head to head · open source
Apache APISIX vs Scalar
Apache APISIX has 17,289 GitHub stars, 2,989 forks, 235 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Scalar has 16,364 stars, 964 forks, 75 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Apache APISIX leads on adoption by 6% (17,289 vs 16,364 stars). Apache APISIX is written in Lua under Apache-2.0; Scalar is written in TypeScript under MIT. Apache APISIX has attracted 17% as many forks as stars, Scalar 6%. Scalar was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (api), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
← all 20902 open source comparisons
Side by side
| Apache APISIX | Scalar | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 17K | ★ 16K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Lua | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.0K | ⑂ 964 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Apache APISIX if
- You weight community size — 17K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Scalar if
- You want the Scalar feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Scalar fits your workflow better
About Apache APISIX
Apache APISIX API Gateway ｜ AI Gateway Apache APISIX is a dynamic, real time, high performance API Gateway. APISIX API Gateway provides rich traffic management features such as load balancing, dynamic upstream, canary release, circuit breaking, authentication, observability, and more. You can use it to handle traditional north south traffic, as well as east west traffic between services. It can also be used as a Kubernetes ingress controller. Table of Contents Why APISIX AI Gateway Get Started Features Benchmark Community User Stories Who Uses APISIX API Gateway? Logos Acknowledgments License Why APISIX APISIX…
read the full Apache APISIX overview →
About Scalar
Scalar Interactive API Reference from OpenAPI/Swagger └ Renders OpenAPI/Swagger documents └ Comes with an API testing tool └ Doesn't look like 2011 └ Generates code examples for many languages & frameworks └ Integrates with your favorite framework └ Try Demo An offline first API Client built for OpenAPI └ Free and open source └ First class OpenAPI/Swagger support └ Integrates with dozens of API Frameworks (Elysia, Hono, FastAPI, etc) └ Syncs with your favorite server framework (Watch Mode) └ Has environment variables, dynamic parameters and everything └ Try It in the Browser └ Download (Windows, MacOS, Linux)…
read the full Scalar overview →
More in Developer Tools
Related comparisons
More API Development & Testing projects
Compare either of these against the rest of the API Development & Testing field.
Frequently asked questions
Is Apache APISIX or Scalar more popular?
Apache APISIX has 17,289 GitHub stars and Scalar has 16,364. Apache APISIX has the larger community by that measure.
Are Apache APISIX and Scalar free?
Both are open source. Apache APISIX is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Scalar under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between Apache APISIX and Scalar?
Apache APISIX is written in Lua and Scalar in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Apache APISIX or Scalar?
Choose Apache APISIX if you want the larger community (17,289 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Scalar if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.