--- title: "Apache APISIX Alternative — Zuplo" description: "APISIX alternative for teams who want managed API management without etcd clusters or Lua plugins. Dev portal, AI Gateway, SOC 2. Trusted by Finsolutia." canonicalUrl: "https://zuplo.com/api-gateways/apisix-alternative-zuplo" pageType: "comparison" competitor: "Apache APISIX (API7.ai)" subtitle: "The Managed API Gateway for Teams Beyond Self-Hosted APISIX" --- # Zuplo vs Apache APISIX (API7.ai) _The Managed API Gateway for Teams Beyond Self-Hosted APISIX_ > APISIX alternative for teams who want managed API management without etcd clusters or Lua plugins. Dev portal, AI Gateway, SOC 2. Trusted by Finsolutia. ## Why Teams Move Away from Apache APISIX (API7.ai) ### Self-Hosted Data Plane Production APISIX in its traditional mode runs on etcd plus Nginx and compute you provision. API7 Cloud manages the control plane, but the data plane still runs in your own infrastructure. ### Self-Managed Operations APISIX is open-source software you run and upgrade yourself (or via API7 Enterprise). Policy logic is written in Lua, or in Go/Python/Java via the external plugin runner — versus Zuplo's fully managed, TypeScript model. ### No Built-In Developer Portal in Open Source APISIX open source has no integrated developer portal or self-serve API key lifecycle. A portal requires API7 Enterprise (which now ships one) or building your own. ## About Apache APISIX (API7.ai) Apache APISIX is a high-performance, open-source API gateway originally created by API7.ai and now an Apache Software Foundation top-level project. Built on Nginx and OpenResty, APISIX handles L4 and L7 traffic including HTTP, HTTPS, WebSocket, gRPC, MQTT, and GraphQL. It offers 100+ plugins for traffic management, authentication, observability, and serverless functions, and now positions itself as an AI gateway too, with native AI plugins (ai-proxy, ai-rate-limiting, prompt guard, RAG) and MCP-to-HTTP bridging. API7.ai, the commercial company behind APISIX, offers API7 Enterprise (a self-hosted commercial distribution that now includes a developer portal), API7 Cloud (a managed control plane for a self-hosted data plane), and AISIX (a separate, Rust-based AI gateway). APISIX's open-source ecosystem is mature, and for teams that want broad protocol support and full self-hosted control, it remains a strong fit. ## Why Choose Zuplo Zuplo is focused on managed, modern API management with one gateway for API and AI traffic. Edge-native architecture, TypeScript programmability, GitOps workflows, and an integrated AI Gateway with MCP support — backed by SOC 2 Type II, managed dedicated deployment, and named regulated customers across insurance, payments, and financial services. ## Feature Comparison ### Compliance and Audit Readiness _First-class managed compliance vs. compliance dependent on customer environment._ - **Zuplo** — SOC 2 Type II audited annually, third-party penetration test reports under NDA, audit logs, GDPR-aligned data processing. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — Compliance posture inherited from customer-operated environment. ### Enterprise Identity (SSO + RBAC) _Direct SAML/SCIM with project-level RBAC vs. plugin-based identity._ - **Zuplo** — SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning, and RBAC across organizations, projects, and environments. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — Customer-managed identity through configured plugins and Kubernetes RBAC. ### Managed Dedicated Deployment _Managed dedicated across major clouds vs. self-hosted data plane._ - **Zuplo** — Single-tenant managed deployment on AWS, Azure, GCP, Akamai, or any major cloud with up to a 30-minute response SLA. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — Self-hosted in customer infrastructure with etcd, Nginx, and compute. API7 Cloud manages control plane only. ### Unified API and AI Gateway _One managed API + AI platform vs. self-hosted AI plugins or a separate AISIX product._ - **Zuplo** — Single platform for API and AI traffic with MCP server hosting, MCP Gateway for governance, semantic caching, provider failover, and budget enforcement. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — APISIX has native AI plugins and MCP bridging, but on a self-hosted Lua/Nginx stack; API7.ai's AISIX is a separate Rust AI gateway. Either path is self-managed. ### Developer Portal _Portal on every Zuplo plan vs. no portal in APISIX open source._ - **Zuplo** — Auto-generated from OpenAPI spec with self-serve API key management, interactive docs, and monetization support. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — APISIX open source has no developer portal. A portal requires API7 Enterprise (which now ships one) or building your own. ### API Key Management _Full key lifecycle management vs. basic key auth plugin._ - **Zuplo** — Built-in API key service with self-serve creation, rotation, leak detection, and per-consumer metadata. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — Key authentication via plugin, but no built-in key lifecycle management, self-serve portal, or leak detection. ### Operational Simplicity _Zero-ops managed gateway vs. self-hosted Nginx + etcd operations._ - **Zuplo** — Fully managed and serverless across 300+ edge locations. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — Self-hosted Nginx data plane plus etcd in traditional mode (or static config in standalone mode), all on your own compute. ### Developer Experience _Managed TypeScript and Git vs. self-hosted Lua/plugin-runner and YAML config._ - **Zuplo** — TypeScript-based programmable policies with full IDE support, preview environments per PR, and Git-native config. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — Plugins in Lua, or Go/Python/Java via the external plugin runner, plus YAML config and Admin API. 100+ built-in plugins. ### GitOps and CI/CD _Git as source of truth with preview environments vs. etcd-backed runtime config._ - **Zuplo** — Git-native — repo is the source of truth. Every push deploys, every PR gets a preview environment. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — YAML config and Admin API. Declarative config via the ADC CLI is available, but in traditional mode etcd remains the runtime source of truth. ### Global Edge Performance _300+ edge PoPs by default vs. customer-managed regional deployment._ - **Zuplo** — V8 isolate runtime across 300+ edge locations with near-zero cold starts. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — High-performance Nginx-based architecture deployed in customer data center or cloud region. Global distribution requires multi-region setup. ### Protocol Support _APISIX supports more L4/L7 protocols natively._ - **Zuplo** — HTTP/REST, GraphQL, and WebSocket with TypeScript handlers. - **Apache APISIX (API7.ai)** — Broad protocol support including HTTP, gRPC, WebSocket, MQTT, GraphQL, QUIC, TCP/UDP proxying. ## FAQ **How does Zuplo handle SOC 2, SSO, and audit logs for regulated customers?** Zuplo is SOC 2 Type II audited annually with reports available under NDA. Enterprise includes SAML SSO, SCIM provisioning, RBAC across organizations and projects, and audit logs across the control plane. **Which enterprises run production workloads on Zuplo?** Zuplo runs production API traffic for regulated and high-volume enterprises including Duck Creek Payments (insurance and payments), Finsolutia (mortgage servicing across Europe), Blockdaemon (blockchain infrastructure serving Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, J.P. Morgan), AccuWeather, and Hearsay (Yext). **Does Apache APISIX have a developer portal?** APISIX open source does not include a developer portal. API7 Enterprise now ships a developer portal (auto-generated from API docs, with RBAC and monetization), but that is the commercial product, not the open-source gateway. Zuplo includes a developer portal on every plan, auto-generated from your OpenAPI spec with self-serve API key management. **Does APISIX have AI gateway and MCP capabilities?** Yes. APISIX added native AI plugins — ai-proxy for multi-LLM routing, ai-rate-limiting for token limits, prompt guard, and RAG — plus MCP-to-HTTP bridging, all running on its self-hosted Lua/Nginx stack. API7.ai also ships AISIX, a separate Rust-based AI gateway. Zuplo's difference is delivery: API and AI traffic in one fully managed platform, with MCP server hosting, an MCP Gateway for governance, semantic caching, prompt-injection protection, provider failover, and budget enforcement — no self-hosted data plane and no second product to operate. **What's the migration path from APISIX to Zuplo?** APISIX routes map to OpenAPI-defined routes in Zuplo. Common APISIX plugins (rate limiting, key authentication, JWT validation, transforms) have direct Zuplo equivalents or short TypeScript custom code. Migration typically takes 4–8 weeks with parallel-running and weighted routing. **Does APISIX require etcd and Kubernetes?** APISIX can run on bare metal, Docker, or Kubernetes. Its traditional deployment mode uses etcd as the config store, though APISIX 3.x also offers a standalone mode (file- or API-driven) that runs without etcd. Either way you self-host and operate the Nginx data plane. Zuplo requires no infrastructure — it is fully managed and serverless.