LiteLLM review

Q: How do I install LiteLLM?

Run uv add litellm. The litellm package needs Python 3.10 or newer, below 3.15. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Q: How do I use the LiteLLM proxy?

Install the proxy with uv tool install 'litellm[proxy]' and start it with litellm --model gpt-4o. Then create an OpenAI client with base_url http://0.0.0.0:4000 and send chat completion requests as usual.

LiteLLM is an open source AI gateway and Python SDK that calls 100+ LLM providers through one OpenAI-format interface.

Updated Nov 1, 2026. Review written Oct 22, 2026 from the project's own sources; usage data refreshed every Monday.

TL;DR

LiteLLM gives Python developers and platform teams one OpenAI-format interface to 100+ LLM providers, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Bedrock and Azure. You can use it as a Python SDK or self-host it as a proxy server. The proxy adds virtual keys, spend tracking, guardrails, load balancing, MCP and A2A gateways, and an admin dashboard.

62.5kGitHub stars
+519new stars, week of Oct 25
23.1Mdownloads a week, +4% vs 4-week avg
#3in Model SDKs and gateways this week

LiteLLM at a glance

Category: Model SDKs and gateways
Maintained by: Berri AI (organization, @BerriAI on GitHub)
Language: Python, TypeScript, Rust
Repository: github.com/BerriAI/litellm
Website: docs.litellm.ai/docs
PyPI package: litellm 1.106.2
Latest release: v1.105.3 on GitHub, Oct 21, 2026
First published: Jul 27, 2023

What LiteLLM does

LiteLLM calls 100+ LLM providers with the same completion() interface and a consistent output format.
LiteLLM supports endpoints such as /chat/completions, /responses, /embeddings, /images, /audio, /batches, /rerank and /messages.
LiteLLM Proxy adds virtual keys, spend tracking, guardrails, load balancing and an admin dashboard for teams.
LiteLLM includes retry and fallback logic across multiple deployments through its Router.
LiteLLM connects MCP servers to any LLM, either through the SDK bridge or the gateway's /chat/completions endpoint.
LiteLLM invokes A2A agents, including LangGraph, Vertex AI Agent Engine, Azure AI Foundry, Bedrock AgentCore and Pydantic AI agents.
LiteLLM runs Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, pi or Deep Agents on any model through its Python SDK agent harnesses.

How it works

LiteLLM can be imported as a Python library, and your code calls completion() with provider-prefixed model names. Teams can also run it as a proxy server, either from the CLI or as a container. Clients then point an OpenAI client at the proxy's base URL. The proxy forwards requests to providers like OpenAI, Anthropic, Bedrock or Azure. It can also expose MCP tools and A2A agents.

How to install and start using LiteLLM

Python SDK with uv

uv add litellm

Proxy server with uv

uv tool install 'litellm[proxy]'

Quickstart script (macOS and Linux)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BerriAI/litellm/main/scripts/quickstart.sh | sh

Requirements

Python 3.10 or later, below 3.15
API keys for each LLM provider you call
Git, uv and the Rust build toolchain, only if you build litellm-core from source

First steps

Set provider keys such as OPENAI_API_KEY or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY as environment variables.
Call completion() with a model name like openai/gpt-4o and a messages list.
To use the proxy, run `litellm --model gpt-4o` to start the gateway.
Point an OpenAI client at base_url http://0.0.0.0:4000 to send requests through the proxy.

Who LiteLLM is for

Python developers who want to switch LLM providers without rewriting code.
Platform teams running a self-hosted, centralized LLM gateway with keys and spend tracking.
Teams that need governed access to MCP tools and A2A agents across models.

Limitations to know

LiteLLM's litellm and litellm-core packages cannot be installed in the same environment because they share Python files.
LiteLLM-core has no CLI entry points, optional extras or bundled dashboard. Use litellm for the proxy.
LiteLLM versions 1.82.7 and 1.82.8 on PyPI were reported compromised with a credential-stealing file.
LiteLLM's MCP OAuth can fail when providers refuse dynamic client registration. A pre-registered OAuth app may be needed.

Is LiteLLM growing? Usage data

In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, LiteLLM ranked #101 on the Devtoolwatch Board and #3 in Model SDKs and gateways, with a momentum score of 63 out of 100. Its main package had 23.1M downloads that week, +4% against its own 4-week average.

New GitHub stars per week for the last 12 weeks, from GitHub's stargazer history (today's stargazers by the week they starred).

Show the weekly numbers

New GitHub stars per week for LiteLLM
Week of	New stars
Aug 9, 2026	542
Aug 16, 2026	618
Aug 23, 2026	559
Aug 30, 2026	596
Sep 6, 2026	504
Sep 13, 2026	610
Sep 20, 2026	533
Sep 27, 2026	454
Oct 4, 2026	873
Oct 11, 2026	581
Oct 18, 2026	582
Oct 25, 2026	519

On Hacker News

Tell HN: Litellm 1.82.7 and 1.82.8 on PyPI are compromised, 938 points and 500 comments (Mar 24, 2026)
Malicious litellm_init.pth in litellm 1.82.8 PyPI package – credential stealer, 739 points and 1 comments (Mar 24, 2026)
Show HN: liteLLM Proxy Server: 50+ LLM Models, Error Handling, Caching, 140 points and 34 comments (Aug 12, 2023)
Show HN: Litellm – Simple library to standardize OpenAI, Cohere, Azure LLM I/O, 62 points and 17 comments (Jul 27, 2023)
LiteLLM Migrates to Rust, 6 points and 4 comments (Jun 23, 2026)

The Board ranks tools by four signals each week: new stars, new stars for the repo's size, added downloads and download growth beyond the market. How the ranking works.

