AWS App Mesh vs Kong: What are the differences?

Introduction

AWS App Mesh and Kong are two popular tools used for managing and securing microservices architectures. While both offer similar functionality, they have some key differences that make them unique in their own ways.

1. Deployment Model: AWS App Mesh is a fully managed service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that allows you to easily monitor and control communications between microservices. It integrates seamlessly with AWS services and is hosted on the AWS Cloud. On the other hand, Kong is an open-source solution that can be deployed on-premises or in the cloud, giving you more flexibility in choosing your deployment environment.

2. Service Discovery: AWS App Mesh has built-in service discovery capabilities that automatically register and track your services as they scale up or down. It uses the Envoy proxy to collect metrics and traces, providing you with valuable insights into your microservices architecture. Kong, on the other hand, relies on external service discovery mechanisms, such as Consul or etcd, to manage service registration and discovery.

3. API Gateway: Kong is primarily known for its API gateway capabilities, allowing you to manage and secure your APIs. It provides features like authentication, rate limiting, request/response transformations, and more. AWS App Mesh, on the other hand, focuses more on managing the communication between microservices rather than being a dedicated API gateway. It can be used in conjunction with AWS API Gateway for API management.

4. Polyglot Support: Kong supports a wide range of programming languages and frameworks, making it a versatile choice for developers. It provides SDKs and plugins for popular languages like JavaScript, Python, Go, and more. AWS App Mesh, on the other hand, is language-agnostic and can be used with any programming language that supports the Envoy proxy. This gives you more flexibility in choosing the technologies for your microservices.

5. Integration with AWS Services: As an AWS service, App Mesh integrates seamlessly with other AWS services like AWS Lambda, Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, and more. This allows you to leverage the full power of the AWS ecosystem when building your microservices architecture. Kong, being an open-source solution, can also be integrated with AWS services, but it requires more manual configuration and setup.

6. Pricing: AWS App Mesh is a managed service that comes with a pay-as-you-go pricing model. You only pay for the resources you use, making it a cost-effective choice for small to large-scale deployments. Kong, being an open-source tool, is free to use, but you are responsible for managing and scaling the infrastructure it runs on. This may incur additional costs depending on your deployment requirements.

In summary, AWS App Mesh is a fully managed service provided by AWS that focuses on managing communication between microservices in an AWS environment. It offers built-in service discovery, deep integration with AWS services, and a pay-as-you-go pricing model. Kong, on the other hand, is an open-source solution that can be deployed anywhere and offers more flexibility in terms of deployment options and programming language support. It is primarily known for its API gateway capabilities and is free to use, but requires more manual setup and management.