KeepRouter Blog

Evidence-led guides to AI gateways, protocol migration, model routing, API cost control, and evaluation.

Research paths

• Migrate the October coding models

  Choose Responses or Messages, preserve thinking and validate a complete tool loop.

  Claude 5.5 migration

• Choose MiMo and GLM variants

  Compare exact model IDs, multimodal inputs and reasoning costs before retiring an old route.

  GLM 5.3 variant selection

• Connect workflow apps

  Configure n8n and Dify, then verify the input, selected model and published workflow.

  Dify setup and troubleshooting

• Choose a coding assistant setup

  Test repository edits, tool calls and the separate models used for chat and autocomplete.

  Continue chat and autocomplete

• Build with SDKs and retrieval

  Connect LangChain or LlamaIndex while keeping model behavior and retrieval evidence testable.

  LlamaIndex generation and RAG

• Fix failed API requests

  Separate rate limits, quota failures and interrupted streams before choosing a retry strategy.

  Diagnose interrupted streams

• Budget complete workloads

  Include retrieval, reasoning, retries and accepted outcomes in a reproducible cost worksheet.

  Read reasoning-token charges

• Evaluate models and gateways

  Compare document extraction with labeled fixtures, then choose a service that fits the application.

  Compare gateway alternatives

All 55 guides

• GPT-6.1 Sol API: Responses, tools and a reliable migration
  2026-10-03
  Connect GPT-6.1 Sol with Responses, preserve tool history, compare Luna and Sol, and reconcile reasoning, cached input and fixed KeepRouter prices.
• Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Opus 5.5: API migration and cache costs
  2026-10-03
  Migrate Claude 5.5 with Messages, adaptive thinking, preserved tool blocks and honest cache accounting. Evaluate Sonnet and Opus before switching agents.
• MiMo V2.6 API: Flash, Pro, UltraSpeed and the V2.5 migration
  2026-10-03
  Choose an exact MiMo V2.6 ID, preserve reasoning in tool history, compare serving variants, and migrate before Xiaomi’s October 21 V2.5 retirement.
• GLM 5.3 vs Flash vs FlashX: inputs, reasoning and API costs
  2026-10-03
  Compare exact GLM 5.3 model IDs, text versus multimodal input, always-on reasoning and real usage. Avoid Coding Plan and pay-as-you-go entitlement confusion.
• Grok 4.7, Qwen 3.8, Gemma 4 and Doubao 2.1: choose by task
  2026-10-03
  Compare exact Grok, Qwen, Gemma and Doubao model IDs by modality, deployment limits and accepted-result cost. Includes a reproducible selection worksheet.
• Gemini API on KeepRouter: choose a model, connect and check costs
  2026-09-29
  Compare nine Gemini model IDs on KeepRouter, connect with the OpenAI SDK, check current token prices and review verified streaming, JSON and tool-call examples.
• n8n OpenAI-Compatible API: Connect and Debug a Workflow
  2026-09-29
  Connect n8n to an OpenAI-compatible API, choose the right endpoint, isolate item-mapping errors, and test a workflow before enabling agent tools.
• Dify Custom Model Setup with an OpenAI-Compatible API
  2026-09-29
  Configure Dify model credentials, endpoint mode and capabilities; separate chat from embeddings and diagnose validation failures before publishing an app.
• LangChain Custom Base URL: An OpenAI-Compatible API Guide
  2026-09-29
  Set ChatOpenAI base_url correctly, test streaming and tools separately, and avoid losing provider-specific fields when changing an LLM endpoint.
• LlamaIndex OpenAILike: Change the LLM, Keep the RAG Index
  2026-09-29
  Configure LlamaIndex OpenAILike without silently changing embeddings. Test generation and retrieval separately with a small, reproducible RAG fixture.
• Cline OpenAI-Compatible Setup: Models, Tools and Cost
  2026-09-29
  Configure Cline with a custom API, choose honest model limits, and evaluate a small code change by accepted patch cost instead of chat price.
• Roo Code Migration: Keep Your API, Replace the Client
  2026-09-29
  Roo Code is archived. Map its API settings, native tools and permissions to a replacement client, then validate a small task before moving a repository.
• Continue API Setup: Chat and Autocomplete Roles
  2026-09-29
  Configure Continue model roles and an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. Keep chat, edit and autocomplete separate, and debug unexpected Responses API requests.
• Aider with an OpenAI-Compatible API: Setup and Edit Tests
  2026-09-29
  Point Aider at a custom API, understand the openai/ model prefix, handle model metadata warnings, and measure the cost of an accepted code edit.
• Open WebUI Custom API: Connect Models Without Surprises
  2026-09-29
