--- title: "Top 11 API Gateways Compared (2026): The Best Tools - API7.ai" description: "The top 11 API gateways compared for 2026 — APISIX, Kong, Amazon, Apigee, Tyk, Gloo, MuleSoft, Gravitee, Boomi, Layer7, Alibaba — by type, license, and fit." url: "https://api7.ai/top-11-api-gateways-platforms-compared" --- # Top 11 API Gateways Compared (2026) By API7.ai Team Last updated: October 16, 2026 Choose an API gateway by deployment ownership, governance, and measured workload performance. Shortlist API7 Enterprise for self-hosted enterprise management of an APISIX-based runtime; Apache APISIX for independent open-source operation; and cloud-managed gateways when provider ownership is preferred. This guide compares eleven gateways and explains where a commercial management layer changes the decision. TL;DR For enterprise Kubernetes, multi-cloud, or on-premises fleets needing an APISIX-based gateway plus centralized governance and commercial support, evaluate API7 Enterprise. Choose Apache APISIX independently when open-source operation is the requirement. Prefer a provider-operated service when minimizing runtime operations matters more than self-hosting. Keep the eleven-product shortlist below separate from the decision to buy a commercial management layer. - Self-hosted enterprise governance for an APISIX-based runtime: API7 Enterprise - A fast, fully open-source, self-hosted gateway: Apache APISIX - A mature ecosystem + managed SaaS: Kong - Serverless APIs on AWS: Amazon API Gateway - Enterprise API programs on Google Cloud: Google Apigee - Kubernetes-native Envoy + Gateway API: Solo.io Gloo Gateway - [At a glance](#quick-comparison) - [Operating models](#operating-models) - [When to shortlist API7 Enterprise](#api7-enterprise) - [Enterprise Kubernetes selection](#kubernetes-enterprise) - [How we evaluated](#methodology) - [APISIX](#apache-apisix) - [Kong](#kong-gateway) - [Amazon](#amazon-api-gateway) - [Apigee](#google-apigee) - [Tyk](#tyk) - [Gloo](#solo.io-gloo-gateway) - [MuleSoft](#mulesoft-anypoint) - [Gravitee](#gravitee) - [Boomi](#boomi-api-management) - [Layer7](#layer7-api-gateway) - [Alibaba](#alibaba-cloud-api-gateway) - [FAQ](#faq) ## Top 11 API gateways at a glance A quick comparison by type, open-source scope, and best fit. The list below is not a strict ranking — the right gateway depends on your environment and constraints. | Dimension | Type | License | Best for | | ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- | | Apache APISIX | Self-hosted OSS (independent ASF project) | ✓ Apache-2.0 (ASF project) | A fast, fully open-source gateway | | Kong Gateway | Self-managed + Konnect SaaS | Apache-2.0 core + Enterprise | Mature ecosystem + managed SaaS | | Amazon API Gateway | Managed SaaS (AWS only) | Proprietary | Serverless APIs on AWS | | Google Apigee | Managed SaaS (+ hybrid runtime) | Proprietary | Enterprise API programs on GCP | | Tyk | OSS Gateway + licensed platform | ✓ MPL-2.0 (gateway) | Go gateway + optional commercial stack | | Solo.io Gloo Gateway | Kubernetes-native (OSS + Enterprise) | Apache-2.0 core (kgateway) | Kubernetes + Gateway API teams | | MuleSoft Anypoint | Managed + self-managed Omni Gateway | Mule core CPAL; platform commercial | Integration + API management | | Gravitee | OSS CE + Enterprise/Cloud | ✓ Apache-2.0 (core) | Event-driven APIs alongside REST | | Boomi API Management | SaaS control plane + distributed runtimes | Proprietary | API governance on the Boomi iPaaS | | Layer7 API Gateway | Enterprise self-hosted (on-prem/hybrid) | Proprietary | Regulated, on-prem enterprises | | Alibaba Cloud API Gateway | Cloud-native managed service | Proprietary | APIs on Alibaba Cloud (China/APAC) | ## Choose by operating model Start with the operating boundary your team can support. A product may appear in more than one group because editions and deployment modes assign responsibilities differently. ### Open-source self-hosted For teams that need runtime control and can own upgrades, scaling, security operations, and observability. Examples: Apache APISIX, Kong Gateway OSS, Tyk Gateway, kgateway ### Managed cloud service For teams that prefer provider-operated gateway infrastructure and accept a cloud-specific service boundary. Examples: Amazon API Gateway, Google Apigee, MuleSoft Managed Omni Gateway, Alibaba Cloud API Gateway ### Enterprise or hybrid