Radar / AI coding tools / Respan
Respan: open-source Rust AI gateway built around plugins
YC W24 startup Respan open-sourced a Rust AI gateway on its Oct 20 Launch HN: one endpoint for every LLM vendor, translating between OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini APIs, with providers, protocols (MCP, realtime voice), modalities and security features all implemented as plugins - modular crates compiled into the app rather than binary downloads.
Why it matters
Built to escape a 100,000-line LiteLLM fork: a small Rust core with public interfaces so teams assemble custom AI infrastructure by compiling plugins instead of patching wrappers; dual MIT/Apache-2.0 licensed.
What you could build with it
A small SaaS team running coding agents across providers could front its whole model traffic through the Respan gateway, using the pricing plugin for per-call cost attribution and hedged races for latency-sensitive endpoints - one bill, one observability pane, zero wrapper code.
Does it hold up?
Too early to judge: launched on Oct 20 with 89 stars and the README shows a working quickstart (single binary, cross-vendor protocol translation, live request log), but no independent production usage has surfaced yet.
Built with Respan
- Launch HN: Respan (YC W24) - Open-source Rust AI gateway built around pluginsnews.ycombinator.com · Launch HN thread from Oct 20: commenters pressed the team on the plugin model's supply-chain surface area and cost attribution quirks; maintainers answered with GitHub release binaries and configuration templates for common setups.
- Respan launches open-source Rust AI gateway built on pluginsaiweekly.co · Launch alert: the Nginx-inspired small-core design, plugins as compile-in Rust crates, protocol translation preserving provider-specific fields, and the hosted-platform monetization pitch.
- Respan builds an open-source Rust AI gatewayrealfeedapp.com · HN release roundup summarizing the plugin-based design that lets teams extend providers, protocols and modalities without touching the gateway core.
Learn more
First spotted on article: source.
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