Envoy vs KrakenD: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will explore the key differences between Envoy and KrakenD. Both Envoy and KrakenD are popular API gateways that provide various features and functionalities. Understanding their differences can help in making an informed decision while choosing the right tool for your project.

1. Programming Language and Ecosystem: Envoy is built in C++ and provides a rich ecosystem with a wide range of extensions and plugins, allowing for extensive customization and integration with other systems. KrakenD, on the other hand, is built in Golang, which offers efficiency, simplicity, and concurrency. While it may not have as extensive an ecosystem as Envoy, it still provides a good set of functionality and integrations.

2. Configuration Approach: Envoy follows a declarative configuration approach, where the entire configuration is specified in a single file or set of files. This allows for easier configuration management, version control, and changes. On the other hand, KrakenD follows an imperative configuration approach, where configurations are defined using code and functions, providing greater flexibility and control over the configuration process.

3. Load Balancing: Envoy provides various advanced load balancing algorithms such as round-robin, least request, and random among others. It also supports circuit breaking and outlier detection for better resilience and fault tolerance. KrakenD, on the other hand, offers simpler load balancing mechanisms, primarily focusing on round-robin and weighted round-robin algorithms. It does not have built-in support for circuit breaking and outlier detection.

4. Authentication and Authorization: Envoy offers a range of authentication and authorization mechanisms including JWT validation, OAuth, and custom authentication filters. It also supports fine-grained access control through its access control lists (ACLs). KrakenD, on the other hand, focuses more on simplicity and provides basic authentication and authorization mechanisms like API key-based authentication and whitelisting/blacklisting IPs.

5. Extensibility and Plugin System: Envoy has a highly extensible architecture with a well-defined plugin system. It allows developers to write custom filters, access logs, and other components to meet specific requirements. KrakenD also supports extensibility but with a more limited set of plugins. While it provides essential functionality through plugins, it may not have the same level of extensibility as Envoy.

6. Community and Support: Envoy has a large and active community with regular updates, bug fixes, and contributions from various organizations. It is backed by a strong open-source community and is widely adopted by companies around the world. KrakenD, although gaining popularity, may not have the same level of community support and adoption as Envoy.

In summary, Envoy and KrakenD differ in their programming language, configuration approach, load balancing mechanisms, authentication and authorization options, extensibility, and community support. Understanding these differences is crucial in choosing the right API gateway for your project based on your specific requirements and priorities.