FreeLLMAPI — Unified Proxy for Free LLM Provider Tiers

Introduction

FreeLLMAPI is a self-hosted proxy that stacks the free tiers of multiple LLM providers behind a single OpenAI-compatible endpoint. By distributing requests across providers, it gives developers access to roughly 1.7 billion tokens per month at zero cost for personal experimentation and prototyping.

What FreeLLMAPI Does

• Aggregates free-tier quotas from 16 LLM providers into one unified API
• Exposes an OpenAI-compatible /v1 endpoint so existing tools work without changes
• Routes requests intelligently based on available quota and provider latency
• Fails over automatically when a provider's free tier is exhausted
• Stores API keys with encryption at rest for security

Architecture Overview

FreeLLMAPI is a TypeScript/Node.js server that acts as a reverse proxy between your application and multiple LLM providers. Incoming requests hit the OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and the routing layer selects the best available provider based on remaining quota, response latency, and model compatibility. Each provider adapter normalizes the request and response formats. Key management uses encrypted local storage, and all traffic passes through the proxy without logging request content.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Clone the repo, install Node.js dependencies, and copy the example env file
• Add API keys for each provider you want to use in the .env file
• Configure routing preferences such as priority order and fallback chains
• Run with npm start or deploy as a Docker container
• Point any OpenAI-compatible client at the proxy's /v1 endpoint

Key Features

• Single endpoint aggregating 16 LLM providers' free tiers
• Full OpenAI API compatibility for drop-in use with existing tools
• Smart routing with latency-aware provider selection
• Automatic failover when a provider quota is depleted
• Encrypted API key storage with no request content logging

Comparison with Similar Tools

• LiteLLM — supports 100+ providers but requires paid keys; FreeLLMAPI specifically optimizes free-tier stacking
• OpenRouter — commercial unified API; FreeLLMAPI is self-hosted and free
• Portkey AI Gateway — enterprise gateway with observability; FreeLLMAPI targets personal experimentation
• Manifest — cost optimization router; FreeLLMAPI focuses on zero-cost access through free tiers

FAQ

Q: Is this for production use? A: No. FreeLLMAPI is designed for personal experimentation and prototyping. Free tiers have rate limits and usage caps that are not suitable for production workloads.

Q: Which providers are supported? A: The proxy supports 16 providers including major cloud APIs and smaller services that offer free tiers. See the repository README for the current list.

Q: Can I add custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints? A: Yes. You can configure any custom endpoint that follows the OpenAI API format.

Q: How does failover work? A: When a provider returns a rate-limit or quota error, the router automatically retries with the next available provider in the fallback chain.

Sources

• https://github.com/tashfeenahmed/freellmapi