One key, many models: the LLM gateway
An LLM gateway sits between your app and the model hosts. Your code talks to one endpoint and one key; the gateway routes to whichever provider serves the model, and handles auth, billing and limits in one place.
Why put a gateway in front
Without one, every provider is its own key, its own bill, its own dialect and its own dashboard. A gateway collapses that: one OpenAI-compatible endpoint, one balance, one place to mint and revoke keys, one log of what was spent. Adding a new model is a string change, not an integration.
What a gateway should add
- Per-key spend caps, so a leaked or looping key has a ceiling.
- Cost accounting per key and per request.
- A single dialect so your SDK never changes.
- A clear data policy you can verify.
Where Wild West API fits
Compare it against the alternatives on the comparison pages.