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Ocelot

github.com

Free plan APISelf-hosted
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Spec score 7.5 #12 of 23 in Game Boy Emulators

What it is

Ocelot is a free, MIT-licensed.NET API gateway for microservices that need a unified entry point. It handles HTTP and HTTPS services on platforms supported by ASP.NET Core and supports WebSocket and secure WebSocket connections. Developers install it as a NuGet package in an ASP.NET Core project, configure static or dynamic routes, and deploy the result as a self-hosted ASP.NET Core application. Gateway capabilities include caching, request aggregation, authentication, load balancing, rate limiting, logging, and request and response transformations. Documented service discovery providers include Consul, Kubernetes, Eureka, and Azure Service Fabric. Routes can use registered ASP.NET Core authentication schemes, including JWT bearer tokens, and restrict access by scopes. Documentation includes Auth0, Okta, and IdentityServer bearer-token examples. Ocelot targets.NET 8,.NET 9, and.NET 10. The listed plan costs nothing. Ocelot does not directly support GraphQL and points developers to GraphQL for.NET for integration. The repository reports no SECURITY.md file and no published security advisories.

Spec sheet

Purpose
Ocelot is a .NET API gateway for microservices architectures that need a unified point of entry.Read 9 Oct 2026 · ocelot.readthedocs.io
Deployment
Ocelot is configured and deployed as an ASP.NET Core application, and the documentation includes multiple-instance, Consul, and Service Fabric configurations.Read 9 Oct 2026 · ocelot.readthedocs.io
Integrations
The authentication documentation includes examples for Auth0 and Okta, and describes using IdentityServer bearer tokens.Read 9 Oct 2026 · ocelot.readthedocs.io
License
The GitHub repository identifies the project license as MIT.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
Authentication
Routes can use registered authentication schemes, including JWT bearer schemes, and can restrict access by scopes.Read 9 Oct 2026 · ocelot.readthedocs.io
Gateway features
Listed features include caching, request aggregation, authentication, load balancing, rate limiting, logging, and request and response transformations.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
GraphQL limit
The project says it does not directly support GraphQL and points developers to the GraphQL for .NET library for integration.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
HTTP support
It works with HTTP(S) services on platforms supported by ASP.NET Core.Read 9 Oct 2026 · ocelot.readthedocs.io
Routing
Its primary features include configuration and routing, with support for static and dynamic routes.Read 9 Oct 2026 · ocelot.readthedocs.io
Runtime
Ocelot targets .NET 8, .NET 9, and .NET 10 and is installed as a NuGet package in an ASP.NET Core project.Read 9 Oct 2026 · ocelot.readthedocs.io
Security policy
The GitHub repository reports that it has not set up a SECURITY.md file and has no published security advisories.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
Service discovery
Documented service discovery providers include Consul, Kubernetes, Eureka, and Azure Service Fabric.Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com
WebSockets
The documentation lists WebSockets, including secure WebSockets, as supported features.Read 9 Oct 2026 · ocelot.readthedocs.io

Plans and prices

Ocelot Free MIT-licensed open-source .NET API gateway Read 9 Oct 2026 · github.com

Every Ocelot plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • MIT-licensed open-source gateway
  • Targets .NET 8, 9, and 10
  • Supports HTTP, HTTPS, and WebSockets
  • Multiple service discovery providers
  • Built-in rate limiting and transformations

Limits

  • Does not directly support GraphQL
  • Self-hosted deployment required
  • No SECURITY.md file reported
  • No published security advisories

Who it suits

It suits developers building self-hosted ASP.NET Core gateways for microservices with routing, authentication, discovery, and traffic-management needs. Teams requiring direct GraphQL support or a published security-advisory page should account for those stated limitations.

Verdict

Ocelot offers a broad gateway feature set inside self-hosted ASP.NET Core applications and is free under the MIT license. Its direct GraphQL gap and repository security-documentation status deserve review during adoption.

Where Specifiction places it

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