| Aspect |
Proxy Method |
Direct SDK (@owlmetric/tracker) |
| Setup Complexity |
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Simple |
⭐⭐⭐ Moderate |
| Latency Impact |
+50-100ms (network hop) |
~0ms (direct to provider) |
| Provider Support |
All supported providers |
OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, OpenAI Compatible |
| Rate Limiting |
Handled by OwlMetric |
Your provider limits |
| Caching |
Built-in response caching |
No caching |
| Error Handling |
Automatic retries |
Handle yourself |
| Token Security |
We proxy it , we don't store your API Tokens |
In your environment |
| Network Requirements |
Internet access required |
Internet access required |
| Real-time Tracking |
✅ Automatic |
✅ Automatic |
| Streaming Support |
✅ Full support |
✅ Full support |
| OpenTelemetry |
❌ Not needed |
✅ Built-in support |
✅ Choose Proxy when:
- You want the simplest setup possible
- You need built-in caching and rate limiting
- You're prototyping or in early development
- You want OwlMetric to handle API key management
- You need automatic failover and retries
- You're using multiple AI providers
Example Use Cases:
- Chatbot applications
- Content generation tools
- AI-powered SaaS products
- Development and testing environments
✅ Choose Direct SDK when:
- You need minimal latency
- You have existing AI infrastructure
- You want full control over API calls
- You're using OpenTelemetry already
- You need to comply with data residency requirements
- You're building high-performance applications
Example Use Cases:
- Real-time AI applications
- High-frequency trading algorithms
- Voice/audio processing systems
- Enterprise applications with strict compliance
- Existing production systems with minimal changes
You can use both methods in the same application:
- Proxy for development and testing
- Direct SDK for production workloads
- Proxy for new features, SDK for critical paths
Proxy → Direct SDK:
- Install
@owlmetric/tracker
- Replace proxy URLs with direct provider endpoints
- Update client initialization with tracking wrapper
- Test thoroughly in staging environment
Direct SDK → Proxy:
- Update client configuration to use proxy endpoints
- Move API keys to OwlMetric dashboard
- Remove tracking wrapper code
- Update error handling for proxy responses