AI traffic gateway

# AISIX AI Gateway

Put one stable API contract in front of your AI providers

AISIX AI Gateway gives platform teams one gateway boundary for LLM and AI-agent traffic. The Rust-native gateway keeps provider credentials, model aliases, routing, failover, rate limits, caching, guardrails, and observability behind a stable API contract. Choose [AISIX OSS](https://github.com/api7/aisix) to operate the Apache-2.0 gateway directly, [AISIX Enterprise](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/getting-started/aisix-cloud-quickstart.md) to run the control plane in your infrastructure, or [AISIX Cloud](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/cloud/overview.md) to use an API7-hosted control plane.

[Get started](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/getting-started/products-and-deployment-options.md)[View supported endpoints](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/endpoints/overview.md)

Start AISIX Enterpriselocalhost:8080

```
curl -fsSL https://run.api7.ai/aisix-self-hosted/quickstart | bash

# Starts the control plane and dashboard
# Dashboard: http://localhost:8080
```

## How requests flow

Applications call AISIX first. AISIX authenticates the caller, resolves the model alias, applies policy, and forwards the request to the selected provider.

Applications**Apps, agents, and services**Send OpenAI-compatible requests with gateway-issued caller API keys.

->

AISIX gateway boundary**Stable contract, controlled provider access**

AISIX keeps client traffic on one API shape while resolving the provider-side target for each request.

Authenticate callerResolve model aliasApply limits, cache, and guardrailsSelect provider route

->

Providers**OpenAI, Anthropic, Bedrock, Vertex, Azure**Receive provider-authenticated requests from the gateway.

Provider responses return through AISIX using the same client-facing contract.

## What changes when AI traffic goes through an AISIX gateway

Application teams keep calling a familiar API. AI platform teams move provider credentials, model aliases, routing, and policy into one operator-managed gateway. AISIX Enterprise and AISIX Cloud each add centralized usage and budget controls.

*Access***Caller API keys and model allowlists**Authenticate applications and decide which model aliases each key can use.

*Providers***Centralized upstream credentials**Keep provider keys, base URLs, and adapter details out of application code.

*Routing***Stable aliases with failover**Expose one model name while AISIX selects target models behind it.

*Policy***Limits, cache, guardrails, telemetry**Apply AI-specific controls and usage visibility before requests leave your gateway boundary.

## Why AISIX AI Gateway if you already use APISIX or API7 Gateway?

APISIX and API7 Gateway can add AI behavior to regular gateway routes through AI plugins. That path fits teams whose main workload is API traffic and whose AI calls are part of a broader API gateway deployment.

AISIX AI Gateway is for teams whose main workload is AI traffic. It manages provider keys, model aliases, caller API keys, routing, and policy through AI-specific resources, and emits AI usage telemetry. AISIX Enterprise and AISIX Cloud each add centralized usage views and budgets.

[Why AI Gateway](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/why-ai-gateway.md) explains why production AI traffic benefits from a purpose-built gateway and when an existing API gateway remains the better fit.

*APISIX*

**Add AI features to existing API routes.**Use AI plugins when your existing API gateway route is the natural place to call or transform AI services.

*AISIX AI Gateway*

**Run AI traffic through a dedicated gateway domain.**Use AISIX AI Gateway when applications should call stable model names while an AI platform team owns provider keys, routing, policy, and usage visibility.

Read next

## Choose Your Next Path

Start with the product that matches who should operate the control plane. All three products keep the gateway and live AI traffic in your infrastructure.

[*AISIX OSS*](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/getting-started/gateway-quickstart.md)

[**Run AISIX OSS**Configure AISIX directly with a resources file and send your first request.](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/getting-started/gateway-quickstart.md)

[*AISIX Enterprise*](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/getting-started/aisix-cloud-quickstart.md)

[**Operate the control plane yourself**Deploy the customer-hosted control plane, attach a gateway, and configure a model.](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/getting-started/aisix-cloud-quickstart.md)

[*AISIX Cloud*](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/cloud/overview.md)

[**Use the API7-hosted control plane**Manage gateways centrally without operating the control plane.](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/cloud/overview.md)

[*Production*](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/deployment/production.md)

[**Prepare the runtime for production**Review deployment, security, health, metrics, and troubleshooting guidance for production gateways.](https://docs.api7.ai/ai-gateway/deployment/production.md)