platform For organizations that need centralized governance while retaining some or all data planes in their environments. Examples: API7 Enterprise, Kong Konnect, Apigee hybrid, Tyk, MuleSoft, Gravitee, Boomi, Layer7 ### Kubernetes-native For platform teams that want Kubernetes resources and Gateway API to be the primary configuration interface. Examples: kgateway, Gloo Gateway, Apache APISIX Ingress Controller, Kong Ingress Controller ## When should API7 Enterprise enter your shortlist? Shortlist API7 Enterprise when you want an APISIX-based gateway on infrastructure you control, but need centralized administration, gateway groups, RBAC, audit logs, and commercial support. It is a commercial option, not a replacement name for Apache APISIX. API7.ai is the company publishing this guide. Apache APISIX is an independent Apache Software Foundation project. API7 Enterprise is API7.ai’s commercial offering; its implementation documentation uses the name API7 Gateway. Buying Enterprise adds a commercial management layer rather than changing the ownership or license of Apache APISIX. The eleven gateway entries and their existing anchors remain below. ### A fit when Your platform team needs governed configuration across regions or Kubernetes clusters, must place traffic nodes on-premises or in chosen clouds, and can operate the self-hosted control plane and database. Validate role scopes, identity integration, and release promotion with a representative API. ### Not the default when You only need an open-source proxy, cannot operate production infrastructure, or require the provider to manage the entire runtime. An Enterprise license is not an automatic availability or compliance guarantee; confirm the contracted support scope. API7 Enterprise evidence, checked October 16, 2026 against API7 Gateway 3.10.x: the [architecture](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/key-concepts/architecture) separates customer-operated control and data planes, with a relational management database and DP Manager distributing configuration. The [Enterprise feature guide](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/enterprise-features/overview) documents governance boundaries; the [Kubernetes deployment guide](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/install/deploy-on-kubernetes) covers installation. Review the [support policy](https://api7.ai/technical-support-policy) separately from runtime availability requirements. [Evaluate API7 Enterprise](https://api7.ai/enterprise) or compare its management model with Kong, Tyk, Gravitee, and WSO2 in the [Top 5 API management platforms guide](https://api7.ai/top-5-api-management-comparison). ## How to choose an enterprise API gateway for Kubernetes Compare the configuration authority and operating boundary, not only the Helm installation. A gateway running on Kubernetes is not automatically a conformant Kubernetes Gateway API controller, a multi-cluster management platform, or a provider-operated service. On a small screen, scroll the table horizontally to compare all columns. | Dimension | API7 Enterprise / API7 Gateway | Apache APISIX (open source) | Kong (topology-dependent) | | ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Configuration entry point | Dashboard and Admin API for API7 Gateway; validate your automation workflow. | APISIX Admin API or its Ingress Controller for Kubernetes resources; select a configuration authority. | Choose Kong controller or hybrid/Konnect management deliberately; do not assume both own the same configuration. | | Multiple clusters and regions | Gateway groups organize separate environments and runtime fleets. | Design cluster isolation, configuration promotion, and cross-cluster automation. | Choose the controller, control-plane, and data-plane grouping appropriate to the selected deployment. | | Governance | Commercial RBAC, SSO, and audit logs; test administrative scopes. | Review project capabilities and build or integrate missing organizational workflows. | Verify Enterprise or Konnect entitlements and management scopes. | | Observability | Built-in monitoring and documented metrics/tracing integration; validate collection and retention. | Configure gateway plugins, collectors, dashboards, retention, and alerts. | Verify runtime telemetry, analytics plan, and any provider-side data transfer. | | Operational