Comparison
aisix vs inference
Verdict
Pick aisix if aISIX is a Rust-native AI gateway designed for routing and managing traffic to various AI providers; pick inference if xinference is a unified production-ready inference API for deploying and running various models, including LLMs, on different environments.
Markdown twin · aisix alternatives · inference alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
14views this month
Trust & integrity
| Signal | aisix | inference |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 13, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 13, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 15, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Sep 18, 2026 · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- aisix
- Open-source AI gateway for LLMs & AI agents
- inference
- Unified production-ready inference API for various LLMs and models
Stars
- aisix
- 151
- inference
- 9.6k
Forks
- aisix
- 30
- inference
- 866
Open issues
- aisix
- 106
- inference
- 39
Language
- aisix
- Rust
- inference
- Python
Adopt for
- aisix
- AISIX is a Rust-native AI gateway designed for routing and managing traffic to various AI providers
- inference
- Xinference is a unified production-ready inference API for deploying and running various models, including LLMs, on different environments.
Persona
- aisix
- -
- inference
- -
Runtime
- aisix
- -
- inference
- -
License
- aisix
- AISIX is available under the Apache License, Version 2.0 which allows you to freely use, modify, and distribute it with proper attribution
- inference
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- aisix
- Sep 13, 2026
- inference
- Sep 18, 2026
Categories
- aisix
- AI Agents, Inference & Serving
- inference
- Inference & Serving
Trust and health
Open issues (now)
- aisix
- 106
- inference
- 39
Stars delta
- aisix
- +59 (30d)
- inference
- +105 (30d)
Open issues delta
- aisix
- +8 (30d)
- inference
- -3 (30d)
Full report
- aisix
- Trust report
- inference
- Trust report
Choose aisix if…
- aisix is primarily Rust; inference is Python.
- 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 AI Agents.
- 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 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
Choose inference if…
- inference is primarily Python; aisix is Rust.
- Pricing: The tool is open-source under the Apache-2.0 license, but additional services or support might incur costs..
- Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Docker and CUDA setup are required for Nvidia GPU users.; For Kubernetes deployment, Helm is required..
- Tags unique to inference: artificial-intelligence, deployment, diffusers, gemma.
- When you need a single API to deploy and run a variety of models, including LLMs, on cloud, on-premises, or local machines.
When NOT to use inference
- If you are looking for a tool that supports only a specific type of model or environment, as Xinference is designed to be versatile across multiple models and deployment environments.
- When you need a tool that does not require setting up Docker or Kubernetes for deployment, as Xinference provides detailed instructions for these setups but may not be suitable for users preferring a
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (api7/aisix) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (api7/aisix) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (api7/aisix) · observed Sep 13, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (xorbitsai/inference) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (xorbitsai/inference) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (xorbitsai/inference) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 18, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: aisix 151 · inference 9.6k (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between aisix and inference?
- aisix: Open-source AI gateway for LLMs & AI agents. inference: Unified production-ready inference API for various LLMs and models. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose aisix over inference?
- Choose aisix over inference when aisix is primarily Rust; inference is Python; 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 AI Agents; 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 inference over aisix?
- Choose inference over aisix when inference is primarily Python; aisix is Rust; Pricing: The tool is open-source under the Apache-2.0 license, but additional services or support might incur costs.; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Docker and CUDA setup are required for Nvidia GPU users.; For Kubernetes deployment, Helm is required.; Tags unique to inference: artificial-intelligence, deployment, diffusers, gemma; When you need a single API to deploy and run a variety of models, including LLMs, on cloud, on-premises, or local machines.
- 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 inference?
- If you are looking for a tool that supports only a specific type of model or environment, as Xinference is designed to be versatile across multiple models and deployment environments. When you need a tool that does not require setting up Docker or Kubernetes for deployment, as Xinference provides detailed instructions for these setups but may not be suitable for users preferring a
- Is aisix or inference more popular on GitHub?
- inference has more GitHub stars (9,575 vs 151). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are aisix and inference open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (aisix: Apache-2.0, inference: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to aisix or inference?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at aisix alternatives and inference alternatives (aisix markdown twin, inference markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, aisix or inference?
- aisix: Very active. inference: Very active. 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 inference?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: aisix trust report; inference trust report.