kong Mesh.
Gloo Edge is built on the Kubernetes Gateway API and integrates with Istio: it can configure the gateway proxy with an Istio sidecar and use mTLS to secure traffic into the mesh, with an auto-mTLS option in newer releases. Because both Gloo Edge and Istio share the Envoy foundation, the integration is tight for teams already invested in that stack.
Kong reaches Kubernetes through the Kong Ingress Controller but was not originally designed as a Kubernetes-only gateway — it runs equally well on bare metal, VMs, and Docker. For service mesh, Kong offers Kong Mesh, a separate product built on the CNCF project Kuma and Envoy, rather than folding mesh into the gateway itself.
Kong vs Gloo Edge: feature comparison
Across architecture, Kubernetes, mesh, extensibility, and security, the two trade off deployment flexibility versus an Envoy-native, cloud-first design.
| Feature | Kong | Gloo Edge |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | NGINX/OpenResty (Lua); Admin API + decK declarative config | Envoy data plane + Gloo control plane; translates Gateway API/Gloo CRDs into Envoy via xDS |
| Data store | PostgreSQL (traditional) or DB-less mode; Cassandra removed in 3.4 | Kubernetes CRDs; no separate database |
| Deployment topology | Hybrid, traditional, or DB-less; runs on bare metal, VMs, Docker, Kubernetes | Primarily Kubernetes / cloud-native |
| Kubernetes | Kong Ingress Controller; supported but not originally K8s-designed | Kubernetes-native; built on the Kubernetes Gateway API, CRD-driven |
| Service mesh | Kong Mesh — separate product built on Kuma (CNCF) and Envoy | Istio integration via Envoy sidecar with mTLS (auto-mTLS in 1.17+) |
| GraphQL | GraphQL rate-limiting plugin (Enterprise); no native stitching | Native GraphQL was removed in Gloo Gateway 1.20 (deprecated 1.18) |
| Extensibility | Plugin hub + PDK: Lua (native), Go, Python, JavaScript | Envoy filters + WebAssembly (Wasm) filters |
| Security & auth | JWT, OAuth2, API keys, ACLs, mTLS; OIDC via Enterprise | OAuth, API keys, LDAP, OPA via ext-auth (Enterprise); WAF (ModSecurity, Enterprise) |
| Observability | Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, Zipkin, Datadog via plugins | Envoy-native Prometheus metrics, OpenTelemetry, tracing |
| API management | Konnect Dev Portal: API catalog, self-service credentials, docs | Gloo Portal for API publishing (Enterprise) |
| Configuration model | Imperative Admin API + decK declarative GitOps | Declarative Kubernetes CRDs (Gateway API + Gloo resources) |
| License & pricing | Apache-2.0 core; Konnect Plus published, Enterprise custom (contact sales) | Apache-2.0 core; Enterprise custom — no public price list (contact sales) |
When to choose Kong vs Gloo Edge
Choose Kong for deployment flexibility and a packaged plugin ecosystem; choose Gloo Edge for an Envoy-native, Kubernetes-first stack with Gateway API and Istio integration.
Choose Kong if you…
- Want one gateway across bare metal, VMs, Docker, and Kubernetes
- Prefer a large plugin hub and PDK-based custom plugins (Lua/Go/Python/JS)
- Want a DB-less option or a familiar PostgreSQL-backed deployment
Choose Gloo Edge if you…
- Run an Envoy-centric, Kubernetes-native platform on the Gateway API
- Need deep Istio integration and an Envoy sidecar / mTLS path
- Want Wasm-based Envoy extension or deep Istio integration (Enterprise)
Bottom line: pick Gloo Edge when you want an Envoy-powered, Kubernetes-native gateway on the Gateway API with deep Istio integration; pick Kong when you need one gateway across mixed environments with a large plugin hub. If you're evaluating open-source API gateways more broadly, Apache APISIX is another option worth a look — see Apache APISIX vs Kong.
Frequently asked questions
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AWS API Gateway vs Gloo Edge · Kong vs Gravitee · Apache APISIX vs Kong · All gateway comparisons
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