KrakenD API Gateway

Windows · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

KrakenD API Gateway is ranked #4 of 27 in API gateway software on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.

KrakenD API Gateway plans and pricing

All plans

Community Edition Free Free to use; no license cost Unlimited requests · unlimited APIs and AI workloads · self-hosted krakend.io · 30 Sept 2026

Enterprise Edition Not published Contact sales Unlimited requests · unlimited APIs and AI workloads · commercial support and SLAs krakend.io · 30 Sept 2026

Compared on API gateway software

Free plan: Yes
Deployment model: hybrid
Supported protocols: REST, HTTP, WebSockets, SOAP, gRPC, GraphQL, AMQP, Kafka, NATS
Authentication methods: JWT, client credentials, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, API keys, Basic Authentication, mTLS
Rate limiting: Yes
Request transformation: Yes

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The record

Purpose: KrakenD is a stateless, distributed API gateway for connecting, securing, aggregating, and transforming APIs and AI workloads.
API composition: It can combine data from multiple APIs or services into a single response tailored to client needs.
Traffic management: Traffic controls include rate limiting, circuit breaking, IP filtering, bot detection, and load balancing.
Connectivity: The gateway connects to REST, RabbitMQ, SNS, SQS, Kafka, GraphQL, gRPC, SOAP, and Lambda services.
Authentication: Listed authentication options include JWT, OAuth2, OpenID Connect, client credentials, and mTLS.
Security: KrakenD describes a zero-trust design with token validation, API key authentication, IP filtering, rate limiting, and protections against common web attack vectors.
Compliance: KrakenD states that the company is SOC 2 Type II certified; Enterprise also advertises FIPS compliance.
Enterprise AI features: The feature comparison lists AI Gateway and AI security capabilities as Enterprise features not included in Community.
Deployment: KrakenD is self-hosted and available through Docker and Kubernetes, cloud marketplace virtual machines, Linux packages, and Linux generic binaries.
Platform support: The maker says the development Docker image can be used on Windows, Mac, or Linux, and that KrakenD runs natively on Linux and Mac OS.
Support: Community support resources include Google Groups, GitHub issue reporting, and Gophers Slack; Enterprise offers direct vendor support and SLAs.
Limits: The maker says plans have unlimited requests, APIs, and AI workloads, while Community feature availability differs from Enterprise in areas including SSO/SAML, audit logging, and direct SLA support.
Founded: 2016
Headquarters: Barcelona, Spain
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best API Gateway Software in 2026#4 of 27

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Sources

krakend.io· checked 30 Sept 2026
krakend.io/open-source/· checked 30 Sept 2026
krakend.io/features/· checked 30 Sept 2026
krakend.io/security-policy/· checked 30 Sept 2026
krakend.io/download/· checked 30 Sept 2026
krakend.io/support/· checked 30 Sept 2026
krakend.io/enterprise/· checked 30 Sept 2026