AI Gateway

What Is AI Gateway?

An AI gateway is an intermediary layer between applications and language models. Rather than each application connecting directly to models (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.), they route through a gateway. This provides centralization, control, and visibility. Gateways handle authentication (single point of control for API keys), rate limiting (preventing abuse), monitoring (tracking usage and costs), and routing.

Gateways enable sophisticated features: request transformation (normalizing different model APIs), response caching (avoiding duplicate computations), cost optimization (routing to cheaper models when appropriate), and failover (switching to backup models if primaries fail). They also provide security boundaries, preventing direct access to keys and APIs from applications.

Examples include services like Azure OpenAI Service (manages access to OpenAI models), Anthropic's enterprise features, and open-source projects like LiteLLM. For enterprises, building custom gateways enables strict control and auditability while supporting multiple models and providers.