API platform
A service that exposes models or tools via HTTP endpoints, handling auth, rate-limiting, versioning, and billing.
Think of it like
A library with a librarian at the desk—you ask for what you want, they fetch it, you pay.
Example
OpenAI API, Anthropic API, Replicate. You send HTTP requests, get responses, pay based on usage.
How it actually works
API platforms abstract infrastructure. They handle load balancing, uptime, security, and billing. They're how most production LLM applications consume models. The model itself is commodity; the platform (reliability, features like streaming, caching, batch processing) is differentiator.
For product teams
Reduces capital and operational burden; enables pay-as-you-go scaling.
For engineers
RESTful or gRPC; stateless; rate-limited; async options.
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