What is API Gateway?
API Gateway — A management tool that sits between a client and a collection of backend AI services.
An API gateway sits between your applications and AI model endpoints. It handles rate limiting, authentication, request routing, load balancing, and usage monitoring. For organizations using multiple AI providers, a gateway provides a single interface and simplifies vendor management.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why not call AI APIs directly?
Direct calls work for prototyping. In production, a gateway provides rate limiting, failover between providers, usage tracking, cost controls, and a consistent interface even when switching AI vendors.
What API gateways work with AI models?
Kong, AWS API Gateway, and Azure API Management all support AI endpoints. Specialized AI gateways like Portkey and LiteLLM add model-specific features like fallback routing and prompt caching.
Does an API gateway add latency?
Minimal — typically 1-5ms overhead. The benefits of rate limiting, monitoring, and failover far outweigh this small latency cost for production applications.