Kong vs Gravitee: API Gateway Platforms Compared (2026)
By API7.ai Team
Last updated: June 2026
Kong and Gravitee are both open-source-rooted API platforms, but they were built for different jobs — Kong as a high-performance NGINX/OpenResty gateway, Gravitee as an event-native API management platform on a reactive Java runtime. This guide compares architecture, protocol and event support, the developer portal, observability, and pricing so you can pick the right fit.
Kong is an NGINX/OpenResty gateway optimized for high-throughput HTTP, gRPC, and L4 traffic with a broad plugin ecosystem. Gravitee is an event-native API management platform whose reactive Java gateway manages Kafka, Solace, and MQTT backends alongside REST in one plane. The decision comes down to raw gateway performance versus native event/async API management.
- High-throughput HTTP / gRPC / L4 gateway: Kong
- Event/async API management (Kafka, MQTT): Gravitee
- Leanest footprint with a single DB-less node: Kong
Kong vs Gravitee at a glance
Kong leads on raw gateway performance and plugin breadth on NGINX/OpenResty; Gravitee leads on event-native API management, managing Kafka, Solace, and MQTT backends alongside HTTP.
| Dimension | Kong | Gravitee |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | High-performance HTTP/L4 API gateway | Event-native API management (HTTP + async) |
| Core & runtime | NGINX/OpenResty (Lua) | Java, reactive gateway (JVM) |
| Datastore | PostgreSQL or DB-less | MongoDB/JDBC + Elasticsearch |
| Async / event APIs | — HTTP/L4 only (no native broker) | ✓ Kafka, Solace, MQTT (Enterprise) |
| Extensibility | Hundreds of plugins (advanced = paid) | Reactive policy engine |
| Developer portal | Konnect (paid managed) | Community Edition (Classic portal) |
| License & pricing | Apache-2.0 core; Enterprise custom | Apache-2.0 CE; Enterprise from $2,500/mo |
What is Kong?
Kong is an API gateway built on NGINX/OpenResty (Lua), backed by PostgreSQL or run DB-less, with hundreds of plugins for authentication, traffic control, and API management.
Kong is an API gateway built on NGINX/OpenResty (Lua), backed by PostgreSQL or run DB-less, with hundreds of plugins for authentication, traffic control, and API management. It runs in traditional, hybrid, or DB-less mode across any environment.
Architecture
NGINX/OpenResty (Lua)
Datastore
PostgreSQL or DB-less
License
Apache-2.0 core + Enterprise
Pros
- NGINX/OpenResty foundation with strong HTTP/L4 throughput
- Hundreds of plugins and a large, mature ecosystem
- Flexible deployment: traditional, hybrid, or DB-less
- DB-less mode removes the database for simple, declarative setups
Cons
- No native Kafka/MQTT or event-broker management
- OIDC, Datadog, Vitals and other advanced features are Enterprise/Konnect
- Modern developer portal and analytics live in paid Konnect
- Enterprise pricing is custom — no fixed public number
What is Gravitee?
Gravitee is an open-source, event-native API management platform built on Java with a reactive gateway, designed to manage both synchronous (HTTP) and asynchronous (Kafka, MQTT) APIs in one plane.
Gravitee is an open-source, event-native API management platform built on Java with a reactive gateway. It manages synchronous (HTTP) and asynchronous (Kafka, Solace, MQTT) APIs through one plane, with a Management API, Console, and Developer Portal.
Architecture
Java, reactive gateway (JVM)
Datastore
MongoDB/JDBC + Elasticsearch
License
Apache-2.0 CE + Enterprise
Pros
- Event-native: Kafka, Solace, and MQTT backends as managed APIs
- Protocol mediation — expose one backend as HTTP, WebSocket, or SSE
- Reactive gateway designed for streaming and long-lived connections
- Unified management plane for synchronous and asynchronous APIs
Cons
- JVM runtime adds memory footprint and warm-up vs native gateways
- Event-native message APIs are an Enterprise-Edition capability
- Newer redesigned Developer Portal is Enterprise-only; Classic portal ships in Community Edition
- More components to run: Gateway + Management API + MongoDB + Elasticsearch
Architecture: NGINX gateway vs reactive Java platform
Kong is a lean NGINX/OpenResty gateway that can run with PostgreSQL or no database at all; Gravitee is a multi-component Java platform with a reactive gateway plus MongoDB and Elasticsearch.
Kong builds on NGINX/OpenResty with Lua plugins. It can run in traditional mode against PostgreSQL, in hybrid mode with separate control and data planes, or fully DB-less with declarative config and no database. That keeps the runtime footprint small and the data plane fast, while richer policies are added through plugins. (Cassandra was a supported data store historically but was removed in Kong Gateway 3.4.)
