SHSelfHostIndex

llamafile vs New API

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted local llm runners options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
LL llamafile Distribute and run LLMs with a single executable file VS NE New API Next-gen LLM gateway and AI asset management system
FeaturellamafileNew API
CategoryLocal LLM RunnersLocal LLM Runners
LicenseApache-2.0MIT
LanguageC++Go
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM8,192 MB512 MB
Deploymentbinarydocker
GitHub stars★ 25,512★ 44,636
First released20232024
ReplacesOpenAI API, ChatGPTOpenRouter, OpenAI API

Why pick each one

Choose llamafile if…

  • Extremely portable
  • Fast startup
llamafile details

Choose New API if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 44.6k GitHub stars
  • Written in Go
New API details

Frequently asked questions

Is llamafile or New API better?

Neither is universally better. New API has the larger community, while llamafile is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.

Are llamafile and New API free and open-source?

Yes. llamafile is licensed under Apache-2.0 and New API under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run llamafile and New API with Docker?

llamafile: check the project docs for container support. New API: yes.

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