responsibility | Customer operates self-hosted CP, database, DP, network, upgrades, and recovery. | Customer operates the gateway and its chosen storage/controller topology. | Self-managed runtime remains customer-operated; a managed CP does not automatically include a managed DP. | | Support and fit | Fit: paid governance and product support. Not fit: an OSS-only requirement or an assumed fully managed runtime. | Fit: open-source control with engineering ownership. Community support is not a contracted response target. | Fit: Kong ecosystem or hosted management. Confirm support scope and edition costs. | For high-throughput selection, record gateway and plugin versions, CPU allocation, TLS, payloads, authentication, rate limiting, logging, and upstream behavior. Measure sustained throughput, tail latency, errors, and resource use with the same workload. The [API7 Gateway benchmark methodology and reproducible assets](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/configure-and-manage/performance-benchmark) distinguish a mocking-only ceiling from actual upstream proxying; neither establishes that API7 is universally fastest. For on-premises and hybrid deployments, test outbound management connectivity, certificate rotation, control-plane loss, and a cold start without the control plane. Existing API7 nodes can continue with in-memory configuration; restarting nodes need the control plane or an explicitly configured fallback. Review [data-plane resilience](https://docs.api7.ai/api7-gateway/configure-and-manage/data-plane-resilience) and the [hybrid and multi-cloud architecture guide](https://api7.ai/blog/hybrid-multi-cloud-api-gateway-management) before treating management-plane separation as a recovery guarantee. ## How we evaluated This guide is published by API7, the company behind API7 Enterprise and the original creators of Apache APISIX. We include Apache APISIX honestly alongside competitors — each entry lists real strengths and honest limitations, and facts about other products are drawn from their official documentation. - Open-source scope and license - Performance and architecture - Plugin and extensibility model - Deployment: self-host, cloud, hybrid, or managed - Protocol and API-type support - Governance, security, and ecosystem ## The 11 API gateways ## 1. [Apache APISIX](https://api7.ai/apisix-vs-kong) The fully open-source, dynamic, high-performance API gateway Type Self-hosted OSS (+ API7 Enterprise) License Apache-2.0 (ASF top-level project) Best for A fast, fully open-source gateway Disclosure: Apache APISIX was created by API7, which publishes this page, and donated to the Apache Software Foundation. It is an Apache-2.0 API gateway built on NGINX and LuaJIT, with etcd-backed dynamic configuration and an open-source plugin ecosystem. ### Key features - Dynamic route and plugin configuration backed by etcd, without an NGINX reload for routine updates - Open-source plugins for authentication, traffic control, observability, transformation, and AI traffic - HTTP, gRPC, WebSocket, and stream-proxy use cases, subject to protocol-specific configuration - Admin API, declarative configuration, service discovery integrations, and Kubernetes ingress support Where others may still be better: You install, upgrade, and operate it yourself, and the community edition has no console RBAC, audit, or SLA. For those, API7 Enterprise (commercial) or a managed cloud gateway may fit better. Best fit: Teams that want a fast, dynamic, fully open-source gateway they can self-operate — with a commercial upgrade path via API7 Enterprise. Official sources: [APISIX documentation](https://apisix.apache.org/docs/) · [Plugin Hub](https://apisix.apache.org/plugins/) --- ## 2. [Kong Gateway](https://api7.ai/api7-enterprise-vs-kong) A mature, widely adopted gateway with a large plugin ecosystem Type Self-managed + Konnect SaaS License Apache-2.0 core + commercial Enterprise Best for Mature ecosystem + managed SaaS Kong Gateway is an open-source API gateway on NGINX/OpenResty, backed by PostgreSQL or run DB-less, with a large Plugin Hub. Kong Inc. adds Kong Enterprise and the managed Kong Konnect platform on top of the open-source core. ### Key features - Open-source Kong Gateway core (Apache-2.0), governed by Kong Inc. - Large Kong Plugin Hub (100+ plugins including partner and third-party) - Deployment