You can make an AI provider replaceable by putting a stable boundary between your application and the provider. That boundary can be an adapter or multi-provider SDK inside your app, or a gateway at a shared endpoint. Neither approach makes providers interchangeable in every detail: verify that the destination supports the specific request features your app uses, then test it before shifting production traffic.
Choose where the provider boundary belongs
The main decision is whether provider-specific logic should live in your application process or behind a separately operated service. An internal adapter gives the app an interface it controls; a gateway gives one or more apps a shared endpoint for provider configuration and routing.
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| Approach | Where the boundary lives | Good fit when | Trade-offs to investigate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal adapter or multi-provider SDK | In the application, behind an app-owned interface | You want explicit control in code and do not need a separate shared service. | Dependency and upgrade burden; how well the abstraction covers your features; how provider settings and secrets are managed. |
| API gateway | At a shared endpoint between your application and model providers | Several applications or teams need centralized provider configuration, routing, credentials, or operational controls. | Added service dependency and operations; gateway and provider compatibility; request logging and data handling; latency and failure behavior. |
LiteLLM documents both an in-process Python SDK and a self-hosted proxy. Its example configures an OpenAI-compatible client to use the proxy’s base URL, so an application can retain that client pattern when the gateway and destination support the request and response behavior it needs. This does not mean every existing call will work unchanged with every destination. LiteLLM documentation
What a common API does—and does not—make portable
A shared request format can reduce changes at call sites, but it is not proof of feature parity. Providers may differ in available models, supported operations, request options, output shape, limits, and error behavior. Check the specific provider and model for every feature the application depends on, rather than relying on a provider count or a compatibility label.
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LiteLLM’s provider documentation lists families including OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Vertex AI, Google AI Studio, Anthropic, and Bedrock, among others. Its documentation also describes an interface for 100+ providers and gateway controls such as virtual keys and budgets. These are vendor-published capability descriptions, not independent verification of compatibility or suitability for a particular deployment. LiteLLM provider list LiteLLM product documentation
The Vercel AI SDK providers and models documentation describes its provider/model foundation. Confirm the current integration details for your chosen provider pair; that page alone does not establish feature parity or a migration guarantee. If you are moving away from OpenAI, its API reference can help you understand the source API, but compatibility must be checked against the destination provider’s own current documentation.
Plan the migration around the features your app uses
1. Inventory every model call
Record each call site and the behavior it depends on. Include the ordinary prompt or message shape as well as less obvious parts of the integration:
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- Tool use and the shape of tool-call results.
- Structured output, including any required schema or format guarantees.
- Images or other multimodal inputs.
- Embeddings or other operations beyond text generation.
- Provider-specific options, token accounting, and error handling.
This list is a starting point, not an assumption that every provider supports every item. Check each destination model and API operation you intend to use.
2. Define an interface your application owns
Expose the capabilities the application actually needs through a small, stable contract. Avoid making every vendor-specific option part of the interface by default; that spreads provider assumptions through the code and makes a later switch harder. When a provider-specific feature is genuinely necessary, make it an explicit, controlled escape hatch so its use is visible.
3. Choose an SDK or gateway
Keep the boundary in an adapter or SDK if integration belongs in the application and the team wants to control it in code. Choose a gateway when a centrally operated endpoint for routing or configuration would help multiple applications or teams. The application’s language and stack, required features, and willingness to operate a separate service all affect the choice. LiteLLM’s documentation describes both patterns, but does not decide which is appropriate for your deployment. LiteLLM SDK and proxy documentation
4. Move provider details into configuration
Keep provider and model identifiers, endpoint details, and credentials out of ordinary application logic where practical. Never put secrets in client-side code or logs. Follow the security guidance for the provider and gateway you actually deploy, and evaluate request logging and data handling against your own requirements.
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Run requests that reflect real use, not just a minimal prompt that proves a connection can be made. Compare the results and behavior that matter to the application:
- Whether the output is correct and has the expected shape.
- Streaming, tool use, and structured-output behavior where applicable.
- Error mapping and behavior under relevant limits.
- Cost for the workload you expect to send.
Provider diversity, API normalization, and cost-tracking features make these sensible migration checks; they do not constitute a published comparative experiment or guarantee that one provider will match another.
6. Roll out with a route back
Start with a limited evaluation or traffic slice. Monitor application-level outcomes and provider errors, and keep a practical way to return to the previous configuration if the destination fails your checks. This is a recommended migration practice, not a reported result from a tested rollout.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Evaluate the deployed service, not just its feature list
Vendor documentation can explain product capabilities, but it cannot establish that a service meets your team’s security, reliability, performance, or compliance requirements. Assess those requirements for the actual configuration and deployment, including how credentials are handled, what requests are logged, how failures are surfaced, and what operational dependency a gateway introduces.
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