AISIX Products and Deployment Options
Compare AISIX OSS, the open-source gateway, with the On-Premises and API7-hosted AISIX Cloud deployment options for AISIX Enterprise.
AISIX is available as AISIX OSS, the open-source gateway, or AISIX Enterprise, API7's commercial offering. The open-source gateway runs standalone without a control plane. AISIX Enterprise adds a control plane for managing AISIX gateways. You can host that control plane yourself (On-Premises), or API7 can host it for you (AISIX Cloud).
In every case, you run the AISIX gateway in your own environment. This page compares AISIX OSS with the two AISIX Enterprise control-plane deployment options so you can choose the right product and deployment option.
Compare Your Options
| Product | Control-plane deployment option | Control-plane host | Gateway location |
|---|---|---|---|
| AISIX OSS (open-source gateway) | Not applicable | None | Your infrastructure |
| AISIX Enterprise | On-Premises (self-hosted) | You | Your infrastructure |
| AISIX Enterprise | Hybrid Cloud (AISIX Cloud, API7-hosted) | API7 | Your infrastructure |
On Kubernetes, an AISIX Enterprise gateway uses the api7/aisix Helm chart in both On-Premises and Hybrid Cloud — see Deploy AISIX Gateways on Kubernetes. A self-hosted On-Premises control plane uses a separate chart, api7/aisix-cp — see On-Premises Installation. AISIX OSS can use the same api7/aisix chart: set controlPlane.enabled: false and provide a standalone resource source to run the gateway without a control plane. Follow Deploy the Open-Source AISIX Gateway on Kubernetes for the complete procedure.
Compare Management Capabilities
The AISIX gateway handles the same traffic-processing path in every option. AISIX Enterprise adds shared management and governance around the gateways.
| Area | AISIX OSS | AISIX Enterprise |
|---|---|---|
| Resource management | Declarative resources.yaml file and automation you operate | Dashboard and AISIX Enterprise Admin API with environment-scoped configuration delivery |
| Organization and access | No organization or membership management layer; integrate your own access workflows | Organizations, environments, members, teams, and roles |
| Credential lifecycle | Provider and caller credentials managed through your configuration and secret systems | Encrypted, write-only provider secrets and managed caller API key lifecycles |
| Gateway connection and visibility | You deploy, secure, monitor, and upgrade gateway instances using your own tooling | You still operate the gateways; the control plane adds certificates, registration, configuration delivery, heartbeat, and status visibility |
| Usage, cost, and governance | Export logs and metrics to systems you operate | Centralized request logs, usage and cost views, model pricing, budgets, and audit history |
These control-plane capabilities do not place the control plane in the live AI traffic path. Applications call the AISIX gateway directly in every option.
AISIX OSS
AISIX OSS, the open-source AISIX gateway, is available under the Apache License 2.0 and runs without a control plane. You declare providers, models, caller API keys, and policies in a resources.yaml file that the gateway loads at startup and reloads on SIGHUP.
- Choose this if you want the open-source gateway, you will build or integrate your own management and automation, and you do not need AISIX Enterprise features such as organizations, usage reporting, or budgets.
- You operate the gateway process, its resources file, and upgrades.
- Start with the Open-Source AISIX Gateway Quickstart to declare a
resources.yamlfile, start the gateway, and send a first request.
AISIX Enterprise
On-Premises and Hybrid Cloud are the two AISIX Enterprise control-plane deployment options. They use the same dashboard, AISIX Enterprise Admin API, resource model, and gateway workflow. The difference is who hosts the control plane and where its data is stored. Specific commercial capabilities can vary by deployment option and release.
On-Premises (Self-Hosted)
You host the AISIX Enterprise control plane in your own infrastructure, including fully air-gapped environments. You manage resources through the same dashboard or AISIX Enterprise Admin API as Hybrid Cloud.
- Choose this if data residency, network isolation, compliance, or air-gap requirements mean the control plane must also run in your environment.
- You operate the complete private deployment, including the control plane and gateways.
- Start with the AISIX Enterprise Quickstart for a single-machine evaluation with Docker Compose, or go straight to On-Premises Installation to choose a production installation method, size resources, and configure an external database.
Hybrid Cloud (AISIX Cloud, API7-Hosted)
API7 hosts the AISIX Cloud control plane, while you deploy the gateway in your own environment and connect it to the control plane, which projects environment resources to it. You manage resources through the dashboard or the AISIX Enterprise Admin API.
- Choose this if you want centralized management, usage reporting, budgets, and governance without operating the control plane. Your AI traffic remains in your environment.
- You operate the gateway; API7 operates the control plane.
- Get access: Hybrid Cloud is not currently available through public self-service registration. Contact API7 to request a trial or demo. AISIX Cloud is also available for purchase through AWS Marketplace. Marketplace changes procurement and billing, not the Hybrid Cloud architecture or operational responsibilities. After API7 provides control-plane access, continue with the AISIX Enterprise overview to create or select an environment, connect a gateway, configure a provider, and send a first request.
Plan a Migration
The gateway runtime and the proxy API are the same across every choice. When you change how the gateway is managed, applications keep the same AISIX endpoint conventions and model aliases.
The management path does change. The open-source gateway loads dynamic resources from a resources.yaml file, while a gateway connected to AISIX Enterprise receives resources projected from the control plane. Plan to recreate gateway resources when moving to or from an AISIX Enterprise control plane rather than treating it as an in-place switch of the startup configuration.