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apache/shenyu

A Java-based API gateway for service proxying, protocol conversion, and API governance, with a plugin chain and a central Admin console.

Open-source alternative to:KongAWS API Gateway

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What is it?

Apache ShenYu is an API gateway written in Java. Requests pass through an ordered plugin chain, and ShenYu Admin stores plugins, selectors, rules, and metadata and pushes configuration to gateway replicas. Its Admin console handles centralized configuration, while gateway instances apply updates to their local caches.

The gateway proxies HTTP and Spring Cloud services, WebSocket connections, and Apache Dubbo and gRPC backends. It includes traffic control such as load balancing, rate limiting, and fault tolerance through Resilience4j and Sentinel, along with WAF, signing, authentication, caching, and URL rewriting. Recent additions cover AI proxying, token limits, and an MCP server plugin.

Service clients register addresses and API metadata with Admin, and an optional Kubernetes controller reconciles Ingress and Endpoints resources. Configuration sync supports WebSocket by default, with HTTP long polling, ZooKeeper, Nacos, and etcd available. Docker images are provided for quick startup.

Key features

  • 01Ordered plugin chain with custom Java plugins and WASM plugin APIs
  • 02Proxies HTTP, Spring Cloud, Dubbo, gRPC, and WebSocket upstreams
  • 03Load balancing, rate limiting, and fault tolerance via Resilience4j and Sentinel
  • 04Central Admin console that syncs configuration to gateway replicas
  • 05Metrics and logging plugins with Kafka and Elasticsearch destinations

Use cases

  • Putting a single entry point in front of microservices that mix HTTP, Dubbo, and gRPC
  • Enforcing authentication, WAF rules, and rate limits on public APIs
  • Proxying and governing calls to LLM providers with token limits and content filtering
  • Running a Kubernetes-hosted gateway that reconciles Ingress resources

Quick start

  1. 1

    Create the Docker network

    docker network create shenyu
  2. 2

    Generate secrets and start the Admin, demo, and gateway containers as shown in the README

  3. 3

    Configure the sample route on the gateway as shown in the README

  4. 4

    Verify the route through the gateway

    curl -i http://localhost:9195/index.html

Things to know

  • The Docker quick start uses an in-memory H2 database by default, so a persistent database is needed for durable routes.
  • SOFA and Tars are no longer bundled and need separate plugin-store starters.
  • Apollo is deprecated and Hystrix is deprecated, so both should be avoided for new projects.

In collections

Microservice frameworks & service infrastructure

Topics

#api-gateway#reverse-proxy#microservices#java#spring-cloud#dubbo#grpc#load-balancing#dubbo-proxy#grpc-proxy

FAQ

What is shenyu?
A Java-based API gateway for service proxying, protocol conversion, and API governance, with a plugin chain and a central Admin console. Apache ShenYu is an API gateway written in Java. Requests pass through an ordered plugin chain, and ShenYu Admin stores plugins, selectors, rules, and metadata and pushes configuration to gateway replicas. Its Admin console handles centralized configuration, while gateway instances apply updates to their local caches.
Is shenyu free to use? What license does it have?
shenyu is open source under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is shenyu still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to shenyu was on Nov 6, 2026.
What can I use shenyu for?
Putting a single entry point in front of microservices that mix HTTP, Dubbo, and gRPC Enforcing authentication, WAF rules, and rate limits on public APIs Proxying and governing calls to LLM providers with token limits and content filtering Running a Kubernetes-hosted gateway that reconciles Ingress resources
How do I install shenyu?
Create the Docker network: docker network create shenyu Generate secrets and start the Admin, demo, and gateway containers as shown in the README Configure the sample route on the gateway as shown in the README Verify the route through the gateway: curl -i http://localhost:9195/index.html
Where can I get shenyu?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/apache/shenyu

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