modes: traditional (PostgreSQL), DB-less, and hybrid CP/DP - Managed Kong Konnect SaaS; Kong AI Gateway plugins for LLM traffic Where others may still be better: Feature availability differs between Kong Gateway OSS, Kong Gateway Enterprise, and Konnect. Teams should map every required plugin and management feature to the intended edition before choosing a topology. Best fit: Teams wanting a mature ecosystem and a managed SaaS control plane, comfortable adopting Kong Enterprise for advanced features. Official sources: [Deployment topologies](https://developer.konghq.com/gateway/deployment-topologies/) --- ## 3. [Amazon API Gateway](https://api7.ai/aws-api-gateway-vs-kong) A fully managed, serverless gateway tightly integrated with AWS Type Managed SaaS (AWS only) License Proprietary AWS service Best for Serverless/Lambda backends on AWS Amazon API Gateway is a fully managed AWS service for creating REST, HTTP, and WebSocket APIs at any scale. It handles traffic management, authorization, throttling, and monitoring, and acts as a front door to backends like AWS Lambda — with no servers to run. ### Key features - REST, HTTP, and WebSocket API types with different feature and pricing models - Authorization via IAM, Lambda authorizers, and Amazon Cognito - Deep AWS integration: CloudWatch, CloudTrail, AWS WAF, X-Ray, CloudFront, CloudFormation - Provider-operated scaling with usage-based pricing, custom domains, and deployment controls Where others may still be better: It runs only on AWS — no self-hosting or multi-cloud — and is a gateway, not a full API-productization or monetization platform. REST APIs also cost more than the leaner HTTP APIs. Best fit: Teams already on AWS building serverless or Lambda-fronted backends that want a provider-operated, usage-priced gateway. Official sources: [Amazon API Gateway guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/apigateway/latest/developerguide/welcome.html) --- ## 4. [Google Apigee](https://api7.ai/apigee-vs-kong) A full-lifecycle enterprise API management platform on Google Cloud Type Managed SaaS (+ hybrid runtime) License Proprietary Google Cloud product Best for Enterprise API programs on Google Cloud Apigee is Google Cloud’s API management platform for developing, securing, deploying, and scaling APIs. It offers API proxy management, traffic and security policies, a developer portal, analytics, and monetization — delivered fully managed (Apigee X) or as a hybrid model with a customer-run Kubernetes runtime. ### Key features - API proxy management with standard and extensible proxies - Hybrid runtime: Google-hosted control plane plus a customer-run Kubernetes data plane - Developer portal, analytics, and API monetization - Enterprise controls: data residency and customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) Where others may still be better: It is a full enterprise platform, not a lightweight or free gateway; the control plane is always Google-hosted (no air-gap), and the hybrid runtime pushes Kubernetes and Cassandra operations onto you. Cost modeling is complex. Best fit: Large enterprises on Google Cloud needing full lifecycle management, productization, and monetization — not just a proxy. Official sources: [Apigee feature summary](https://docs.cloud.google.com/apigee/docs/api-platform/get-started/apigee-feature-summary) · [Apigee hybrid overview](https://docs.cloud.google.com/apigee/docs/hybrid/v1.16/what-is-hybrid) --- ## 5. [Tyk](https://api7.ai/api7-enterprise-vs-tyk) An open-source Go gateway with licensed management, Enterprise streaming, and separately packaged AI options Type OSS Gateway + licensed platform License MPL-2.0 Gateway + licensed components Best for Go gateway + optional commercial stack Tyk Gateway is an open-source (MPL-2.0), Go-based API gateway that runs on Redis. Tyk Dashboard, Developer Portal, Multi Data Center Bridge, Universal Data Graph, Operator, and Sync are proprietary components that require licenses for on-premises deployment. Tyk Streams is an Enterprise Gateway capability, while Tyk AI Studio is a separate product with Community and Enterprise editions. ### Key features - Open-source Tyk Gateway: REST, GraphQL proxying, TCP, and gRPC on a lightweight Redis runtime - Polyglot plugins: Go, gRPC (any language), JavaScript, Python, Lua - Licensed platform: Dashboard, Developer