head to head · open source
kubernetes vs mcp-gateway
kubernetes has 128,645 GitHub stars, 45,747 forks, 3,072 open issues and last shipped 2 days ago. mcp-gateway has 907 stars, 94 forks, 12 open issues and last shipped 6 days ago. kubernetes leads on adoption by 14,084% (128,645 vs 907 stars). kubernetes is written in Go under Apache-2.0; mcp-gateway is written in C# under MIT. kubernetes has attracted 36% as many forks as stars, mcp-gateway 10%. kubernetes was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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
| kubernetes | mcp-gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 129K | ★ 907 |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Written in | Go | C# |
| Last push | 2026-11-03 | 2026-10-30 |
| Forks | ⑂ 46K | ⑂ 94 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick kubernetes if
- You weight community size — 129K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick mcp-gateway if
- You want the mcp-gateway feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the MIT license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and mcp-gateway fits your workflow better
About kubernetes
Kubernetes (K8s) Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is an open source system for managing [containerized applications] across multiple hosts. It provides basic mechanisms for the deployment, maintenance, and scaling of applications. Kubernetes builds upon a decade and a half of experience at Google running production workloads at scale using a system called [Borg], combined with best of breed ideas and practices from the community. Kubernetes is hosted by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation ([CNCF]). If your company wants to help shape the evolution of technologies that are container packaged, dynamically…
read the full kubernetes overview →
About mcp-gateway
MCP Gateway MCP Gateway is a reverse proxy and management layer for Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, enabling scalable, session aware routing, authorization and lifecycle management of MCP servers in Kubernetes environments. Table of Contents Overview Key Concepts Architecture Features Getting Started – Local Deployment Getting Started – 1 Click Deploy to Azure Overview This project provides: A data gateway for routing traffic to MCP servers with session affinity. A control plane for managing the MCP server lifecycle (deploy, update, delete). Enterprise ready integration points including telemetry, access…
read the full mcp-gateway overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is kubernetes or mcp-gateway more popular?
kubernetes has 128,645 GitHub stars and mcp-gateway has 907. kubernetes has the larger community by that measure.
Are kubernetes and mcp-gateway free?
Both are open source. kubernetes is licensed under Apache-2.0 and mcp-gateway under MIT. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between kubernetes and mcp-gateway?
kubernetes is written in Go and mcp-gateway in C#. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, kubernetes or mcp-gateway?
Choose kubernetes if you want the larger community (128,645 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose mcp-gateway if its feature set, stack or MIT licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.