LiteLLM alternatives

Other LLM SDKs and gateways on the Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum:

Model SDKs and gateways ranked by momentum, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026
Rank	Tool	Stars	Downloads/wk
#1	thinking-orbsthinking-orbs is a React library of dotted, animated thought-orb loading indicators for AI and agent user interfaces.	3.9k	1.4M
#2	HeadroomHeadroom compresses tool outputs, logs, files, and RAG chunks locally before they reach the LLM, as a library, proxy, or MCP server.	78.5k	125.8k
#4	Honcho Memory library for building stateful agents	7.9k	–
#5	Anthropic SDKAnthropic SDK is the official Python library for calling the Claude API from Python applications.	4k	111M
#6	Hugging Face HubHugging Face Hub is the official CLI and Python client for downloading, uploading and managing models, datasets and Spaces on the…	4k	68.3M
#7	OpenAI SDKOpenAI SDK is the official Python library for the OpenAI API, with typed sync and async clients generated from OpenAI's OpenAPI…	32k	141.3M

All LLM SDKs and gateways, ranked

Recent LiteLLM releases

v1.105.3, Oct 21, 2026
v1.106.2, Oct 21, 2026
v1.103.7, Oct 21, 2026
v1.104.5, Oct 21, 2026
v1.106.1, Oct 20, 2026

LiteLLM FAQ

Is LiteLLM free and open source?

LiteLLM's code is on GitHub (BerriAI/litellm), but the repository doesn't declare a standard open-source license. Check its license file before using it commercially.

How do I install LiteLLM?

Run uv add litellm. The litellm package needs Python 3.10 or newer, below 3.15. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

Is LiteLLM still maintained?

Yes. The BerriAI/litellm repository was last updated on Oct 21, 2026, and the latest release, v1.105.3 on GitHub, came out on Oct 21, 2026.

How popular is LiteLLM?

LiteLLM has 62.5k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 519 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 581 a week. Its main package had 23.1M downloads that week, +4% against its own 4-week average. That made it #3 among LLM SDKs and gateways on the Devtoolwatch Board.

LiteLLM vs Bifrost: how do they compare?

LiteLLM and Bifrost are both tracked by Devtoolwatch. LiteLLM has 62.5k GitHub stars and Bifrost has 9.3k. Bifrost review.

LiteLLM vs vLLM: how do they compare?

LiteLLM and vLLM are both tracked by Devtoolwatch. LiteLLM has 62.5k GitHub stars and vLLM has 96k. In the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, LiteLLM's main package had 23.1M downloads and vLLM's had 677.2k. vLLM is an open-source Python library and engine for high-throughput, memory-efficient inference and serving of large language models. vLLM review.

What are the best alternatives to LiteLLM?

Other LLM SDKs and gateways on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: thinking-orbs (#1), Headroom (#2), Honcho (#4), Anthropic SDK (#5), Hugging Face Hub (#6). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

Is LiteLLM an AI gateway?

Yes. LiteLLM describes itself as an open source AI gateway for 100+ LLMs. Its proxy server provides virtual keys, spend tracking, guardrails, load balancing and an admin dashboard. It also includes MCP and A2A agent gateways.

Is LiteLLM safe to use?

LiteLLM signs its Docker images with cosign, and you can verify them against a pinned key. Separately, PyPI versions 1.82.7 and 1.82.8 were reported compromised with a malicious litellm_init.pth credential stealer. Avoid those versions.

How do I use the LiteLLM proxy?

Install the proxy with uv tool install 'litellm[proxy]' and start it with litellm --model gpt-4o. Then create an OpenAI client with base_url http://0.0.0.0:4000 and send chat completion requests as usual.

How do I use LiteLLM with Claude Code?

LiteLLM's Python SDK runs Claude Code through litellm.agent with Harness.CLAUDE_CODE. Set LITELLM_PROXY_API_BASE and LITELLM_PROXY_API_KEY to route the agent's model calls through your gateway. You also need starlette, uvicorn and the claude CLI installed.

Can I use LiteLLM with Cursor?

Yes. LiteLLM's README shows a Cursor mcpServers config that points to http://localhost:4000/mcp/. The config passes your master key in the x-litellm-api-key header.

Sources

LiteLLM README badge

Maintainers can show the tool's weekly Board rank in their README:

[![Devtoolwatch](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/badge/litellm.svg)](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/litellm/)

How this page is made: Devtoolwatch writes each review from the project's README, releases, package metadata and website, with an AI model, then checks every claim against the source it cites and drops what the sources don't support. The numbers come from Devtoolwatch's daily GitHub snapshots, GitHub's stargazer history, and the npm and PyPI download APIs. Spotted an error? Email [email protected].