AI gateway pricing and architecture

We built api.node.uk to give UK developers a straightforward route to a UK-hosted AI model gateway. Global providers charge for compute in ways that obscure true cost at scale. Routing data overseas also introduces unnecessary compliance friction. Our gateway solves both problems through transparent pricing and a clearly mapped infrastructure layout.

How the gateway works

The gateway sits in our UK data centre. It routes your application requests to the appropriate model backend. You integrate api.node.uk into your stack using standard REST endpoints. We handle the queueing, load balancing, and key management. You send prompts and receive completions. The gateway tracks usage per application key. You can attribute costs directly to internal tools, customer portals, or automation workflows.

Chris Evans and Matt Collier built and maintain the platform. We are two engineers, not a faceless vendor. We are happy to explain exactly how the routing logic works. We will also review your implementation for security.

Infrastructure and data residency

We host and operate the gateway infrastructure on our own hardware in the UK. The control plane, billing logs, and request routing remain under UK jurisdiction at all times. When you deploy an application, your keys and usage metrics never leave our estate.

Model execution depends on the specific model you select. We distinguish clearly between our own UK-hosted models and partner-routed options:

  • UK-hosted models: We run these on our own servers in the UK. Prompts, completions, and intermediate tensors stay within our facility. They carry full UK data residency guarantees.
  • Partner-routed models: Some larger or specialised models are served by upstream partners outside the UK. We route these through our gateway for consistent billing and key management. The inference work happens on their infrastructure. We label these explicitly in our model catalogue. You can make informed choices about data sovereignty.

We never imply the whole gateway is UK-resident. You will always see exactly where your data sits for each model call.

Metered AI API pricing UK

Predictable billing matters for production workloads. Global providers often charge by token count across shared organisational accounts. This makes it difficult to isolate the cost of a specific feature or department. We charge per application, per month. We set clear caps and handle overages transparently.

Our pricing table renders from live rate cards via the rateCard filter. The figures you see reflect current infrastructure costs without markup surprises. You set a monthly budget for each application key. We track consumption in real time. We alert you when you approach your limit. If you exceed it, requests queue rather than incur surprise charges. You can explicitly opt in to overage billing if you prefer.

This structure gives you two advantages:

  1. Cost visibility: You know exactly what each internal tool or customer integration costs before you deploy it.
  2. Compliance control: You can assign separate keys to GDPR-sensitive workflows and standard tasks. You keep regulated data isolated while paying a single invoice.

Open source AI inference hosting

We support a growing selection of open source models. This includes Llama, Mistral, and Qwen variants. Open source AI inference hosting means you are not locked into a proprietary runtime. You own your prompts, your fine-tuning data, and your deployment configuration. We provide the gateway as a stable entry point to these models. You retain the freedom to migrate your stack elsewhere if your needs change.

We update our model catalogue daily. Live figures and availability status are date-stamped. They render from our internal catalogue feed. If a model reaches end of life or undergoes a major architectural shift, we document the change alongside the deprecation notice.

Getting started

You need a transparent, UK-based entry point for your AI workloads. Review the full model list and live pricing on our gateway dashboard. Self-serve deployment is available for standard configurations. We offer managed setup for complex routing or custom compliance requirements.

Chris Evans and Matt Collier are directly available for technical questions. We do not hide behind ticketing queues or sales teams. Open a channel. Send your architecture questions. We will give you a straight answer about what the gateway can and cannot do for your stack.