KrakenD

Last updated
KrakenD
Developer KrakenD
Initial release2016
Repository github.com/krakend/krakend-ce
Written in Go
Operating system Linux, macOS, Windows
Platform Cloud-native, on-premises
Type API gateway
License Apache License
Website krakend.io

KrakenD is an open-source application programming interface (API) gateway. It is written in the Go programming language and is intended for use in distributed and cloud-based applications. KrakenD is used for routing, aggregating, and transforming API requests, as well as for managing incoming traffic in microservices architectures.

Contents

History

KrakenD was created in 2016 by software engineers Albert Lombarte, Daniel Lopez, and Daniel Ortiz. [1] [2] [3] The name is derived from the Kraken of Norse mythology and symbolizes the integration of multiple services through a single API endpoint. [3]

KrakenD was initially developed as an open-source project. [4] [5] [1] [2] Its creators identified a shortage of lightweight, high-performance API gateways that could be easily integrated into distributed systems. [6] [4] [1] [2] Early versions of the software were built primarily for internal use. [3]

In 2021, the KrakenD company was officially incorporated, [6] [3] [7] headquartered in Barcelona, Spain. [1] [2] [8] [9] That same year, a commercial edition of the product was released, and Albert Garcia joined the team. [1] In 2021, the KrakenD open-source framework was moved to the Linux Foundation and renamed the Lura Project. [10] [5] [11]

In 2025, KrakenD was integrated into the Shop Circle platform while remaining operationally independent. [12] [13] [14] [15]

KrakenD software is used in both cloud-based and on-premises environments and is adopted by organizations such as IBM, National Geographic, Oracle, and units of the United States Navy. [1] [5] [6]

Architecture

KrakenD has two main versions: Community (open source) and Enterprise (commercial). [1] [4]

The gateway is implemented as a stateless system, written in Go, and operates without a centralized configuration database. It aggregates multiple backend services into a single API endpoint and supports horizontal scaling. [16]

KrakenD supports protocols, including HTTP, gRPC, WebSocket, message queues such as RabbitMQ and Kafka, and SOAP through Non-REST integrations. The system supports authentication and access control through OAuth2, OpenID Connect, JWT, and API keys, and can be connected to external tools for logging, monitoring, and request tracing. [16]

Gateway configuration is specified in JSON, YAML, or TOML formats and may be stored in version control repositories. Configuration updates can be applied dynamically, without requiring changes to backend services. Both Open Source and Enterprise editions have an option to extend functionality through Go-based plugins. [4]

Configuration examples

Minimal KrakenD configuration (JSON) [17] 

{"$schema":"https://www.krakend.io/schema/krakend.json","version":3,"name":"KrakenD - API Gateway","timeout":"3000ms","cache_ttl":"300s","output_encoding":"json","port":9090,"endpoints":[{"endpoint":"/weather","method":"GET","output_encoding":"string","backend":[{"url_pattern":"/weather","encoding":"string","sd":"static","method":"GET","host":["http://service:8080"],"disable_host_sanitize":false}]}]}

Docker Compose example [17] 

version:'3.8'services:krakend:image:krakendports:-"9090:9090"volumes:-./krakend.json:/etc/krakend/krakend.jsonweather:image:your-weather-serviceports:-"8080:8080"

Performance and deployment

KrakenD is capable of processing large numbers of simultaneous connections with minimal response delays while keeping resource consumption within predictable limits. Deployment is typically carried out using Docker and Docker Compose. [16] [18]

KrakenD is used in backend-for-frontend and microservices architectures and is deployed in containerized environments, including Kubernetes and mixed cloud or on-premises setups. [16]

Supported protocols and integrations

Protocol / ServiceCommunityEnterprise
HTTP YesYes
gRPC NoYes
WebSocket NoYes
RabbitMQ / Kafka YesYes
SOAP YesYes
OAuth YesYes
OpenID Connect YesYes
JWT YesYes

