Migrate from LiteLLM

Switch from self-hosted LiteLLM to managed LLM Gateway. Same API format, zero infrastructure to maintain.

Running your own LiteLLM proxy works—until it doesn't. Scaling, monitoring, and keeping it running becomes another job. LLM Gateway gives you the same unified API with built-in analytics, caching, and a dashboard—without the infrastructure overhead.

Quick Migration

Both services use OpenAI-compatible endpoints, so migration is a two-line change:

- const baseURL = "http://localhost:4000/v1";  // LiteLLM proxy
+ const baseURL = "https://api.llmgateway.io/v1";

- const apiKey = process.env.LITELLM_API_KEY;
+ const apiKey = process.env.LLM_GATEWAY_API_KEY;

Why Teams Switch to LLM Gateway

What You Get	LiteLLM (Self-Hosted)	LLM Gateway
OpenAI-compatible API	Yes	Yes
Infrastructure to manage	Yes (you run it)	No (we run it)
Managed cloud option	No	Yes
Analytics dashboard	Basic	Per-request detail
Response caching	Manual setup	Built-in, automatic
Cost tracking	Via callbacks	Native, real-time
Provider key management	Config file	Web UI with rotation
Uptime & scaling	You handle it	99.9% SLA (Pro/Ent)

Still want to self-host? LLM Gateway is open source under AGPLv3—same features, your infrastructure.

For a detailed breakdown, see LLM Gateway vs LiteLLM.

Migration Steps

Get Your LLM Gateway API Key

Map Your Models

LLM Gateway supports two model ID formats:

Root Model IDs (without provider prefix) - Uses smart routing to automatically select the best provider based on uptime, throughput, price, and latency:

gpt-5.2
claude-opus-4-5-20251101
gemini-3-flash-preview

Provider-Prefixed Model IDs - Routes to a specific provider with automatic failover if uptime drops below 90%:

openai/gpt-5.2
anthropic/claude-opus-4-5-20251101
google-ai-studio/gemini-3-flash-preview

This means many LiteLLM model names work directly with LLM Gateway:

LiteLLM Model	LLM Gateway Model
gpt-5.2	gpt-5.2 or openai/gpt-5.2
claude-opus-4-5-20251101	claude-opus-4-5-20251101 or anthropic/claude-opus-4-5-20251101
gemini/gemini-3-flash-preview	gemini-3-flash-preview or google-ai-studio/gemini-3-flash-preview
bedrock/claude-opus-4-5-20251101	claude-opus-4-5-20251101 or aws-bedrock/claude-opus-4-5-20251101

For more details on routing behavior, see the routing documentation.

Update Your Code

Python with OpenAI SDK

from openai import OpenAI

# Before (LiteLLM proxy)
client = OpenAI(
    base_url="http://localhost:4000/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["LITELLM_API_KEY"]
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)

# After (LLM Gateway) - model name can stay the same!
client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.llmgateway.io/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["LLM_GATEWAY_API_KEY"]
)

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="gpt-4",  # or "openai/gpt-4" to target a specific provider
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)

Python with LiteLLM Library

If you're using the LiteLLM library directly, you can point it to LLM Gateway:

import litellm

# Before (direct LiteLLM)
response = litellm.completion(
    model="gpt-4",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
)

# After (via LLM Gateway) - same model name works
response = litellm.completion(
    model="gpt-4",  # or "openai/gpt-4" to target a specific provider
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
    api_base="https://api.llmgateway.io/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["LLM_GATEWAY_API_KEY"]
)

TypeScript/JavaScript

import OpenAI from "openai";

// Before (LiteLLM proxy)
const client = new OpenAI({
	baseURL: "http://localhost:4000/v1",
	apiKey: process.env.LITELLM_API_KEY,
});

// After (LLM Gateway) - same model name works
const client = new OpenAI({
	baseURL: "https://api.llmgateway.io/v1",
	apiKey: process.env.LLM_GATEWAY_API_KEY,
});

const completion = await client.chat.completions.create({
	model: "gpt-4", // or "openai/gpt-4" to target a specific provider
	messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello!" }],
});

cURL

# Before (LiteLLM proxy)
curl http://localhost:4000/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LITELLM_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "gpt-4",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
  }'

# After (LLM Gateway) - same model name works
curl https://api.llmgateway.io/v1/chat/completions \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $LLM_GATEWAY_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "gpt-4",
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
  }'
# Use "openai/gpt-4" to target a specific provider

Migrate Configuration

LiteLLM Config (Before)

# litellm_config.yaml
model_list:
  - model_name: gpt-4
    litellm_params:
      model: gpt-4
      api_key: sk-...
  - model_name: claude-3
    litellm_params:
      model: claude-3-sonnet-20240229
      api_key: sk-ant-...

LLM Gateway (After)

With LLM Gateway, you don't need a config file. Provider keys are managed in the web dashboard, or you can use the default LLM Gateway keys.

If you want to use your own provider keys, configure them in the dashboard under Settings > Provider Keys.

Streaming Support

LLM Gateway supports streaming identically to LiteLLM:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.llmgateway.io/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["LLM_GATEWAY_API_KEY"]
)

stream = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="openai/gpt-4",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Write a story"}],
    stream=True
)

for chunk in stream:
    if chunk.choices[0].delta.content:
        print(chunk.choices[0].delta.content, end="")

Function/Tool Calling

LLM Gateway supports function calling:

from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI(
    base_url="https://api.llmgateway.io/v1",
    api_key=os.environ["LLM_GATEWAY_API_KEY"]
)

tools = [{
    "type": "function",
    "function": {
        "name": "get_weather",
        "description": "Get the weather for a location",
        "parameters": {
            "type": "object",
            "properties": {
                "location": {"type": "string"}
            },
            "required": ["location"]
        }
    }
}]

response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="openai/gpt-4",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "What's the weather in Tokyo?"}],
    tools=tools
)

Removing LiteLLM Infrastructure

After verifying LLM Gateway works for your use case, you can decommission your LiteLLM proxy:

Update all clients to use LLM Gateway endpoints
Monitor the LLM Gateway dashboard for successful requests
Shut down your LiteLLM proxy server
Remove LiteLLM configuration files

What Changes After Migration

No servers to babysit — We handle scaling, uptime, and updates
Real-time cost visibility — See what every request costs, broken down by model
Automatic caching — Repeated requests hit cache, reducing your spend
Web-based management — No more editing YAML files for config changes
New models immediately — Access new releases within 48 hours, no deployment needed

Self-Hosting LLM Gateway

If you prefer self-hosting like LiteLLM, LLM Gateway is available under AGPLv3:

git clone https://github.com/llmgateway/llmgateway
cd llmgateway
pnpm install
pnpm setup
pnpm dev

This gives you the same benefits as LiteLLM's self-hosted proxy with LLM Gateway's analytics and caching features.

Full Comparison

Want to see a detailed breakdown of all features? Check out our LLM Gateway vs LiteLLM comparison page.

Need Help?

Browse available models at llmgateway.io/models
Read the API documentation
Contact support at contact@llmgateway.io

Migrate from LiteLLM

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