SHSelfHostIndex

New API vs vLLM

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?
NE New API Next-gen LLM gateway and AI asset management system VS VL vLLM High-throughput LLM serving engine with PagedAttention
FeatureNew APIvLLM
CategoryLocal LLM RunnersLocal LLM Runners
LicenseMITApache-2.0
LanguageGoPython
Setup difficultyMediumHard
Min. RAM512 MB16,384 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker, kubernetes, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 44,636★ 88,482
First released20242023
ReplacesOpenRouter, OpenAI APIOpenAI API

Why pick each one

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

Choose vLLM if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 88.5k GitHub stars
vLLM details

Frequently asked questions

Is New API or vLLM better?

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

Are New API and vLLM free and open-source?

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

Can I run New API and vLLM with Docker?

New API: yes. vLLM: yes.

Related comparisons