  Add an OpenAI-compatible connection to Open WebUI, distinguish model discovery from generation, and keep chat, embeddings and extra tools correctly scoped.
• LibreChat Custom Endpoint: Models, Titles and API Costs
  2026-09-29
  Add a LibreChat custom endpoint with a small model allowlist, keep credentials server-side, and account for title generation and other background calls.
• Structured Outputs vs JSON Mode: Validate Real Data
  2026-09-29
  Choose JSON mode or schema-constrained output, validate business rules beyond syntax, and compare extraction models using missing and ambiguous fields.
• LLM Tool Calling: Build the Full Request-Result Loop
  2026-09-29
  Build a tool-calling loop that preserves call IDs, validates arguments, handles streamed fragments, and stops repeated actions before they become costly.
• OpenAI-Compatible API 429 Errors: Limits, Quota and Retry
  2026-09-29
  Diagnose API 429 errors by their origin and error body, estimate safe throughput from token limits, and prevent retry storms across workers and SDKs.
• LLM Streaming Stops Early: Diagnose SSE and Completion
  2026-09-29
  Debug interrupted LLM streams without treating partial text as success. Separate network chunks, protocol events, finish reasons and final usage records.
• Context Window Exceeded: Budget Prompts Before Retrying
  2026-09-29
  Fix context-window errors by budgeting history, tools, retrieved text and output. Preserve relevant evidence instead of blindly truncating conversations.
• RAG Cost per Query: A Worksheet Beyond Token Prices
  2026-09-29
  Calculate RAG cost across indexing, retrieval, generation and retries. Use a worked example to compare cost per accepted answer instead of price per token.
• Reasoning Token Costs: Read Usage Without Double Counting
  2026-09-29
  Understand reasoning-token billing across API contracts. Reconcile visible output, usage details and failed attempts with a reproducible cost example.
• GPT vs Claude vs Gemini for Document Extraction: Test Plan
  2026-09-29
  Compare GPT, Claude and Gemini for document extraction using the same fixtures, evidence rules and cost ledger. Separate PDF support from extraction accuracy.
• Batch API vs Real-Time: When the Discount Is Worth It
  2026-09-29
  Compare native batch APIs, application queues and real-time inference. Calculate savings, reconcile unordered results and account for deadlines and retries.
• Ollama vs Hosted APIs: Cost, Capacity and Break-Even
  2026-09-29
  Compare local Ollama inference with hosted model APIs using hardware, power, operations and accepted-task costs. Include capacity before trusting break-even math.
• Embedding model migration: reindex without losing retrieval quality
  2026-09-28
  A production embedding migration runbook: preserve source data, build a parallel index, dual-write updates, test recall and permissions, cut over and roll back.
• Support agent cost per resolution: a measurement worksheet
  2026-09-28
  Measure support-agent economics by verified resolution and correct escalation, with model calls, retries, human review, failure rates and a worked hypothetical example.
• DeepSeek API pricing: estimate cache hits without counting input twice
  2026-09-23
  Calculate DeepSeek request costs from uncached input, cache hits and output. Includes a worked example, usage parser and a repeatable cache experiment.
• Claude API cost: plan prompt caching around writes, reads and reuse
  2026-09-23
  Build a Claude prompt-cache budget with separate write and read costs, a break-even example, usage fields and route-specific verification.
• GPT API pricing and SDK migration: keep the request contract visible
  2026-09-23
  Move an existing GPT client to a compatible API with separate checks for model IDs, Chat Completions, Responses, cached input and measured usage.
• Gemini with the OpenAI SDK: compare the native, compatible and gateway paths
  2026-09-23
  Choose a Gemini API path with a concrete request matrix for text, tools, images, streaming and provider-specific fields, plus Python setup and cost checks.
• Doubao multimodal embeddings: build a small image-and-text retrieval test
  2026-09-23
  Call the Doubao multimodal embedding route, validate a returned vector, keep documents separate and evaluate retrieval before building a larger index.
• OpenRouter to KeepRouter migration: map URLs, model IDs and routing fields
  2026-09-23
  A concrete OpenRouter migration runbook with client configuration, namespace mapping, provider-field inventory, acceptance cases and rollback steps.
• KeepRouter API key setup: from the free model to a controlled paid request
  2026-09-23
