Deploy the AI Gateway to Porter for a simple, scalable cloud deployment with an intuitive web interface and automatic infrastructure management.
Security Notice: Porter deployments are publicly accessible. You must enable authentication to prevent unauthorized access to your provider API keys. This guide includes authentication setup as a required step.

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Quick Start

1

Create a Porter account

Sign up for Porter and set up your infrastructure:
  1. Go to Porter and create an account
  2. Follow Porter’s onboarding process to connect your cloud provider (AWS, GCP, or Azure)
  3. Porter will guide you through creating your first cluster
  4. Complete the cluster setup - this will be your deployment target
Porter handles all the infrastructure complexity for you. The onboarding process typically takes 5-10 minutes and includes automatic cluster provisioning.
2

Get your Helicone API key

The AI Gateway requires authentication to secure your public deployment. You’ll need a Helicone API key to authenticate requests.Create your Helicone API key:
  1. Go to Helicone Settings
  2. Click “Generate New Key”
  3. Copy the key (starts with sk-helicone-)
  4. Save it securely - you’ll need it for deployment
No Helicone subscription is required, but the API key is essential for securing your publicly accessible gateway.
3

Navigate to the Helicone AI Gateway Add-on

Access Porter’s marketplace:
  1. Log into your Porter dashboard
  2. Navigate to “Add-ons” in the sidebar Porter Add-ons
  3. Click “New Add-on” to browse the marketplace Porter Add-ons
  4. Click on the Helicone AI Gateway tile Porter Add-ons
4

Configure deployment settings

Fill out the deployment configuration:Basic Settings:
  • Deployment Target: Select your cluster (created during Porter onboarding) Porter Add-ons
  • Add-on Name: Choose any name for your gateway (e.g., “my-ai-gateway”) Porter Add-ons
Helicone Configuration: Porter Add-ons
  • Expose to External Traffic: ✅ Turn this ON (required for public access)
  • Custom Domain (Optional): Specify your own domain if desired
  • Helicone API Key: ⚠️ REQUIRED - Enter your API key from Step 2 Porter Add-ons
The Helicone API Key is mandatory for authentication. Without it, your gateway will be publicly accessible without security.
5

Configure provider API keys

Enable the LLM providers you want to use:Porter Add-onsProvider Configuration:
  • OpenAI: Toggle on and enter your OpenAI API key
  • Anthropic: Toggle on and enter your Anthropic API key
  • Gemini: Toggle on and enter your Google Gemini API key
  • Other Providers: Enable additional providers as needed
Optional Settings:
  • Helicone Observability: Toggle on to enable request logging and analytics
  • Custom Config: Upload a config.yaml file for advanced routing (optional)
Only enable providers you plan to use. You can always add more providers later by updating your deployment.
6

Deploy your gateway

Complete the deployment:
  1. Review all your configuration settings
  2. Click “Deploy” to start the deployment process
  3. Porter will build and deploy your AI Gateway
  4. Wait for the deployment status to show “Running”
Deployment typically takes 2-3 minutes. Porter will show real-time status updates during the process.

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Test Your Deployment

Once deployed, Porter will provide you with a public URL. Test your AI Gateway with authentication: 
import { OpenAI } from "openai";

const openai = new OpenAI({
  baseURL: "https://your-gateway-url.porter.run/ai", // Use your Porter URL
  apiKey: "sk-helicone-your-api-key", // Your Helicone API key
});

const response = await openai.chat.completions.create({
  model: "openai/gpt-4o-mini",
  messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Hello from Porter!" }],
});

console.log(response);
Replace your-gateway-url.porter.run with your actual Porter deployment URL and sk-helicone-your-api-key with your Helicone API key.

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Custom Configuration

For advanced use cases, you can upload a custom config.yaml file during deployment:
1

Create a custom config file

Create a config.yaml file with your desired configuration:
server:
  address: 0.0.0.0
  port: 8080

routers:
  my-router:
    load-balance:
      chat:
        strategy: latency
        providers:
          - openai
          - anthropic
    cache:
      enabled: true
      ttl: 3600
    rate-limit:
      requests_per_minute: 1000

helicone:
  # Set to `features: observability` to enable observability
  features: auth
2

Upload during deployment

In the Porter configuration UI:
  1. Scroll to the “Custom Config” section
  2. Click “Upload File”
  3. Select your config.yaml file
  4. Continue with the deployment process
Custom configurations override the default settings. Make sure your config includes all necessary authentication settings.

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Next Steps

Secure Your Gateway

Learn more about authentication and observability features

Custom Configuration

Learn about advanced routing and caching options