Self-hosted and open source - verified
Kong Gateway (open source)
Kong Gateway is listed under self-hosted and open source. Its first listed fee, in its own words: open source (Apache 2.0), self-hosted software. No compatible API format is stated in the pages we checked. Routing stated: load balancing. Read from the vendor's own pages on October 18, 2026.
Read from github.com, raw.githubusercontent.com. Docs - Compare every gateway
Status
- Status, as we read it
maintained open-source projectinferred
Our reading: The page implies this status without labelling it.
“It also provides advanced AI traffic capabilities with multi-LLM support, semantic security, MCP traffic security and analytics, and more.”
raw.githubusercontent.com
How Kong Gateway charges
Every fee line Kong Gateway states, in its own words and units, with the quote. Nothing is converted.
| Product | Fee, in the vendor's words | Applies to | Quote and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kong Gateway (open source) | open source (Apache 2.0) | self-hosted software | “Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0” |
Access and keys
- Free tier
- Not stated
Open-source software; free tier not applicable.
- Bring your own key
- Not stated
Not stated in the checked README.
- BYOK fee
- Not stated
Not applicable.
API formats
- OpenAI-compatible
- Not stated
README describes a universal LLM API; OpenAI-format details are on the AI Proxy plugin page, which does not state OSS availability.
- Anthropic-compatible
- Not stated
Not stated in the checked README.
- OpenAI base URL
- Not stated
Self-hosted; routes are user-defined.
- Anthropic base URL
- Not stated
Not stated.
Routing
- Fallbacks
- Not stated
Not stated for LLM traffic in the checked README.
- Load balancing
load balancing (general gateway feature)inferred
Our reading: General gateway load balancing from the README, not stated specifically for LLM traffic.
“By providing functionality for proxying, routing, load balancing, health checking, authentication”
raw.githubusercontent.com - Automatic model routing
- Not stated
Not stated in the checked README.
Caching
- Exact-match cache
- Not stated
Not stated in the checked README.
- Semantic cache
- Not stated
README mentions semantic caching among AI features, but the pricing page lists AI Semantic Cache as a paid plugin; OSS availability not confirmed.
Controls and observability
- Spend controls
- Not stated
Not stated in the checked README.
- Rate limits
- Not stated
Not stated for LLM traffic in the checked README.
- Guardrails
- Not stated
Not stated for the OSS edition in the checked README.
- Observability
- Not stated
Not stated for the OSS edition in the checked README.
- Telemetry and log export
- Not stated
Not stated in the checked README.
Data, deployment and license
- Data logging and retention
- Not stated
Self-hosted; not stated.
- Regions
- Not stated
Self-hosted; not applicable.
- Self-hosting
yes (cloud, bare metal, containers)
“Whether you’re running in the cloud, on bare metal, or using containers”
raw.githubusercontent.com - License
Apache 2.0
“Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0”
raw.githubusercontent.com - LLM support
multi-LLM support claimed in README
“Universal LLM API to route across multiple providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, GCP Gemini, AWS Bedrock, Azure AI, Databricks, Mistral, Huggingface and more.”
raw.githubusercontent.com
Vendor-stated counts
Model and provider counts as Kong Gateway states them, dated. When two pages disagree, both are shown.
60+ AI features (README) (vendor-stated, Oct 18 2026)
“60+ AI features like AI observability, semantic security and caching, semantic routing and more.”
raw.githubusercontent.com
Research notes
Which AI features ship in the Apache-licensed OSS build versus paid plugins is not stated in the README; the pricing page lists several AI plugins as paid.
FAQ
How much does Kong Gateway cost?
In Kong Gateway's own terms: open source (Apache 2.0) (self-hosted software). As of October 18, 2026; fees are not converted.
Does Kong Gateway support bring your own key?
Not stated. Not stated in the checked README.
Is Kong Gateway OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible?
OpenAI: not stated. README describes a universal LLM API; OpenAI-format details are on the AI Proxy plugin page, which does not state OSS availability. Anthropic: not stated. Not stated in the checked README.
Sources
Last verified from each vendor's own docs, pricing pages, READMEs and license files; every quote was string-matched against the page that day. Fees are shown in the vendor's own words and change without notice, so check the linked source before you commit.
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