head to head · open source
fastapi vs apisix-docker
fastapi has 104,566 GitHub stars, 10,179 forks, 78 open issues and last shipped yesterday. apisix-docker has 871 stars, 498 forks, 5 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. fastapi leads on adoption by 11,905% (104,566 vs 871 stars). fastapi is written in Python under MIT; apisix-docker is written in Dockerfile under Apache-2.0. fastapi has attracted 10% as many forks as stars, apisix-docker 57%. 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 | apisix-docker | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 105K | ★ 871 |
| License | MIT | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Dockerfile |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-09-29 |
| Forks | ⑂ 10K | ⑂ 498 |
| 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 apisix-docker if
- You want the apisix-docker feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Dockerfile
- You evaluated both and apisix-docker 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 apisix-docker
Roadmap Refer to ⚡️ Apache APISIX Projects Roadmap What is Apache APISIX API 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 APISIX API Gateway to handle traditional north south traffic, as well as east west traffic between services. At present, APISIX has been used in various industries, including NASA, Tencent Cloud, EU Digital Factory, Airbus, Airwallex, iQIYI, etc. How to run Apache APISIX…
read the full apisix-docker overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is fastapi or apisix-docker more popular?
fastapi has 104,566 GitHub stars and apisix-docker has 871. fastapi has the larger community by that measure.
Are fastapi and apisix-docker free?
Both are open source. fastapi is licensed under MIT and apisix-docker under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between fastapi and apisix-docker?
fastapi is written in Python and apisix-docker in Dockerfile. 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 apisix-docker?
Choose fastapi if you want the larger community (104,566 stars) or its MIT licence terms. Choose apisix-docker if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.