Tyk

An API gateway written in Go for REST, GraphQL, TCP, gRPC and MCP traffic, with rate limiting, authentication and analytics.

10.9k stars, 1.2k forks Go On GitHub since May 2014

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

Tyk at a glance

Open sourceYes, MPL-2.0Some paid parts in the repository
Health62 of 100Actively developed
Self-hostingDockerCompose file, 1 service
InterfaceEnglish onlyNo translation files found
Issue repliesNo repliesNone of the recent issues got an answer from the team

What is Tyk?

Tyk Gateway sits in front of your APIs and applies rate limits, authentication, analytics and common microservice patterns. It handles REST, GraphQL, TCP and gRPC, and newer AI and MCP gateway features manage traffic to models and MCP servers. The open source gateway runs with Redis and a tyk.conf file; a quick start brings both up with Docker Compose in a few minutes. Tyk Technologies also sells a self-managed control plane with a GUI and developer portal, and a hosted Tyk Cloud.

Good fit if

  • You want an API gateway configured through files and APIs, without paying per call.
  • You need GraphQL and gRPC support next to REST.

Look elsewhere if

  • You prefer a gateway with a large plugin ecosystem and an Apache-licensed core: Kong.

Before you adopt it

The gateway is MPL-2.0, but the ee/ directory falls under a separate commercial license, and the dashboard and portal are paid products. Contributors sign a CLA. Around twenty developers commit, and releases are regular. The basic setup needs only the gateway and Redis.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 31 October 2026. Report a correction

How to run Tyk yourself

Docker
Dockerfile or compose file in the repository
Compose file
docker-compose.yml: 1 service
Setup effort
1 of 5, judged from the compose file
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: tyk.io or the README on GitHub.

Tyk health: is it still maintained?

62 of 100, actively developed

Release rhythmEvery ~3 daysLatest: v5.16.0, 27 October 2026
Issue repliesNo repliesNone of the recent issues got an answer from the team
Bus factorLow riskThe most active of 19 authors wrote 19% of recent commits
  • Activity
    67 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 5 November 2026.
    22 / 30
  • Contributors
    19 people wrote the 67 commits of the last 90 days; the most active wrote 19% of them.
    17 / 20
  • Releases
    10+ releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v5.16.0, on 27 October 2026.
    18 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 0% of recent issues.
    0 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 4.8 of 10.
    5 / 10

Read from GitHub on 5 November 2026. How the score works

Tyk security practices

OpenSSF Scorecard checks how a project is developed and released: reviews, protected branches, pinned dependencies, signed releases. It does not audit the code itself.

OpenSSF Scorecard4.8 of 10How the project is built and released
Security policyNoNo SECURITY.md or similar

What each check found

  • Binary files10 / 10No compiled binaries checked into the repository
  • Maintained10 / 10Steady commits and issue activity in the last 90 days
  • Packaging10 / 10Releases are published as packages from CI
  • License file9 / 10A license file is present, but not where tools look for it
  • Static analysis9 / 10Code is scanned for bugs on some changes
  • Code review8 / 10Some changes are merged without review
  • Pinned dependencies6 / 10Some dependencies use fixed versions
  • Best-practices badge2 / 10Working towards the OpenSSF Best Practices badge
  • Branch protection1 / 10Rules on the main branch are partly enforced
  • Dangerous workflows0 / 10GitHub Actions workflows have risky patterns
  • Fuzzing0 / 10No fuzz testing found
  • Security policy0 / 10No security policy
  • Token permissions0 / 10CI tokens have broad write rights

From the OpenSSF Scorecard of 2 November 2026. Checks that do not apply to Tyk are left out.

Tyk license: is it open source?

Tyk uses MPL-2.0, an open-source license approved by the OSI. Some features sit under a separate paid license inside the same repository. Contributors sign a contributor license agreement, which lets the owner relicense their work later.

  1. May 2014First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayMPL-2.0, with paid parts: license file assigns a different licence to part of the code; directory ee/; separate license ee/LICENSE-EE.md (Commercial License). A contributor license agreement is required.

Tyk for developers

Written in

  • Go 98%
  • Shell 1%
  • Python <1%
  • JavaScript <1%
  • Java <1%
  • Other <1%

Getting involved

Contributing guideYesCONTRIBUTING.mdOpen issues195On GitHub
Authors, 90 days19Of 67 commits

Language shares are GitHub’s count of the code in the repository.

Alternatives to Tyk

  • KongThe API and AI Gateway 48 health · Apache-2.0 · 44.4k stars
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  • OpenWAFree, Open Source, Self-Hosted WhatsApp API Gateway 73 health · MIT · 16.5k stars
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All 18 projects in Developer tools

Questions about Tyk

Is Tyk open source?

Yes. Tyk is published under MPL-2.0, an OSI-approved open-source license. Some features are kept under a separate paid license in the same repository.

Is Tyk still maintained?

Its health score is 62 of 100 (actively developed). It had 67 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 5 November 2026, and its latest release came out on 27 October 2026.

How do I run Tyk?

You can run it with Docker. The README on GitHub has the exact steps.

What is Tyk written in?

Tyk is written mainly in Go (98% of the code), by GitHub’s count of the repository.

What are the alternatives to Tyk?

Close alternatives in the Developer tools category include Kong, Hasura, OpenWA.