chi vs Gin
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A small, standard-library-compatible router for building Go HTTP and REST API services.
Open source · MIT
A fast Go web framework for building HTTP APIs and web services with a simple routing API.
The short answer
Choose chi if you need…
- Go developers building REST API services
- Teams that want routing built on the standard net/http package
- Projects that need route groups, nested sub-routers, or mounted handlers
- Developers who want optional middleware and route documentation generation
Choose Gin if you need…
- Go developers building REST APIs
- Teams writing microservices in Go
- Developers who want a Martini-like API with a faster router
- Projects where request throughput matters
Side-by-side
| chi | Gin | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 23k | 89.5k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | Go | Go |
| Last code update | 19 days ago | 27 days ago |
What each one is
chi
chi is a routing library for Go that maps incoming web requests to the code that should handle them, such as sending /articles/123 to a function that loads article 123. It is built on Go's standard net/http package and context package, so handlers and middleware written for the standard library generally work with it. It is aimed at larger REST API projects that need to stay organized as they grow.
Gin
Gin is an HTTP web framework written in Go. It gives you a simple way to define routes, handle requests, return JSON or HTML, and use middleware such as logging and panic recovery. The project says it is much faster than many other Go frameworks, citing a GitHub API routing benchmark included in its README.
Best for
chi
- Go developers building REST API services
- Teams that want routing built on the standard net/http package
- Projects that need route groups, nested sub-routers, or mounted handlers
- Developers who want optional middleware and route documentation generation
Gin
- Go developers building REST APIs
- Teams writing microservices in Go
- Developers who want a Martini-like API with a faster router
- Projects where request throughput matters
Strengths
chi
- Small core router (the README says under 1000 lines of code) with no external dependencies
- Compatible with net/http, so existing standard-library handlers and middleware can be reused
- Supports route groups, sub-routers, and mounting for organizing large APIs
Gin
- Designed for speed, with benchmarks in the README showing low allocation routing
- Simple, Martini-like routing API with a short getting-started example
- Has a large ecosystem of middleware and documentation in several languages
Not ideal for
chi
- Developers who want a full web framework with templates, ORM, and built-in auth, since chi covers routing and relies on separate packages for other needs
- People not writing Go, since the library is Go-only
- Beginners with no Go experience, since the README assumes familiarity with Go handlers and context
Gin
- Non-programmers, since it is a Go library and requires writing code
- Teams not using Go, because it only works in that language
- Projects needing a full batteries-included framework with built-in ORM or admin panel, as the README describes a focused routing and middleware framework
Trade-offs
chi
- Routing only; features like rendering, validation, and database access need separate packages or your own code
- The README's examples use string keys for context values, which is a pattern the README itself shows and not a fully type-safe approach
Gin
- Requires Go 1.26 or above, which may be newer than some existing setups
- Performance claims rely on the project's own benchmark, so real results depend on your workload
- Latest release has no prebuilt binaries, since it is used as a library
Getting started
Gin
Import Gin in your code; Go fetches it during build
import "github.com/gin-gonic/gin"Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between chi and Gin?
chi: A small, standard-library-compatible router for building Go HTTP and REST API services. Gin: A fast Go web framework for building HTTP APIs and web services with a simple routing API. chi suits go developers building rest api services, while Gin suits go developers building rest apis.
Are chi and Gin free?
chi: Free and open source. Gin: Free and open source.
Is chi or Gin more popular?
Gin has more GitHub stars (89.5k) than chi (23k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to chi and Gin?
Other options people compare them with include Echo, Kratos, dio, Fiber, warp.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.