The growing number of large language models (LLMs) from various providers—Anthropic, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, OpenAI, and many others—has given developers a rich set of choices but also has introduced complexity. Each provider has its own API nuances and response formats, making it a challenge to switch models or support multiple back fends in one application. LiteLLM is an open-source project that tackles this fragmentation head-on by providing a unified interface (and gateway) to call more than 100 LLM APIs using a single, consistent format.
In essence, LiteLLM acts as a “universal remote” for LLMs, allowing developers to integrate a diverse set of models as if they were calling OpenAI’s API, regardless of the underlying model provider.
Since its launch, LiteLLM has quickly gained traction in the AI developer community. The project’s GitHub repository (maintained by BerriAI, a team backed by Y Combinator) has garnered over 20,000 stars and 2,600 forks, reflecting widespread interest. Part of this popularity stems from the real-world needs it addresses. Organizations including Netflix, Lemonade, and Rocket Money have adopted LiteLLM to provide day-zero access to new models with minimal overhead. By standardizing how developers interface with LLM providers, LiteLLM promises faster integration of the latest models and smoother operations across an ever-evolving LLM ecosystem.
