SHSelfHostIndex

One API vs OpenLLM

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?
ON One API Unified OpenAI-compatible gateway for many LLM providers VS OP OpenLLM Run any open LLM as an OpenAI-compatible API endpoint
FeatureOne APIOpenLLM
CategoryLocal LLM RunnersLocal LLM Runners
LicenseMITApache-2.0
LanguageJavaScriptPython
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM256 MB8,192 MB
Deploymentdocker, binarydocker, kubernetes, bare-metal
GitHub stars★ 36,253★ 12,452
First released20232023
ReplacesOpenAI API, OpenRouterOpenAI API

Why pick each one

Choose One API if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Mature project with 36.3k GitHub stars
  • Written in JavaScript
One API details

Choose OpenLLM if…

  • Released under the Apache-2.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Kubernetes-ready with Helm charts available
  • Mature project with 12.5k GitHub stars
OpenLLM details

Frequently asked questions

Is One API or OpenLLM better?

Neither is universally better. One API has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are One API and OpenLLM free and open-source?

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

Can I run One API and OpenLLM with Docker?

One API: yes. OpenLLM: yes.

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