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Home/Categories/APIs & Integration/Apache APISIX
icon of Apache APISIX

Apache APISIX

Open source alternative to Kong Konnect, Apigee and Portkey

  • 17.2K stars
  • Apache-2.0
  • Active this week
  • Last commit 2 days ago

Last verified Oct 20, 2026

Manage API traffic with a self-hosted gateway that handles routing, authentication, rate limiting, observability, and AI proxy workloads.

Visit websiteGitHub17.2K stars1-click deploy on Hostinger
image of Apache APISIX
TL;DR

Apache APISIX is an Apache-2.0 API gateway and AI gateway for routing, securing, and observing API traffic across microservices. It replaces managed or commercial gateways such as Google Apigee and Kong Konnect when platform teams need dynamic configuration, plugin control, Kubernetes-friendly deployment, and permissive licensing.

Read the full breakdownHide the full breakdownWho it is for, how it works, trade-offs and the FAQ
who it's for

Who Apache APISIX is for#

Platform teams standardizing API traffic

APISIX gives platform teams one gateway for authentication, rate limits, routing, and metrics across many services. Dynamic route updates help teams ship policy changes without touching every backend.

Skip if:

Use a managed gateway if your team does not want to operate etcd, gateway upgrades, or production traffic policy.

Kubernetes teams replacing hosted gateways

APISIX fits Kubernetes ingress and service discovery workflows while keeping gateway behavior under the team's control. It is useful when request volume makes managed gateway pricing hard to justify.

Skip if:

Skip it if your main requirement is a hosted portal, billing, and enterprise API product management with minimal infrastructure work.

the problem

The problem it solves#

Microservice teams need one reliable layer for routing, authentication, rate limiting, traffic splitting, and observability. Without an API gateway, every service repeats the same edge concerns, and policy changes require application releases instead of infrastructure configuration.\u000A\u000AManaged API gateways solve part of the problem but can tie cost to traffic volume, seats, or enterprise packages. That becomes painful for teams with high request volume, private network requirements, or gateway policies that need to change quickly.

how Apache APISIX solves it

How it solves it#

Dynamic route management

APISIX stores gateway configuration in etcd and lets operators update routes, upstreams, and plugins through the Admin API without restarting the gateway. That supports live traffic changes during migrations and incident response.

Plugin-based traffic control

Built-in plugins cover authentication, rate limiting, circuit breaking, request transformation, logging, tracing, and Prometheus metrics. Teams can apply policies per route instead of baking them into each service.

Cloud-native deployment paths

APISIX supports Docker, Kubernetes, ingress use cases, and service discovery integrations. It fits platform teams running HTTP, HTTPS, gRPC, WebSocket, and microservice traffic through one edge layer.

strengths · trade-offs

Strengths and trade-offs#

Strengths

  • Permissive Apache licenseApache-2.0 licensing allows commercial use, modification, and redistribution with standard notice requirements. That makes APISIX easier to adopt in commercial infrastructure than copyleft gateway projects.
  • Runtime configuration changesDynamic configuration is a core APISIX design point. Operators can add routes or change plugin behavior while traffic is flowing, which reduces release pressure for gateway policy changes.

Trade-offs

  • -Requires gateway operations skillAPISIX is infrastructure software. Teams need to operate etcd, certificates, plugin configuration, observability, and upgrade processes, which is heavier than consuming a fully managed API gateway.
  • -Enterprise support is separateThe open source gateway is mature, but commercial support, dashboards, and managed operations come through vendors such as API7. Teams expecting one packaged enterprise product should account for that choice.
versus alternatives

Apache APISIX vs alternatives#

Kong Konnect

Apache APISIX and Kong Konnect both cover API gateway management, but they serve different operating models. APISIX is a self-hosted Apache-2.0 gateway you run in your own environment. Kong Konnect is a commercial managed control plane built for teams that prefer vendor-hosted governance.

CriterionApache APISIXKong Konnect
LicenseApache-2.0Proprietary managed product
HostingSelf-hosted Docker or KubernetesManaged control plane
Dynamic configAdmin API backed by etcdKonnect control plane
Best fitTeams wanting gateway ownershipTeams wanting vendor-managed governance

Choose APISIX when you want open source licensing, direct control over deployment, and predictable gateway costs. Choose Kong Konnect when reducing gateway operations matters more than owning the control plane.

tech stack · detected from GitHub

What it's built on#

Languages
GoLuaPerlPythonTypeScript
Infrastructure
Kubernetes
Tooling
OpenAPI
frequently asked

FAQ#

What is Apache APISIX used for?

Apache APISIX is used as an API gateway for routing, securing, load balancing, rate limiting, and observing API traffic. It also positions itself as an AI gateway for teams routing model and agent traffic.

Is Apache APISIX open source?

Yes. Apache APISIX is licensed under Apache-2.0 and developed as an Apache Software Foundation project. The license permits commercial use and modification.

How does Apache APISIX compare with Kong?

Both are API gateways with plugin ecosystems. APISIX emphasizes dynamic configuration through etcd and an Apache-2.0 open source core, while Kong has a larger commercial ecosystem and enterprise product family.

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Hostinger

Run Apache APISIX on your own server

Hostinger sets Apache APISIX up as a one-click app on a VPS.

Deploy on Hostinger

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