A Modern Alternative to Apache APISIX
Kgateway is an open source API gateway built on Envoy and the Kubernetes Gateway API standard, rather than APISIX's NGINX-and-etcd stack. Compare it with Apache APISIX before you choose.
Capability comparison
Kgateway leads in 6 of 7 categories
Why Teams Choose Us
“APISIX’s Lua-based plugin development is a different skill set than the Kubernetes YAML our platform team already knows.”
Kgateway extends policy through Kubernetes-native Gateway API resources and Envoy filters, so your team configures and extends the gateway the same way it manages everything else in the cluster.
“APISIX is fast, but its own admin API and etcd store are one more system to run and secure.”
Kgateway configures routing and policy through the Kubernetes Gateway API standard your team already knows, using the Kubernetes control plane you already run instead of a separate config store.
“We want an open source gateway with a standard config model, not a vendor-specific one.”
Kgateway is open source and CNCF-hosted, built on the Kubernetes Gateway API standard rather than an APISIX-specific configuration model, so what your team learns stays portable.
Customer proof
"Solo.io helps Grainger keep the world working by powering innovation at scale."
4,000+ releases/year
Trust & compliance
SOC 2
Certification supports security and procurement review for regulated Kubernetes environments
OSS roots
Build on Envoy, Istio, Cilium, and Gateway API foundations for open source service mesh adoption.
CNCF maintainer status
keeps Solo.io engineers close to the projects shaping cloud native mesh standards.
FIPS builds
provide FIPS 140-2 validated options for service mesh security requirements.
Published SLAs
Define support expectations for enterprise service mesh operations.
Customer references
include production outcomes from teams running large-scale Kubernetes networking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to run etcd separately with kgateway?
Do I need to run etcd separately with kgateway?
No. APISIX relies on etcd as a separate configuration store you have to run and secure. Kgateway uses the Kubernetes API server as its source of truth, so there's no additional data store to operate.
How is kgateway different from Apache APISIX?
How is kgateway different from Apache APISIX?
APISIX combines an NGINX core with etcd for configuration storage, its own admin API, and Lua-based extensibility. Kgateway is built on Envoy and configured through the Kubernetes Gateway API standard, using the Kubernetes control plane you already run instead of a separate config store.
Is kgateway open source, like APISIX?
Is kgateway open source, like APISIX?
Yes. Kgateway is open source and CNCF-hosted, free to run on your own, with enterprise support and advanced policy available on top when you need production SLAs.
Does kgateway support Lua plugins like APISIX?
Does kgateway support Lua plugins like APISIX?
Not Lua specifically. Kgateway extends Envoy through WASM plugins and Kubernetes-native policy CRDs instead of APISIX's Lua scripting, so extensibility follows the same Kubernetes Gateway API model as the rest of your configuration.
What does it cost to run kgateway versus APISIX?
What does it cost to run kgateway versus APISIX?
Both have an open source core, so cost comes down to infrastructure footprint and support tier. Kgateway's Envoy-based architecture avoids the separate etcd dependency APISIX requires for configuration storage. A demo is the fastest way to get numbers scoped to your environment.
See How Kgateway Compares to Apache APISIX
Request a demo to see kgateway scoped to your environment, or compare it with APISIX and other open source API gateways in the Buyer's Guide first.
