Express Gateway vs Kong: What are the differences?

Key Differences between Express Gateway and Kong

Introduction

Express Gateway and Kong are two popular API gateway solutions that help in managing, securing, and scaling APIs. While both provide similar functionalities, there are several key differences between the two.

1. Scalability: In terms of scalability, Express Gateway is designed to be lightweight and highly performant, making it suitable for smaller applications or scenarios where lower resource consumption is preferred. On the other hand, Kong is built on top of the Nginx web server, which provides robust performance and scalability, making it a better choice for larger-scale deployments.

2. Plugin Ecosystem: Kong boasts a vast plugin ecosystem with a large number of community-driven plugins available, allowing users to easily extend its functionalities and integrate with various third-party services. Express Gateway, although it supports plugins, has a more limited plugin ecosystem compared to Kong, which might restrict the available options for customization and integration.

3. Architecture: Express Gateway follows a microservices architecture where different components of the gateway are decoupled and can be scaled independently. This offers flexibility and modularity in managing and scaling individual components. On the other hand, Kong follows a monolithic architecture, where all the components are tightly integrated within a single application. While this simplifies the deployment process, it might limit the flexibility in customizing and choosing specific components.

4. Ease of Use: Express Gateway aims to provide a developer-friendly and intuitive user interface, making it easier for developers to set up and configure gateway functionalities. Kong, although it offers a rich set of features, might have a steeper learning curve and require more technical expertise to fully utilize its capabilities.

5. Community Support: Kong has a larger and more active community compared to Express Gateway, which translates to a stronger support system in terms of documentation, community forums, and third-party resources. This can be beneficial when seeking help, finding solutions to problems, or staying up-to-date with the latest developments.

6. Commercial Support: Kong offers a commercial variant called Kong Enterprise, which comes with additional features, support, and consultancy services. Express Gateway, being an open-source project, does not have a commercial offering. This might be a crucial factor for organizations requiring enterprise-level support or advanced features beyond the scope of the open-source version.

In summary, while both Express Gateway and Kong serve as effective API gateway solutions, Kong offers greater scalability, a larger plugin ecosystem, and benefits from an active community and commercial support options. Express Gateway, on the other hand, focuses on being lightweight, developer-friendly, and provides flexibility in its microservices architecture. The choice between the two ultimately depends on the specific needs and requirements of the project.