Why Kong Might Not Be Right for You
by Spencer Nguyen • February 3, 2022
In today's world, tech and software possibilities are exponentially expanding. Whether it is the innovation of cloud-based storage or a solution to a very old problem, there is always something new coming out. While the innovation allows businesses to become more streamlined and optimized than ever before, integrating this new software into your business may be a challenging task. Kong is a popular integration tool used by many developers, buy there are several reasons why Kong might not be right for you.
Through APIs and API management software, you can integrate various external software without recreating or redesigning your current infrastructure. Whereas in the past, developers would have to create a system from scratch that could support all their company's needs which was no easy task.
In today's world, where applications need only be written once but used on multiple platforms such as mobile or web, it makes sense for businesses to take advantage of external APIs.
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What Is Kong?
Kong is an open-source API gateway that is built on top of NGINX. Kong is powered by an extensible plugin system based on the LUA programming language. It is designed to handle many requests and has a very clean codebase, making it great for customization.
Thanks to plugins, it also allows you to control your traffic in fine detail, making Kong's functionality accessible and declaratively adding authentication, rate-limiting, transformation, logging and other features to a route, service or entire system.
Although Kong has many strengths, there are also some weaknesses that business owners should be aware of before deciding which API software management tool is right for them.
Key Features of Kong API Management
Kong is one of the most popular API Management systems used in the world. However, are they the best option? Or has it simply become habitual that developers use this platform based on its notoriety? Here are some of the main features of Kong and how it matches it up with one of its main rivals, DreamFactory.
1. Kong Has an Extensive Plugin System
In addition, Kong also has an extensive plugin system that allows you access to more advanced features such as authentication, transformation, rate limiting, logging, and more. This will enable businesses to get the exact functionality they need without having to worry about custom coding.
While Kong does offer an impressive list of plugin options, there are some limitations in this regard. First of all, Kong only supports HTTP-based transformation. Due to this, it is less suited for legacy app transformation requirements involving SOAP to REST.
In contrast, looking at software such as DreamFactory, developers have a wider variety of accepted transformations such as HTTP, SOAP, Jason, or XLM service. This makes DreamFactory the preferred choice for developers dealing with legacy service transformations.
2. Kong Uses an Open-Source Model
Kong is open-source software that is built with the community in mind. This allows it to be constantly developed and improved upon by many developers, making Kong one of today's more popular API management tools. The only drawback to Kong's open-source model is that they do not offer native functionality to generate APIs automatically. This can be a significant issue if you can not import your desired API, which is a reason why Kong may not be right for you.
DreamFactory has solved this issue by focusing on API creation. This allows users to generate fully-documented REST APIs even if there was no established API before creation.
3. Kong Is Easy to Use for Users Familiar With NGINX
One of the most significant benefits of using Kong is its ease of use. This software can be installed in a matter of minutes and does not require much maintenance when it comes to scaling for high-traffic businesses. With that being said, Kong does have a very steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with NGINX.
DreamFactory is much more user-friendly and requires no coding to get started building APIs in minutes. Developers can build APIs without knowing the underlying framework or having dedicated operations support available to assist them when needed. This makes DKF ideal for non-technical users who may not be familiar with software such as Kong but still need robust integration features.
4. Kong Enables Users To Add Custom Business Logic
Adding custom business logic can be achieved with Kong through plugins. However, this does come at the cost of slower performance and higher maintenance costs due to plugin dependencies that must be appropriately managed.
In contrast, DreamFactory uses a custom code generation engine to create APIs within minutes using an intuitive visual interface that requires no coding knowledge or experience. This makes DF an excellent choice for fast API creation without worrying about long-term maintenance costs associated with Kong APIs.
Kong May Not Be Right for You
With Kong being such a popular platform for developers, it is essential to look at their strengths and weaknesses and compare them to other companies in the industry. Based on their core benefits, it is clear that Kong should improve some business areas to remain dominant players in the industry. The gaps in their core competencies outline why Kong may not be right for you.
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Get Started With DreamFactory
While Kong may not be right for you, DreamFactory makes integration easy with its host of tools to create and manage your APIs. Developing APIs can be a complex, time consuming, and expensive process. It also exposes businesses to a number of risks including consistency, quality, and developer resourcing. DreamFactory is a REST API generation tool for 20+ databases and a range of other data sources. It gives you the ability to generate secure and fully documented APIs in a matter of minutes. Ready to get started?
Sign up for a 14-day free trial and start creating your APIs today!
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As a seasoned content moderator with a keen eye for detail and a passion for upholding the highest standards of quality and integrity in all of their work, Spencer Nguyen brings a professional yet empathetic approach to every task.
