Side by side
Amazon API Gateway vs Ambassador Edge Stack
Both stand on api gateway software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Amazon API Gateway brings API creation, traffic controls, monitoring, and authorization into a managed cloud service. Review the Free Tier allowances and WebSocket message limit against expected usage.
Visit Amazon API GatewayChoose Ambassador Edge Stack if your cloud-native team needs a self-hosted Kubernetes gateway with developer-managed deployments and traffic controls. Its Gravitee federation can extend governance, portal access, and analytics across gateways. Teams should look elsewhere if they need a published license price rather than pricing on request.
Visit Ambassador Edge StackThe facts
| Amazon API Gateway | Ambassador Edge Stack | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Not published |
| Runs on | Android, API, iPhone, Web | API, Self-hosted, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | See the plans | Not published |
| Plans published | 6 | None |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | aws.amazon.com | landing.gravitee.io |
| On api gateway software | #3 of 29 | #7 of 29 |
Amazon API Gateway: what it does well
- Supports REST, HTTP, and WebSocket APIs.
- Integrates with AWS Lambda, EC2, and other backends.
- CloudWatch provides API metrics, alarms, and logs.
- Offers multiple authorization methods.
- Generates client SDKs for several languages.
What to know first
- Free Tier is limited to new AWS customers.
- Usage above Free Tier allowances is charged at standard rates.
- WebSocket API messages are limited to 128 KB.
Ambassador Edge Stack: what it does well
- Developers manage deployments through Kubernetes resources or annotations.
- Canary controls let developers set traffic shares by service version.
- Supports HTTP, HTTPS, HTTP/2, HTTP/3, gRPC, and gRPC-Web.
- Offers OAuth/OpenID Connect, JWT, and custom-service authentication.
- Federation combines governance, portal access, and analytics across gateways.
What to know first
- An Enterprise license is required; licensing information requires contacting the company.
- Federation agent requires access to Edge Stack Mappings, Filters, FilterPolicies, and Secrets.
Alternatives to Amazon API Gateway Alternatives to Ambassador Edge Stack The whole list

