NGINX Gateway Fabric

Linux · Self-hosted

Freedom report

Two barsScore 6.4

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely1 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

NGINX Gateway Fabric is ranked #6 of 27 in API gateway software on Freedom251. It runs on Linux, Self-hosted. There is a free plan.

NGINX Gateway Fabric plans and pricing

All plans

NGINX Gateway Fabric (NGINX Open Source data plane) Free Open-source project · Kubernetes deployment · Gateway API support varies by resource github.com · 5 Oct 2026

Compared on API gateway software

Free plan: Yes
Deployment model: self-hosted
Supported protocols: HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/2, gRPC, TCP, TLS, UDP
Authentication methods: Basic authentication, JWT, OpenID Connect, external authentication
Rate limiting: Yes
Request transformation: Yes

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The record

Purpose: NGINX Gateway Fabric implements the Kubernetes Gateway API using NGINX as the data plane for load balancing, reverse proxying, and API gateway use cases.
Architecture: It separates the control plane and data plane, and the control plane translates Gateway API resources into NGINX configuration.
Routing: The project aims to implement core Gateway API resources including Gateway, HTTPRoute, GRPCRoute, TCPRoute, TLSRoute, and UDPRoute.
Supported API resources: The compatibility table lists GatewayClass, Gateway, HTTPRoute, GRPCRoute, ReferenceGrant, TLSRoute, TCPRoute, UDPRoute, and BackendTLSPolicy, with support levels varying by resource.
Traffic features: Documented traffic management features include HTTP routing, TLS routing, redirects and rewrites, request mirroring, session persistence, and rate limiting.
Security features: The documentation covers HTTPS with cert-manager, mutual TLS, basic authentication, OpenID Connect, external authentication, and JWT authentication.
Integrations: The documentation describes monitoring with Prometheus and Grafana and tracing with OpenTelemetry collectors, including Jaeger examples.
Deployment: NGINX Gateway Fabric can be installed with Helm from an OCI registry or from source, and Gateway API resources must be installed before deployment.
Kubernetes compatibility: The technical specifications list Kubernetes 1.32 or later for NGINX Gateway Fabric 2.7.2.
Supported images: The documented control plane and NGINX data plane images are available for amd64 and arm64 architectures.
Advanced features: NGINX Plus data plane images are provided through F5's private container registry, and the installation guide includes separate NGINX Plus and WAF deployment options.
Telemetry: Product telemetry is collected by default once every 24 hours over HTTPS; the documentation says personally identifiable information is not collected and describes how to opt out.
Support: The support page directs users to GitHub issues and the NGINX Community Forum, and says users can contact F5 Sales for dedicated support or NGINX Plus features.
Notable limitation: The compatibility documentation marks some Gateway API resources or fields as partially supported or unsupported, and notes that some may never be supported.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best API Gateway Software in 2026#6 of 27
Best Kubernetes Ingress Controllers in 2026#9 of 27

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Sources

docs.nginx.com/nginx-gateway-fabric/· checked 5 Oct 2026
github.com/nginx/nginx-gateway-fabric· checked 5 Oct 2026
docs.nginx.com/nginx-gateway-fabric/overview/gateway-a· checked 5 Oct 2026
docs.nginx.com/nginx-gateway-fabric/traffic-security/· checked 5 Oct 2026
docs.nginx.com/nginx-gateway-fabric/monitoring/prometh· checked 5 Oct 2026
docs.nginx.com/nginx-gateway-fabric/install/helm/· checked 5 Oct 2026
docs.nginx.com/nginx-gateway-fabric/overview/technical· checked 5 Oct 2026
docs.nginx.com/nginx-gateway-fabric/overview/product-t· checked 5 Oct 2026
docs.nginx.com/nginx-gateway-fabric/support/· checked 5 Oct 2026