We're thrilled to announce the general availability of Kong Gateway 3.6. This version features a high-performance compression algorithm, efficient route matching, and improved observability. Plus, [Kong AI Gateway](https://konghq.com/products/kong-ai-gateway)Kong AI Gateway, which you can learn more about [here](https://konghq.com/blog/product-releases/announcing-kong-ai-gateway)here. Let’s dive into the enhancements and explore the tangible benefits these features bring your organization.

*Looking for more enterprise-grade features? Check out what's new in *[*Kong Gateway Enterprise 3.6*](https://konghq.com/blog/product-releases/kong-gateway-enterprise-3-6)*Kong Gateway Enterprise 3.6**. *

## Performance gains: Improve the performance of applications with Kong

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  **Support for Brotli Compression**: With Kong Gateway 3.6, Brotli compression algorithm is supported out of the box. Brotli is a compression algorithm for high-performance websites. It's designed to be better at compression than other commonly used algorithms such as gzip and deflate. You can speed up your applications, improve page speed, reduce data transmitted, and improve the overall performance by enabling Brotli compression in Kong.

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  **Reduced complexity in route definitions**: Kong Gateway 3.6 offers segment-based matching, which allows route definitions based on parts of the path in the incoming HTTP URL. If the URL is /example/{param}/details, the route could be defined based on the presence of /example/ in the first segment or /details in the final segment. This approach obviates the need for compute-intensive regexes in common URL patterns leading to performance improvements.

## Observability: Minimize downtime with actionable insights and visibility 

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  **Actionable insights and increased visibility**: This update reveals the expiration dates of certificates used by Kong API gateways. This enables operators to take proactive measures to prevent application downtime and optimize API management efficiency.

## Enhanced stability and customizations for your needs

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  **Debian 12 artifacts and images**: Kong is pleased to announce the availability of Kong OSS artifacts based on Debian 12. By releasing these packages and images, we demonstrate our commitment to well-established and trusted operating systems.

We're excited for you to experience these benefits firsthand and look forward to your feedback as we continue to innovate and lead in the API management space.

### Next steps

For a complete rundown of features, fixes, and updates, check out the [Docs](https://docs.konghq.com/gateway/3.6.x/)Docs or the Kong Gateway 3.6 [CHANGELOG](https://docs.konghq.com/gateway/changelog/#3600)CHANGELOG.

[Download](https://konghq.com/install)Download Kong Gateway 3.6. Or level up with [Kong Konnect](https://konghq.com/products/kong-konnect/register)Kong Konnect, the fast and easy way to get started with Kong Gateway.