Gravitee takes a platform approach. Its gateway runs a reactive execution engine on the JVM, and a full deployment also includes the Management API, Console, and Developer Portal, with MongoDB (or a JDBC database) for configuration and rate-limit data and Elasticsearch for analytics. That brings more out-of-the-box API management and native event handling, at the cost of more components to operate.
Event and protocol support
Gravitee natively manages event brokers — Kafka, Solace, and MQTT — and can mediate them to HTTP, WebSocket, Webhook, or SSE; Kong is an HTTP/L4 gateway with no native broker management.
This is the clearest dividing line. Gravitee's v4 message APIs let a Kafka, Solace, or MQTT backend be exposed through HTTP GET/POST, WebSocket, Webhook, or Server-Sent Events entrypoints — and because entrypoints and endpoints are decoupled, you can mediate between protocols (for example, surfacing a Kafka topic as an SSE stream). Gravitee documents these message APIs as an Enterprise-Edition capability.
Kong proxies HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, gRPC, TCP, TLS, UDP, and WebSocket, and offers gRPC-Web and gRPC-Gateway transcoding plugins. But it has no native Kafka or MQTT broker management — teams pairing Kong with event-driven systems typically run a separate streaming layer. If async API management is central, Gravitee is purpose-built for it; if your traffic is HTTP and L4, Kong covers it with less to operate.
Kong vs Gravitee: feature comparison
Across architecture, protocol and event support, extensibility, security, and developer experience, the two trade raw gateway performance against native event-API management.
| Feature | Kong | Gravitee |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | NGINX/OpenResty (Lua); PostgreSQL or DB-less; traditional, hybrid, or DB-less mode | Java reactive gateway (JVM); Management API, Console, Developer Portal as components |
| Datastore | PostgreSQL (traditional) or none (DB-less); Cassandra removed in 3.4 | MongoDB or JDBC for config/management + Elasticsearch for analytics |
| Protocol support | HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, gRPC, TCP, TLS, UDP, WebSocket | HTTP, WebSocket, Webhook, Server-Sent Events; Kafka/Solace/MQTT backends |
| Event / async APIs | No native event-broker management; HTTP/L4 proxy | Native Kafka, Solace, MQTT via v4 message APIs (Enterprise Edition) |
| Protocol mediation | gRPC-Web / gRPC-Gateway transcoding plugins | Decoupled entrypoints/endpoints — e.g. expose a Kafka topic as HTTP, WS, or SSE |
| Extensibility | Hundreds of plugins; OIDC and other advanced plugins require Enterprise/Konnect | Reactive policy engine: security, transformation, protocol mediation |
| Security & auth | JWT, OAuth2, API keys, ACLs, mTLS; OIDC plugin is Enterprise/Konnect | API keys, JWT, OAuth2, mTLS, keyless; policy-driven enforcement |
| Observability | Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, Zipkin via plugins; Datadog/Vitals = Enterprise | Built-in analytics dashboard (Elasticsearch-backed); reporters incl. Datadog (Enterprise) |
| Developer portal | Konnect developer portal (paid managed); OSS reference client available | Classic Developer Portal in Community Edition; new portal is Enterprise |
| Deployment footprint | Gateway + PostgreSQL, or a single DB-less node; hybrid CP/DP supported | Gateway + Management API + MongoDB + Elasticsearch (+ Console/Portal) |
| License & pricing | Apache-2.0 core; Enterprise/Konnect pricing is custom (contact sales) | Apache-2.0 Community Edition; managed Enterprise from $2,500/mo per gateway |
When to choose Kong vs Gravitee
Choose Kong for a fast, lean HTTP/gRPC/L4 gateway with a broad plugin ecosystem; choose Gravitee when managing event/async APIs alongside REST in one plane is the priority.
Choose Kong if you…
- Need a high-performance HTTP/gRPC/L4 gateway on NGINX/OpenResty
- Want a large plugin ecosystem and flexible traffic and auth policies
- Prefer a lean footprint — a single DB-less node or PostgreSQL-backed cluster
Choose Gravitee if you…
- Need to manage event/async APIs (Kafka, Solace, MQTT) alongside REST
- Want protocol mediation to expose a broker as HTTP, WebSocket, or SSE
- Want one management plane for synchronous and asynchronous APIs
Bottom line: pick Kong when you want a high-performance NGINX/OpenResty gateway with a large plugin ecosystem and a lean footprint; pick Gravitee when native event-API management — Kafka, Solace, MQTT alongside REST — is the deciding factor. If you're weighing NGINX/OpenResty gateways more broadly, Apache APISIX is another option worth a look — see Apache APISIX vs Kong.
Frequently asked questions
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Kong vs Tyk · Kong vs MuleSoft · Apache APISIX vs Kong · All gateway comparisons
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