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Create Your First Gateway

After installing AI Gateway, the next step is to create your first gateway instance. This guide will walk you through creating and configuring a basic gateway.

Gateway Overview​

A gateway is the core entity in AI Gateway that:

  • Handles incoming requests
  • Manages plugins
  • Controls routing
  • Provides monitoring

Create a Gateway​

Use the Admin API to create your first gateway:

# Create a gateway
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/gateways \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "my-first-gateway",
    "subdomain": "api",
    "required_plugins": [
        {
            "name": "rate_limiter",
            "enabled": true,
            "stage": "pre_request",
            "priority": 1,
            "settings": {
                "limits": {
                    "global": {
                        "limit": 15,
                        "window": "1m"
                    },
                    "per_ip": {
                        "limit": 5,
                        "window": "1m"
                    },
                    "per_user": {
                        "limit": 5,
                        "window": "1m"
                    }
                },
                "actions": {
                    "type": "reject",
                    "retry_after": "60"
                }
            }
        }
    ]
  }'

Verify Gateway Creation​

Check if your gateway was created successfully:

# Get gateway details
curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/gateways/{gateway-id}

# List all gateways
curl http://localhost:8080/api/v1/gateways

Gateway Configuration​

Basic Settings​

Key configuration options:

  1. Name and Subdomain

    {
      "name": "my-first-gateway",
      "subdomain": "api"
    }

  2. Required Plugins

    {
      "required_plugins": [
        {
          "name": "rate_limiter",
          "enabled": true
        }
      ]
    }

  3. Status

    {
      "status": "active"
    }

Test Your Gateway​

Create an API Key​

# Create a test API key
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/gateways/{gateway-id}/keys \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "test-key",
    "expires_at": "2024-12-31T23:59:59Z"
  }'

Test the Connection​

# Test with your API key
curl http://localhost:8081/status \
  -H "Host: api.example.com" \
  -H "x-api-key: your-api-key"

Best Practices​

  1. Naming Conventions

    • Use descriptive gateway names
    • Keep subdomains simple
    • Document purpose

  2. Plugin Configuration

    • Start with essential plugins
    • Configure reasonable limits
    • Test plugin chains

  3. Security

    • Enable authentication
    • Set up rate limiting
    • Use secure settings

Next Steps​

Now that your gateway is running, you can:

  1. Configure an Upstream

Additional Resources​