  Create a scoped KeepRouter key, make a free-model request, diagnose common setup errors, then verify balance, model scope and measured paid usage.
• OpenRouter vs LiteLLM: compare operating cost for your actual workload
  2026-09-23
  Compare managed model access and a self-operated LiteLLM proxy using an explicit cost worksheet, three workload scenarios and a bounded evaluation plan.
• Webhooks for long-running AI jobs: signed, retried, never the only path
  2026-09-13
  How completion webhooks work for long-running AI jobs: the signed event contract, the retry ladder, idempotency, and why the poll stays the source of truth.
• Image-to-video and video editing APIs: the media contract
  2026-09-13
  How image-to-video, reference-to-video and video editing take their input: the media array per model, fetchable URLs, input length rules, and per-second rates.
• Prompt caching cost: calculate reads, writes and real savings
  2026-09-13
  Calculate prompt caching costs with worked examples, separate cache reads and writes, avoid double-counting tokens, and test savings on real usage.
• Async video generation API: submit, poll, and pay per second
  2026-09-12
  How an asynchronous video generation API works: submit a task, poll for the clip, and pay per second of video rather than per token. Failure modes included.
• Choosing a video model tier: cost per second, resolution, and input type
  2026-09-12
  How to choose among published video tiers: per-second cost math, what resolution tiers actually change, and which input types each model accepts.
• Text-to-speech billing: input tokens plus audio seconds
  2026-09-12
  Estimate KeepRouter TTS costs from text-input tokens and generated audio seconds. Includes a worked Gemini example, WAV measurement and billing limits.
• Multimodal embeddings: one vector space for text, images, and video
  2026-09-12
  Embedders that accept images and video live on their own endpoint. How the request shape works, how media tokens are counted, and when to reach for one.
• AI gateway guide: what it controls, when to use one, and how to adopt it
  2026-08-15
  A practical guide to AI gateways: responsibilities, operating models, adoption tests, boundaries, and a production checklist.
• OpenAI-compatible API migration checklist
  2026-08-15
  Migrate an OpenAI-style client safely with endpoint, model, streaming, tool, error, usage, rollout, and rollback checks.
• LLM routing vs load balancing: four policies teams often confuse
  2026-08-15
  Separate LLM routing, load balancing, failover, and retries, then define safe eligibility and evidence for each policy.
• How to reduce LLM API costs: a task-level cost worksheet
  2026-08-15
  Calculate cost per accepted task with a worked example. Find when caching, shorter context, model changes and retry limits can reduce your LLM API bill.
• Responses API vs Chat Completions: choose by contract, not novelty
  2026-08-15
  Compare Responses and Chat Completions by object model, tools, state, streaming, storage, migration work, and gateway support.
• How to evaluate an AI gateway: tests, costs and a filled scorecard
  2026-08-15
  Use a filled scorecard to compare AI gateways by required features, accepted tasks, complete costs and latency. Includes a practical rollout sequence.
• Migrating from OpenRouter: choose the destination operating model first
  2026-08-15
  Plan an OpenRouter migration by mapping provider policy, model IDs, protocols, evidence, data controls, canary rollout, and rollback to the new operating model.
• AI gateway security checklist: map the data path before trusting the control plane
  2026-08-15
  A production AI gateway security review covering identity, provider keys, prompt data, logging, retention, routing, tenant isolation, tools and incident evidence.
• AI gateway latency guide: measure the hop, the provider and the rescued request
  2026-08-15
  Measure AI gateway latency with time to first token, total completion, gateway processing, provider generation, retries, caching and percentile-based test design.
• LLM failover design guide: recover requests without hiding unsafe retries
  2026-08-15
  Design bounded LLM retries and provider or model failover with error classification, deadlines, streaming state, idempotency, cost evidence and rollback tests.
• Kimi K3 on KeepRouter: working with a 1M-token context window
  2026-07-23
  Call kimi-k3 through the OpenAI SDK or Claude Code, then reason about long-context cost from measured usage instead of estimates.
• Compare Claude Code model costs without a static price snapshot
  2026-07-05
  Compare Claude Code-compatible model IDs using current endpoints, rates, eligibility, and measured tokens from the same repository task.