Spring Cloud Gateway (SCG) and Netflix Zuul 2 are key API gateways in Java for microservices architecture, offering different strengths.
Performance-wise, SCG boasts lower latency, higher throughput, and lower CPU usage compared to Zuul 2.
Feature-wise, SCG supports HTTP/2, WebSockets, and offers more modern protocol support, while Zuul 2 excels in fine-grained filters and dynamic server-side load balancing.
SCG is cleaner for declarative routing, integrates better with Spring Boot Actuator, and is future-proof with WebFlux and HTTP/2 support.
In 2025, it's recommended to use SCG if on Spring Boot/Cloud for high throughput and low latency, while Zuul 2 is ideal for Netflix OSS-heavy environments with complex request manipulation needs.
Migration tips from Zuul to SCG include replacing Groovy filters with WebFlux GatewayFilter and utilizing Spring Cloud LoadBalancer.
Detailed benchmark setups between SCG and Zuul 2 show SCG's superiority in performance, especially in throughput, latency, and resource usage.
For most use cases in 2025, Spring Cloud Gateway emerges as the preferred choice, offering speed, modernization, and strong integration with Spring ecosystems over Zuul 2.
Conclusion: Spring Cloud Gateway is recommended in 2025 for its performance and modern features, while Zuul 2 remains suitable mainly for legacy Netflix OSS setups.