v0.1.1 — now with auto-updates
Cool Router is a free, self-hosted LLM gateway. Connect OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter and 60+ providers, then point any app at a single OpenAI-compatible URL. Automatic fallbacks, API keys, usage and logs included.
docker run -p 20128:20128 ghcr.io/cyberromeo/cool-router
Works with
How it works
When a provider hits a rate limit or goes down, requests fall back to the next one automatically.
Features
One gateway on your own machine, with routing, keys and logs built in.
/v1/chat/completions, /v1/messages, /v1/responses, embeddings, images and audio, all OpenAI-compatible.
API keys or account sign-in, including free tiers.
Chain models so a rate limit or outage never stops you.
Issue scoped keys for apps, teammates and coding tools.
Tokens, cost and every request in one place.
Runs on your machine; your keys never leave it. SQLite storage, works offline.
New in 0.1.1. The desktop apps update themselves, and the dashboard tells you when a new version is out.
Native apps for macOS, Windows and Linux, or a multi-arch container. Set your own password on first launch.
Dashboard
Quick start
Three steps from install to your first request.
01
Install
From source, with Node.js 20 or 22:
git clone https://github.com/cyberromeo/coolrouter && cd coolrouter && npm install && npm run build && npm start
Or with Docker:
docker run -p 20128:20128 -v cool-router-data:/app/data ghcr.io/cyberromeo/cool-router:0.1.1
02
Set up
Go to http://localhost:20128, create your password, add a provider and create an API key.
03
Connect
Use http://localhost:20128/v1 as the base URL in any OpenAI-compatible client.
curl http://localhost:20128/v1/chat/completions \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $COOL_ROUTER_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"model": "openai/gpt-4o-mini",
"messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}]
}'from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(
base_url="http://localhost:20128/v1",
api_key="<your Cool Router key>",
)
reply = client.chat.completions.create(
model="openai/gpt-4o-mini",
messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Hello!"}],
)
print(reply.choices[0].message.content)import OpenAI from "openai";
const client = new OpenAI({
baseURL: "http://localhost:20128/v1",
apiKey: "<your Cool Router key>",
});
const reply = await client.chat.completions.create({
model: "openai/gpt-4o-mini",
messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello!" }],
});
console.log(reply.choices[0].message.content);Download
Desktop apps for every OS, or a container for your server.
ghcr.io/cyberromeo/cool-router
docker pull ghcr.io/cyberromeo/cool-router:0.1.1
Every release ships with SHA-256 checksums and Sigstore signatures. The macOS and Windows builds are not code-signed yet, so your OS may warn you on first launch.
FAQ
Yes. It is MIT-licensed and self-hosted.
Encrypted in a local SQLite database on your machine.
Yes, anything that accepts an OpenAI-compatible base URL, such as Cursor, Cline, Continue and Codex CLI.
Chain models into a combo and Cool Router falls back to the next one, so a rate limit or outage never stops you.