Portal, Multi Data Center Bridge, and Universal Data Graph - Enterprise Gateway: Tyk Streams for Kafka, WebSocket, SSE, and other event-driven APIs - Separate AI product: Tyk AI Studio has Community and Enterprise editions - MCP Gateway: remote MCP proxying is available on all Gateway licenses; upstream OAuth, token exchange, and REST API-to-MCP proxying require Enterprise Where others may still be better: The open-source gateway and the commercial management platform have different feature and infrastructure boundaries. Dashboard-managed deployments add a management datastore, so evaluate the complete topology rather than the gateway binary alone. Best fit: Teams wanting an open-source Go gateway that can add licensed API management and streaming or adopt the separately packaged AI Studio product as requirements grow. Official sources: [Tyk API management docs](https://tyk.io/docs/apim) · [Tyk Stack licensing](https://tyk.io/docs/tyk-stack) · [Tyk Streams availability](https://tyk.io/docs/api-management/event-driven-apis) · [Tyk AI Studio editions](https://tyk.io/docs/ai-management/ai-studio/overview) · [Tyk MCP Gateway editions](https://tyk.io/docs/ai-management/mcp-gateway/overview) --- ## 6. [Solo.io Gloo Gateway](https://api7.ai/kong-vs-gloo-edge) Kubernetes-native gateway products built around Envoy and Gateway API Type Kubernetes-native (OSS + Enterprise) License Apache-2.0 core (kgateway) Best for Kubernetes + Gateway API teams Solo.io offers commercial Gloo Gateway and Solo Enterprise for kgateway products for Kubernetes environments. The related open-source kgateway project is a CNCF project built on Envoy and the Kubernetes Gateway API. Product names, versions, and enterprise feature sets should be checked separately. ### Key features - Kubernetes Gateway API configuration translated to Envoy data-plane configuration - Traffic management: retries, timeouts, health checks, and transformations - Open-source routing, resiliency, security, and observability capabilities in kgateway - Additional management, support, security, and multicluster capabilities in commercial editions Where others may still be better: The product family is Kubernetes-centered, and similarly named Gloo Gateway, kgateway, and Solo Enterprise offerings have different release trains and license boundaries. Confirm the exact product and edition before comparing features. Best fit: Platform and DevOps teams standardized on Kubernetes and the Gateway API who want an Envoy gateway and will buy enterprise features for advanced use. Official sources: [kgateway documentation](https://kgateway.dev/docs/envoy/latest/) · [Gloo Gateway overview](https://docs.solo.io/gateway/latest/about/overview/) --- ## 7. [MuleSoft Anypoint](https://api7.ai/kong-vs-mulesoft) A unified iPaaS and full-lifecycle API management platform (Salesforce) Type Managed + self-managed Omni Gateway License Mule core CPAL; platform commercial Best for Integration + API management in one MuleSoft Anypoint Platform combines integration and API management. API Manager provides management capabilities, while Omni Gateway, renamed from Flex Gateway in 2026, is an Envoy-based runtime available as a MuleSoft-managed deployment on CloudHub 2.0 or Runtime Fabric and as a self-managed deployment in customer infrastructure. ### Key features - Managed Omni Gateway on CloudHub 2.0 or Runtime Fabric, or self-managed deployment on Linux, containers, Kubernetes, and OpenShift - Connected and Local modes for different self-managed control-plane workflows - Prebuilt policies: OAuth2, IP allow/deny, rate limiting, and SLA-based tiers - iPaaS breadth: hundreds of prebuilt connectors to apps and systems Where others may still be better: It is an enterprise integration suite — heavier and more complex than a standalone gateway; only the Mule runtime core is open source (CPAL), and pricing is sales-led with no public list. Best fit: Large enterprises (especially Salesforce customers) needing integration plus API management across many systems, not just an edge gateway. Official sources: [Omni Gateway overview](https://docs.mulesoft.com/gateway/latest/) · [Gateway release notes](https://docs.mulesoft.com/release-notes/gateway/gateway-release-notes) --- ## 8. [Gravitee](https://api7.ai/kong-vs-gravitee) Event-native API management for REST and async (Kafka/MQTT) Type OSS Community Edition + Enterprise/Cloud License Apache-2.0 core + commercial Enterprise Best for Event-driven APIs alongside REST Gravitee is an open-source (Apache-2.0) API management platform that treats event-driven and async protocols — Kafka, MQTT, WebSocket — as first-class alongside REST, with a companion Access Management product. It is self-hostable as the Community Edition or run via the managed Gravitee Cloud. ### Key features - Full API lifecycle: design, publish, document, discover, secure, and analytics - Event-native async APIs — Kafka, MQTT, RabbitMQ, Solace, WebSocket (Enterprise Edition) - Companion Access Management; Dynamic Client Registration and OIDC SSO (Enterprise) - Self-hosted Community Edition (Apache-2.0) or managed Gravitee Cloud Where others may still be better: The headline event-native/async capability is Enterprise-gated — the free Community Edition is REST-centric, and enterprise observability, secrets, and multi-environment management require a license. Best fit: Organizations managing event-driven and async APIs (Kafka/MQTT) alongside REST that want combined API management and access management. Official sources: [Gravitee APIM overview](https://documentation.gravitee.io/apim/getting-started) --- ## 9. Boomi API Management Integration-native API management inside the Boomi iPaaS Type SaaS control plane + distributed runtimes License Proprietary Best for API governance on the Boomi platform Boomi API Management is a module of the Boomi Enterprise Platform (iPaaS). It lets teams expose versioned REST, SOAP, and OData APIs and then secure, route, and monitor them through an API Gateway and Developer Portal, with low-code design tied to Boomi integrations. ### Key features - API Gateway providing a single entry point for security, traffic management, and observability - Versioned API lifecycle with auto-generated OpenAPI and WSDL specs - Policy management (quotas, rate limits), API discovery, and security scoring - Developer Portal and real-time API analytics Where others may still be better: It is a module within the broader Boomi platform rather than an independent open-source gateway. Teams should verify runtime placement, platform dependencies, and contract terms for their planned topology. Best fit: Organizations already on Boomi iPaaS that want to expose and govern their integrations as managed APIs with low-code effort. Official sources: [Boomi API Gateway](https://help.boomi.com/docs/Atomsphere/API%20Management/Topics/api-api_gateway_ddddb1bf-f768-4698-b175-2a2ae701d6ae) --- ## 10. [Layer7 API Gateway](https://api7.ai/apigee-vs-layer7) A security-hardened enterprise gateway for regulated industries (Broadcom) Type Enterprise self-hosted (on-prem/hybrid) License Proprietary (Broadcom) Best for Regulated, on-prem enterprises Layer7 API Gateway is Broadcom’s enterprise API gateway (formerly CA API Gateway). It enforces authentication, authorization, threat protection, message validation, transformation, and routing at a central policy point, deployable as a software install, appliance, virtual appliance, or a containerized Container Gateway on Kubernetes. ### Key features - Runtime policy enforcement: authentication, authorization, key management, integrity - Threat protection, message validation, transformation, and routing policies - Visual policy management with enterprise identity and PKI integrations - Software and container deployment options for customer-operated environments Where others may still be better: It is heavyweight to operate — customer-run infrastructure plus a MySQL database, with strong SOAP/XML heritage. The Developer Portal is a separate component with its own deployment and entitlement considerations; confirm packaging and pricing with Broadcom. Best fit: Large, regulated enterprises (finance, government, healthcare) needing a security-hardened, on-prem/hybrid gateway that integrates with existing PKI and identity. Official sources: [Layer7 API Gateway](https://www.broadcom.com/products/software/api-management/layer7-api-gateways) · [Layer7 Developer Portal](https://www.broadcom.com/products/software/api-management/layer7-developers) --- ## 11. Alibaba Cloud API Gateway Alibaba Cloud’s current cloud-native managed API gateway Type Cloud-native managed service License Proprietary Best for APIs on Alibaba Cloud (China/APAC) Alibaba Cloud Cloud-native API