Kong Gateway
Cloud-native API, LLM and MCP gateway that adds routing, auth, multi-LLM support, semantic security and MCP traffic analytics through plugins.
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Use cases
About Kong Gateway
Kong Gateway is listed in our agent infra category and is aimed at builders. Cloud-native API, LLM and MCP gateway that adds routing, auth, multi-LLM support, semantic security and MCP traffic analytics through plugins. Pricing, as the maker states it: Open source + cloud. Maturity: Mature. We last checked the official link on 2026-10-18.
What is Kong Gateway?
Kong Gateway is a cloud-native, platform-agnostic API, LLM and MCP gateway known for its performance and plugin-based extensibility. It handles proxying, routing, load balancing, health checks and authentication.
For AI traffic it adds multi-LLM support, semantic security, and MCP traffic security and analytics. It runs natively on Kubernetes through its official Ingress Controller, and Kong Konnect offers a cloud-hosted version with a free trial.
Sources: the official README and our directory listing, checked 2026-10-18. Official site: konghq.com/products/kong-gateway.
Who is Kong Gateway for?
Platform and API teams that need a single gateway for regular APIs, LLM traffic and MCP servers, self-hosted or in the cloud.
Kong Gateway at a glance
- Open source: Yes (Apache License 2.0)
- GitHub: Kong/kong · 44,289 stars (as of Oct 21, 2026)
Key features
- API, LLM and MCP gateway in one
- Proxying, routing, load balancing and authentication
- Multi-LLM support and semantic security
- MCP traffic security and analytics
- Plugins for extensibility
- Kubernetes Ingress Controller; cloud-hosted Kong Konnect
Kong Gateway FAQ
What is Kong Gateway?
Kong Gateway is a cloud-native, platform-agnostic API, LLM and MCP gateway known for its performance and plugin-based extensibility. It handles proxying, routing, load balancing, health checks and authentication.
Who is Kong Gateway for?
Platform and API teams that need a single gateway for regular APIs, LLM traffic and MCP servers, self-hosted or in the cloud.
Is Kong Gateway free?
Kong Gateway's pricing, as the maker states it: Open source + cloud. Open-source tools are free to use, though you may still pay for model API usage or a hosted plan. Check the official site for current plans.
Is Kong Gateway open source?
Yes. Kong Gateway is released under the Apache License 2.0, according to its GitHub repository.
What are alternatives to Kong Gateway?
Similar tools include Tyk Gateway, Bifrost, Replicate, Atomic Mail, LiteLLM Agent Platform and Composio.
Kong Gateway ratings and reviews
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