Kong
Fastest to get started
Why teams pick it
Launch quickly with streamlined setup and onboarding.
Open-source alternatives to Stoplight
Compare community-driven replacements for Stoplight in api gateways workflows. We curate active, self-hostable options with transparent licensing so you can evaluate the right fit quickly.
Stoplight
Stoplight offers visual API design, OpenAPI schema validation, mock servers, and interactive documentation. It integrates with Git repos to maintain API standards across teams.Read more
Key stats
- 8Alternatives
- 6Active development
Recent commits in the last 6 months
- 6Permissive licenses
MIT, Apache, and similar licenses
Counts reflect projects currently indexed as alternatives to Stoplight.
Start with these picks
These projects match the most common migration paths for teams replacing Stoplight.
Tyk
AI-powered workflows
Why teams pick it
Automate scheduling with AI-driven assistants.
All open-source alternatives
Kong
Cloud‑native gateway unifying APIs, LLMs, and MCP traffic
Active developmentPermissive licenseFast to deployLua
Why teams choose it
- Advanced routing, load balancing, and health checking via RESTful admin API
- Universal LLM API supporting multiple providers in a single gateway
- MCP traffic governance, security, and observability across services
Watch for
Steeper learning curve for teams unfamiliar with Lua or Kong concepts
Migration highlight
Unified API and LLM routing
Route requests to REST APIs and multiple LLM providers through a single gateway, simplifying authentication, observability, and policy enforcement.
Tyk
Fast, cloud-native API gateway for REST, GraphQL, gRPC, TCP
Active developmentFast to deployIntegration-friendlyGo
Why teams choose it
- Supports REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and TCP protocols
- Built‑in authentication methods (OIDC, JWT, mTLS, etc.)
- Ultra‑low latency with thousands of RPS per CPU
Watch for
Requires Redis for core functionality
Migration highlight
Secure public APIs
Apply OIDC/JWT authentication, enforce rate limits, and monitor usage via built‑in analytics.
Gravitee
Fast, flexible platform to design, secure, and monitor APIs
Active developmentPermissive licenseFast to deployJava
Why teams choose it
- 50+ pre‑built policies for traffic shaping and security
- Customizable developer portal with theming and full‑text search
- Built‑in analytics dashboards plus Grafana/Kibana integration
Watch for
Enterprise‑only features require a paid license
Migration highlight
Internal microservice exposure
Secure internal APIs with rate limits, authentication, and audit logging
Manba
Unified HTTP API gateway with traffic control and plugins
Permissive licenseFast to deployIntegration-friendlyGo
Why teams choose it
- Traffic control per server or API
- Circuit breaker to protect unstable services
- Load balancing with service discovery
Watch for
Requires Go version 1.10 or newer
Migration highlight
A/B testing with traffic diversion
Dynamically split traffic between service versions without code changes
Apache APISIX
Dynamic, high-performance API gateway for modern cloud and AI workloads
Active developmentPermissive licenseFast to deployLua
Why teams choose it
- Hot-reload configuration and plugins without restarts
- Multi-protocol support: HTTP, HTTPS, gRPC, WebSocket, TCP/UDP, MQTT, Dubbo
- Advanced traffic control: canary releases, A/B testing, circuit breaking, rate limiting
Watch for
Configuration complexity can be steep for beginners
Migration highlight
AI model serving gateway
Balances LLM requests, applies token-based throttling, and retries failed calls, ensuring consistent latency for AI applications.
KrakenD
Stateless, ultra‑high‑performance API gateway for microservices and secure communications
Active developmentPermissive licenseFast to deployGo
Why teams choose it
- Stateless design enables true linear scalability
- Content aggregation, transformation, and filtering across multiple backends
- Built‑in security features: OAuth, JWT, CORS, HSTS, etc.
Watch for
Learning curve for complex routing configurations
Migration highlight
Backend‑for‑Frontend aggregation
Combine data from multiple microservices into a single client‑optimized response, reducing round‑trips.
Janus
Lightweight Go‑based API gateway with granular control and analytics
Permissive licenseFast to deployIntegration-friendlyGo
Why teams choose it
- Single‑binary deployment eliminates dependency management
- Hot‑reloading configuration without service interruption
- Fine‑grained rate limiting and circuit breaker per API key
Watch for
Requires Go 1.9+ to build from source
Migration highlight
Secure public API for mobile app
Expose backend services with JWT authentication, rate limiting per user, and real‑time tracing to monitor performance.
Lura
Build ultra‑fast, extensible API gateways with Go middleware
Active developmentIntegration-friendlyAI-powered workflowsGo
Why teams choose it
- Aggregates multiple backend services into a single endpoint
- Extensible middleware architecture (OAuth, security, custom plugins)
- High‑performance Go implementation with low latency
Watch for
Requires Go knowledge to compile and integrate
Migration highlight
Mobile front‑page aggregation
Single endpoint returns combined product, promo, user, and cart data, reducing round‑trips and payload size.
Choosing a api gateways alternative
Teams replacing Stoplight in api gateways workflows typically weigh self-hosting needs, integration coverage, and licensing obligations.
- 6 options are actively maintained with recent commits.
Tip: shortlist one hosted and one self-hosted option so stakeholders can compare trade-offs before migrating away from Stoplight.