Gateway is the provider’s current managed gateway for API, route, and ingress management. Alibaba Cloud has announced the retirement of its Traditional API Gateway and MSE Cloud-native Gateway, with migration to the unified Cloud-native API Gateway required before final shutdown. ### Key features - Managed API, route, and ingress configuration within Alibaba Cloud - Authentication, authorization, throttling, and traffic-management controls - Cloud-native architecture integrating gateway and Kubernetes ingress workflows - Migration paths for existing Traditional API Gateway deployments Where others may still be better: It is tied to Alibaba Cloud and is not self-hostable. Existing Traditional API Gateway users also need to assess feature differences and complete a migration before the announced service shutdown. Best fit: Teams building on Alibaba Cloud — especially in China and APAC — needing a managed, scalable gateway integrated with Alibaba Cloud services. Official sources: [Cloud-native API Gateway](https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/api-gateway/product-overview/) · [Traditional gateway retirement](https://www.alibabacloud.com/help/en/api-gateway/traditional-api-gateway/product-overview/end-of-service-the-original-api-gateway-and-mse-cloud-native-gateway) --- ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best API gateway in 2026? Choose by workload and operating model. Shortlist API7 Enterprise for an APISIX-based runtime with commercial, self-hosted management and governance across Kubernetes or on-premises environments. Apache APISIX itself is an independent open-source project for teams that can operate it. Kong, Amazon API Gateway, Apigee, Tyk, and kgateway or Gloo Gateway address different management and cloud boundaries; no product is a universal winner. ### What is the best open-source API gateway? Choose by architecture and required open-source scope rather than a generic ranking. Apache APISIX is an Apache Software Foundation gateway with an Apache-2.0 codebase and a broad plugin catalog. Kong Gateway and Tyk Gateway also have open-source editions, while kgateway is a CNCF project built around Envoy and the Kubernetes Gateway API. Validate licenses and edition boundaries for every required feature. ### What is the difference between a self-hosted and a managed API gateway? A self-hosted gateway runs in infrastructure your team operates, while a managed service shifts more control-plane or runtime responsibility to the provider. Hybrid products split those duties. The labels are not guarantees: confirm who owns upgrades, data-plane availability, scaling, configuration storage, observability, and incident response for the specific edition and deployment model. ### Which API gateway is best for Kubernetes? For enterprise Kubernetes, shortlist API7 Enterprise when centralized gateway groups, RBAC, audit logs, and commercial support matter alongside a self-hosted APISIX-based runtime. Compare Apache APISIX with its Ingress Controller, Kong with its controller or Konnect topology, and kgateway or Gloo Gateway when Kubernetes-native configuration is central. Installing a gateway on Kubernetes does not establish Gateway API conformance; verify the exact controller version and required resources separately. ### Which API gateway is the fastest? Public benchmarks are not directly comparable because hardware, protocols, payloads, plugins, logging, TLS, and test methods differ. Shortlist gateways by architecture and operating requirements, then benchmark the exact policies and traffic patterns you expect to run in production. ### How do I choose an API gateway? Weigh open-source scope and license, performance and architecture, the plugin and extensibility model, deployment options (self-host, cloud, hybrid, managed), protocol and API-type support, and governance, security, and ecosystem. Shortlist two or three that match your environment and benchmark them with a real workload. ## Related comparisons [Top 5 API management platforms](https://api7.ai/top-5-api-management-comparison) · [Apache APISIX vs Kong](https://api7.ai/apisix-vs-kong) · [All gateway comparisons](https://api7.ai/api-gateway-comparison) ## Ready to get started? For more information about full API lifecycle management, please contact us to Meet with our API Experts. [Contact Us](https://api7.ai/contact)