Lura

After the core library was transferred to the Linux Foundation, the KrakenD open-source framework was renamed Lura Project. [5] [11] [19] [10] [20] Lura is a declarative framework for building API gateways that supports service aggregation, request routing, and data transformation. [5] [11] [20]

The framework uses JSON, YAML, or TOML for configuration and supports extensibility through custom plugins. It is intended for use in microservices and backend-for-frontend architectures to manage communication between client applications and multiple backend services. [11] [19] [10] [20] [21]

Further reading

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sánchez, Nacho (21 November 2024). "Tres emprendedores crean un 'software' que usa hasta la Armada de EE UU". El País (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 23 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Millan, S. (9 December 2024). "La startup KrakenD, conocida por trabajar para la armada de EE UU con su software, da el salto a India y Oriente Medio". Cinco Días . Archived from the original on 13 January 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Farràs Pérez, Lorena (15 August 2024). "KrakenD, una startup con más patas que un pulpo". La Vanguardia (in Spanish).
  4. 1 2 3 4 "La española KrakenD, primera API gateway europea autorizada por el Gobierno de EE.UU.: provee a la US Navy". Spanish Digitalization Association (in Spanish). 27 June 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Sawers, Paul (11 May 2021). "Open source API gateway KrakenD lands at the Linux Foundation". VentureBeat .
  6. 1 2 3 Iglesias Álvarez, Irene (28 June 2024). "La Armada Estadounidense confía en la API Gateway catalana KrakenD". CIO (magazine) (in Spanish).
  7. ↑ "KrakenD". EU-Startups.
  8. ↑ Pérez, Ángel (29 June 2024). "KrakenD: la empresa barcelonesa especialista en software que figura entre los proveedores de la US Navy". El Nacional (Catalonia) (in Spanish).
  9. ↑ Vizard, Mike (11 May 2021). "Linux Foundation Embraces Lightweight API Gateway". DevOps.com.
  10. 1 2 3 Whiting, Dan (29 April 2022). "How Project Lura is Improving APIs". Linux Foundation .
  11. 1 2 3 4 Chauhan, Monika (11 May 2021). "KrakenD Framework Becomes Lura Project, Gets Home At Linux Foundation". TFiR.
  12. ↑ Quelart, Raquel (2 September 2025). "Shop Circle compra la startup catalana KrakenD". La Vanguardia (in Spanish).
  13. ↑ "Shop Circle grows globally and places trust in Spanish technology". Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade . 12 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Cendon Garcia, David (16 September 2025). "British software platform Shop Circle extends its Series B to €84 million to accelerate M&A". EU-Startups.
  15. ↑ Lawrence, Cate (16 September 2025). "Shop Circle extends Series B to $100M as it scales AI-first acquisition model". Tech.eu.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Smith, William (11 July 2025). KrakenD API Gateway Essentials: The Complete Guide for Developers and Engineers. HiTeX Press. p. 270. ASIN   B0FHHB484Z.
  17. 1 2 Selvi, Berk (20 May 2024). "API Gateway Alternatives from a .NET Developer's Perspective: YARP, Ocelot, Kong, APISIX, and KrakenD". berkselvi.dev.
  18. ↑ "Case Study (Delivery club)" (PDF). FeaturedCustomers.
  19. 1 2 Melanson, Mike (13 May 2021). "KrakenD API Gateway Joins the Linux Foundation as the Lura Project". The New Stack.
  20. 1 2 3 Melanson, Mike (18 May 2021). "KrakenD API 网关更名为 Lura 项目并宣布加入了 Linux 基金会". Cloud Native Community (in Chinese).
  21. ↑ Ping, Derek (11 May 2024). "探秘Lura框架：打造高性能API网关的利器" [Exploring the Lura Framework: A Powerful Tool for Building High-Performance API Gateways]. Chinese Software Developer Network (in Chinese).
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