head to head · open source
fastapi vs Apache APISIX
fastapi has 104,566 GitHub stars, 10,179 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Apache APISIX has 17,289 stars, 2,989 forks, 235 open issues and last shipped yesterday. fastapi leads on adoption by 505% (104,566 vs 17,289 stars). fastapi is written in Python under MIT; Apache APISIX is written in Lua under Apache-2.0. fastapi has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, Apache APISIX 17%. fastapi 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.
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Side by side
| fastapi | Apache APISIX | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 105K | ★ 17K |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Lua |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 10K | ⑂ 3.0K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick fastapi if
- You weight community size — 105K stars and counting
- You want the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Apache APISIX if
- You want the Apache APISIX feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You evaluated both and Apache APISIX fits your workflow better
About fastapi
FastAPI framework, high performance, easy to learn, fast to code, ready for production Documentation : Source Code : FastAPI is a modern, fast (high performance), web framework for building APIs with Python based on standard Python type hints. The key features are: Fast : Very high performance, on par with NodeJS and Go (thanks to Starlette and Pydantic). One of the fastest Python frameworks available. Fast to code : Increase the speed to develop features by about 200% to 300%. Fewer bugs : Reduce about 40% of human (developer) induced errors. Intuitive : Great editor support. Completion everywhere. Less time…
read the full fastapi overview →
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 →
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Frequently asked questions
Is fastapi or Apache APISIX more popular?
fastapi has 104,566 GitHub stars and Apache APISIX has 17,289. fastapi has the larger community by that measure.
Are fastapi and Apache APISIX free?
Both are open source. fastapi is licensed under MIT and Apache APISIX under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between fastapi and Apache APISIX?
fastapi is written in Python and Apache APISIX in Lua. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, fastapi or Apache APISIX?
Choose fastapi if you want the larger community (104,566 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose Apache APISIX if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.