Build a rate-limiting proxy for shared Ollama servers
The Problem
Dev teams sharing one Ollama GPU instance suffer from request starvation due to lack of access control, rate-limiting, and logging, as highlighted in comparisons of LLM proxies. AI gateways are critical infrastructure for production LLM apps with features like rate limiting, yet open-source options like LiteLLM add 25-40ms latency. Teams currently spend $20-30/mo on adjacent cloud observability tools like Helicone or Portkey for similar LLM management needs.
Core Insight
Self-hosted rate-limiting proxy specifically for shared Ollama servers with minimal latency overhead (unlike LiteLLM's 25-40ms), simple access control to prevent starvation, and built-in logging—filling gaps in open-source tools like Olla and cloud-heavy options like Helicone.
- Target Customer
- Indie hackers and solo founders in devtools building LLM apps, plus small dev teams (e.g., 5-20 engineers) sharing self-hosted Ollama instances; local LLM tools target educational institutions and casual users seeking cost-effective AI, indicating a market of thousands of active Ollama users per platform discussions.
- Revenue Model
- $30/mo flat subscription, positioned above free open-source like LiteLLM/Olla but matching WTP from Portkey/Helicone Pro tiers, with a free tier for <1M requests/mo to drive adoption
Competitive Landscape
Free open-source; Proxy+ enterprise plan starts at $0.0001 per request or custom enterprise pricing
LiteLLM provides a unified proxy for multiple LLM providers but adds 25-40ms latency overhead under typical conditions, which is problematic for shared Ollama GPU instances needing minimal latency impact. It lacks specific emphasis on rate-limiting and logging tailored for shared self-hosted Ollama servers.
Free open-source self-hosted
Olla offers load balancing and failover for existing LLM endpoints in a single Go binary but does not deploy models or provide built-in rate-limiting and access control specifically for shared Ollama instances, leaving starvation issues unaddressed.
Free tier up to 1M requests/mo; Pro at $20/mo for 10M requests, then $0.20 per 1M
Helicone focuses on production-grade observability and logging for LLMs but is primarily cloud-based without self-hosted options optimized for shared Ollama GPU servers, missing easy rate-limiting for dev team access control.
Included in Cloudflare plans; Workers $5/mo for 10M requests
Provides rate limiting, caching, and global distribution via edge network but requires Cloudflare integration and is not self-hosted for private shared Ollama servers, lacking simple proxy setup for GPU instance sharing.
Free tier; Growth $29/mo for 1M requests, Enterprise custom
Offers enterprise observability, governance, and caching for LLM apps but is cloud-hosted without self-hosted proxy for Ollama-specific shared GPU scenarios, not addressing local access control and logging needs.
Willingness to Pay
- $20/mo
Pro at $20/mo for 10M requests
https://www.helicone.ai/pricing (via search result [6])
- $29/mo
Growth $29/mo for 1M requests
https://portkey.ai/pricing (via search result [6])
- $5/mo
Workers $5/mo for 10M requests (AI Gateway usage)
https://www.cloudflare.com/plans/ (via search result [3])
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