FREEDOM251

Freedom251 › Kubernetes Ingress Controllers

kgateway

Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted

Visit kgateway Alternatives Pricing

kgateway's own site

What kgateway is

kgateway is a Kubernetes-native ingress controller and API gateway control plane that configures an Envoy data plane through the Kubernetes Gateway API. It is a free, self-hosted project for Linux environments, with deployments described from lightweight microgateways between services to centralized gateways handling billions of API calls. Documented traffic tools include routing and aggregation, load balancing, rate limiting, traffic splitting, and request transformations. Security capabilities include TLS and mTLS, external authentication, API keys, JWT, OAuth2/OIDC, and IP access control. Resilience options include circuit breakers, fault injection, retries, timeouts, and outlier detection. Integrations include Istio, AWS load balancers, Argo Rollouts, ExternalDNS, cert-manager, and OpenTelemetry. The control plane installs in a Kubernetes cluster using Helm or Argo CD. Launched in 2018 as Gloo, the project was originally created by Solo.io and is now a Cloud Native Computing Foundation sandbox project. Solo offers free community support through Gloo Community and a public GitHub repository. The documentation directs AI, MCP, and LLM connectivity use cases to the separate Agentgateway project.

Who it suits

kgateway is for teams managing Kubernetes ingress or API gateway needs, including those seeking traffic management, security, or resilience features. Solo describes its enterprise offering as serving API pioneers and Kubernetes platform teams.

What it does well

  • Free, self-hosted project.
  • Supports multiple traffic-management capabilities.
  • Documents TLS, authentication, and access controls.
  • Installs with Helm or Argo CD.

What to know first

  • Requires a Kubernetes cluster.
  • AI, MCP, and LLM connectivity is directed to another project.

Plans

PlanBilled and limitsPrice
Solo Enterprise for kgatewayPricing is tailored to the environment and use case; contact Solo for an estimate. · Pricing varies by deployment; no single price list statedOn request

As kgateway.dev lists them, read 29 Sept 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

  1. Open https://kgateway.dev/.
  2. Prepare a Kubernetes cluster for the control plane.
  3. Install the control plane with Helm or Argo CD.
  4. Use the free community support through Gloo Community or the public GitHub repository if needed.

Verdict

kgateway combines ingress and API gateway controls with a broad set of documented traffic, security, and resilience features. Its self-hosted Kubernetes deployment is central to how teams use it.

Questions

Is kgateway free?

Yes. The project has a free plan.

Where does kgateway run?

It is self-hosted on Linux, and its control plane installs into a Kubernetes cluster.

How is kgateway installed?

The control plane can be installed using Helm or Argo CD.

Is kgateway open source?

It is a Cloud Native Computing Foundation sandbox project.

What support is available?

Solo offers free community support through Gloo Community and a public GitHub repository.

Does kgateway provide AI, MCP, or LLM connectivity?

Its documentation directs readers seeking those capabilities to the separate Agentgateway project.

Facts from kgateway's own pages

Founded
2018 · kgateway.dev, 28 Sept 2026
Installation
The kgateway control plane installs into a Kubernetes cluster using Helm or Argo CD. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Integrations
Documented integrations include Istio, AWS load balancers, Argo Rollouts, ExternalDNS, cert-manager, and OpenTelemetry. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Naming scope
The kgateway documentation directs AI, MCP, and LLM connectivity readers to the separate Agentgateway project. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Open source status
Kgateway is a Cloud Native Computing Foundation sandbox project. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Project history
Kgateway launched in 2018 as Gloo and was originally created by Solo.io. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Purpose
Kgateway is a Kubernetes-native ingress controller and API gateway control plane that configures an Envoy data plane using the Kubernetes Gateway API. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Resilience
The documentation lists circuit breakers, fault injection, retries, timeouts, and outlier detection among its resilience features. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Scale
Kgateway supports deployments ranging from lightweight microgateways between services to centralized gateways handling billions of API calls. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Security
Documented security features include TLS and mTLS, external authentication, API keys, JWT, OAuth2/OIDC, IP access control, and rate limiting. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Support
Solo offers free community support through its Gloo Community and public GitHub repository. · solo.io, 29 Sept 2026
Supported audience
The maker describes Solo Enterprise for kgateway and Istio as serving API pioneers and Kubernetes platform teams. · solo.io, 29 Sept 2026
Traffic features
Documented capabilities include routing and aggregation, load balancing, rate limiting, traffic splitting, and request transformations. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026
Use cases
The project describes security, traffic management, and resilience as kgateway use cases. · kgateway.dev, 29 Sept 2026

Where kgateway stands on Freedom251

Look at these too