--- title: "aisix vs Alpaca" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/api7-aisix-vs-jeffser-alpaca" tools: ["api7-aisix", "jeffser-alpaca"] --- # aisix vs Alpaca *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick aisix if aISIX is a Rust-native AI gateway designed for routing and managing traffic to various AI providers; pick Alpaca if alpaca is an Ollama client for managing and chatting with multiple AI models. This interface facilitates interactions locally and online, supporting integrations with third parties like Gemini and ChatGPT. [aisix](https://api7.ai/ai-gateway) reports 151 GitHub stars, 30 forks, and 106 open issues, last pushed Sep 13, 2026. [Alpaca](https://jeffser.com/alpaca) has 1.6k stars, 144 forks, and 131 open issues, last pushed Aug 3, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [aisix's repository](https://github.com/api7/aisix) and [Alpaca's repository](https://github.com/Jeffser/Alpaca). | | [aisix](/tools/api7-aisix.md) | [Alpaca](/tools/jeffser-alpaca.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Open-source AI gateway for LLMs & AI agents | Alpaca is an Ollama client for managing and chatting with multiple AI models. | | Stars | 151 | 1,637 | | Forks | 30 | 144 | | Open issues | 106 | 131 | | Language | Rust | Python | | Adopt for | AISIX is a Rust-native AI gateway designed for routing and managing traffic to various AI providers | Alpaca is an Ollama client for managing and chatting with multiple AI models. This interface facilitates interactions locally and online, supporting integrations with third parties like Gemini and ChatGPT. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | AISIX is available under the Apache License, Version 2.0 which allows you to freely use, modify, and distribute it with proper attribution | GPL-3.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Inference & Serving | AI Agents, Computer Vision | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [aisix](/tools/api7-aisix.md) | [Alpaca](/tools/jeffser-alpaca.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Steady (60%) | | Days since push | 0d | 47d | | Open issues (now) | 106 | 131 | | Stars delta | +59 (30d) | +18 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +8 (30d) | +9 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/api7-aisix/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/jeffser-alpaca/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: aisix - **Pricing:** freemium - The open-source core (AISIX Gateway) can be used for free. For advanced features like team governance, budgets, and audit dashboard access, the AISIX Cloud is available on a managed SaaS model. - **Requirements:** Requires etcd running to store configurations; Self-hosted setup requires Docker Compose for local testing with example configuration files - **Adopt for:** AISIX is a Rust-native AI gateway designed for routing and managing traffic to various AI providers - **License detail:** AISIX is available under the Apache License, Version 2.0 which allows you to freely use, modify, and distribute it with proper attribution ## Decision facts: Alpaca - **Adopt for:** Alpaca is an Ollama client for managing and chatting with multiple AI models. This interface facilitates interactions locally and online, supporting integrations with third parties like Gemini and ChatGPT. ## Choose when ### Choose aisix if… - aisix is primarily Rust; Alpaca is Python. - License: aisix is Apache-2.0, Alpaca is GPL-3.0. - Pricing: The open-source core (AISIX Gateway) can be used for free. For advanced features like team governance, budgets, and audit dashboard access, the AISIX Cloud is available on a managed SaaS model.. - Requirements: Requires etcd running to store configurations; Self-hosted setup requires Docker Compose for local testing with example configuration files. - Tags unique to aisix: ai-agents, llm-gateway, observability, openai-compatible. - Also covers Inference & Serving. - aisix ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - When you need an OpenAI-compatible API that can route requests to multiple LLM providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and Bedrock ### Choose Alpaca if… - Alpaca is primarily Python; aisix is Rust. - License: Alpaca is GPL-3.0, aisix is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to Alpaca: adwaita, flatpak, gnome, gtk4. - Also covers Computer Vision. - Use Alpaca when you need a frontend interface that allows interaction with various local and cloud-hosted AI models. ## When NOT to use aisix - If you require a fully managed service with minimal setup and configuration since AISIX requires self-hosting or connecting to AISIX Cloud for management features - For projects preferring dynamic languages over statically compiled binaries, given that AISIX is built in Rust and ships as one static binary ## When NOT to use Alpaca - Do not use Alpaca if your project strictly prohibits the inclusion of third-party AI providers like Gemini or ChatGPT due to compliance restrictions. - Avoid using Alpaca when you require highly specialized AI interactions that go beyond chat and basic content recognition capabilities. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between aisix and Alpaca? aisix: Open-source AI gateway for LLMs & AI agents. Alpaca: Alpaca is an Ollama client for managing and chatting with multiple AI models.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose aisix over Alpaca? Choose aisix over Alpaca when aisix is primarily Rust; Alpaca is Python; License: aisix is Apache-2.0, Alpaca is GPL-3.0; Pricing: The open-source core (AISIX Gateway) can be used for free. For advanced features like team governance, budgets, and audit dashboard access, the AISIX Cloud is available on a managed SaaS model.; Requirements: Requires etcd running to store configurations; Self-hosted setup requires Docker Compose for local testing with example configuration files; Tags unique to aisix: ai-agents, llm-gateway, observability, openai-compatible; Also covers Inference & Serving; aisix ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When you need an OpenAI-compatible API that can route requests to multiple LLM providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, and Bedrock. ### When should I choose Alpaca over aisix? Choose Alpaca over aisix when Alpaca is primarily Python; aisix is Rust; License: Alpaca is GPL-3.0, aisix is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to Alpaca: adwaita, flatpak, gnome, gtk4; Also covers Computer Vision; Use Alpaca when you need a frontend interface that allows interaction with various local and cloud-hosted AI models. ### When should I avoid aisix? If you require a fully managed service with minimal setup and configuration since AISIX requires self-hosting or connecting to AISIX Cloud for management features For projects preferring dynamic languages over statically compiled binaries, given that AISIX is built in Rust and ships as one static binary ### When should I avoid Alpaca? Do not use Alpaca if your project strictly prohibits the inclusion of third-party AI providers like Gemini or ChatGPT due to compliance restrictions. Avoid using Alpaca when you require highly specialized AI interactions that go beyond chat and basic content recognition capabilities. ### Is aisix or Alpaca more popular on GitHub? Alpaca has more GitHub stars (1,637 vs 151). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are aisix and Alpaca open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (aisix: Apache-2.0, Alpaca: GPL-3.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to aisix or Alpaca? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [aisix alternatives](/tools/api7-aisix/alternatives) and [Alpaca alternatives](/tools/jeffser-alpaca/alternatives) ([aisix markdown twin](/tools/api7-aisix/alternatives.md), [Alpaca markdown twin](/tools/jeffser-alpaca/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/api7-aisix-vs-jeffser-alpaca.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, aisix or Alpaca? aisix: Very active. Alpaca: Steady. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for aisix and Alpaca? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [aisix trust report](/tools/api7-aisix/trust); [Alpaca trust report](/tools/jeffser-alpaca/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=api7-aisix`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=api7-aisix) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_