A walkthrough of gateway routing, caching, logging and its risks
Perplexity's guide explains how an LLM gateway works as a reverse proxy that sits between applications and model providers, centralizing credentials, routing and usage tracking.
It walks through a single request's path: the gateway validates credentials, often a virtual key issued to a team or product, checks a cache for an eligible matching request, and picks a route from configuration, with a backup provider if the first times out.
The gateway converts requests into the chosen provider's format and back, then logs who called, which model served it, token counts, latency and cost.
The guide warns that centralizing access puts many credentials within reach of one service, citing Microsoft's security team on what a LiteLLM deployment may hold, including provider API keys, its own master key and database connection strings.
It notes Check Point Research disclosed two high-risk LiteLLM vulnerabilities in October 2026, both fixed in version 1.83.9, and that an application using the gateway should not be able to change its settings.
It also points to an October 4, 2026 Pillar Security review of third-party guardrail integrations across gateways including LiteLLM, Kong, TrueFoundry, Portkey, Azure API Management and Apigee, while noting Pillar sells guardrails.
From the source
An LLM gateway sits between your applications and the model providers you connect through it, giving you one place to manage credentials and track usage.
“At the moment, it’s a s**t show,” one engineer wrote on Reddit in r/LLMDevs in September 2026.
“Everyone has their own set of keys for Claude, OpenAI, AWS Bedrock, and all the other inference providers we use.”
BigGo’s coverage of llm-proxy-tk , a lightweight FastAPI gateway, likens the setup to turning LLMs into “corporate tap water,” with the gateway as the building’s master valve.
But before you put that much trust in the plumbing, let’s look at what you’re installing.
What is an LLM gateway?
An LLM gateway is a reverse proxy for model calls. Your applications send requests to it instead of directly to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or whichever LLM providers you use. The gateway forwards those requests, applying your rules on the way through.
There's an API for every LLM provider: it's got its own request shape, its own authentication, and its own way of returning errors. Each also has separate rate limits and failure modes.
Perplexity's guide explains how an LLM gateway works as a reverse proxy that sits between applications and model providers, centralizing credentials, routing and usage tracking.Microsoft's security team on what a LiteLLM deployment may hold, including provider API keys, its own master key and database connection strings.