RelayPlane vs Claude Code Proxy
claude-code-proxy is a handy shim for one use case. RelayPlane is the proxy you keep when your stack grows beyond Claude Code.
TL;DR
Choose RelayPlane if you want:
- Multi-model routing across Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, and more
- Per-request cost tracking without any external database
- Rate limiting and governance out of the box
- npm install with no Python or Docker required
claude-code-proxy may fit if you need:
- A minimal shim to redirect Claude Code to a single alternative backend
- Zero-config local testing with a Python-based setup
- A disposable proxy for a single-session experiment
Feature Comparison
| Feature | RelayPlane | claude-code-proxy |
|---|---|---|
| Proxy type RelayPlane is a full production proxy for all LLM traffic. claude-code-proxy is a lightweight shim built specifically to relay Claude Code requests to alternative backends. | Production LLM gateway | Claude Code shim |
| Install method RelayPlane installs in one npm command. claude-code-proxy is typically a Python project cloned and run locally. | npm install -g @relayplane/proxy | pip install / clone and run manually |
| Multi-model routing RelayPlane routes across Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, and 8 other providers. claude-code-proxy is designed to translate Claude Code requests to a single target backend. | ||
| Supported providers RelayPlane supports 11 providers including local Ollama inference. claude-code-proxy proxies Claude Code to one configurable endpoint. | 11+ (Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral, Ollama...) | 1 (single target backend) |
| Per-request cost tracking RelayPlane tracks exact token costs per request in local SQLite with no external database. claude-code-proxy has no built-in cost tracking. | ||
| Rate limiting RelayPlane enforces configurable rate limits per key or team. claude-code-proxy has no rate limiting layer. | ||
| Observability / telemetry RelayPlane emits structured telemetry for every request. claude-code-proxy is a pass-through with no telemetry. | ||
| Auth and API key management RelayPlane manages API keys per project or team with scoped access. claude-code-proxy passes through a single configured API key. | Basic (env variable passthrough) | |
| npm package RelayPlane is published to npm as @relayplane/proxy. claude-code-proxy is not an npm package. | ||
| Docker support RelayPlane ships official Docker support. claude-code-proxy Docker setups are community-maintained. | Community only | |
| Claude Code integration Both work with Claude Code. RelayPlane also works with Cursor, OpenClaw, and any OpenAI-compatible client. | ||
| Maintained and actively developed RelayPlane is actively developed with versioned releases and a public roadmap. claude-code-proxy is a community OSS project with intermittent maintenance. | Community maintained |
Why Teams Upgrade from claude-code-proxy to RelayPlane
Route ALL your LLM calls, not just Claude Code
If you are already routing Claude Code through a proxy, use one that works for every LLM call in your stack. RelayPlane routes Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral, and Ollama through a single endpoint with no code changes.
Cost tracking that actually tells you something
RelayPlane records exact token costs per request in local SQLite. No external database, no cloud dependency, no data leaving your machine. claude-code-proxy does not track costs at all.
npm install and you are running
npm install -g @relayplane/proxy and you have a production proxy running in seconds. No Python environment, no Docker required, no GitHub repo to clone and configure manually.
Rate limiting and governance built in
RelayPlane enforces rate limits per key or team out of the box. When an agent goes rogue or a junior dev runs a hot loop, RelayPlane catches it. claude-code-proxy has no rate limiting layer.
claude-code-proxy Does One Thing. RelayPlane Does Everything.
claude-code-proxy (and similar OSS projects like CCProxy) are useful when you want to redirect Claude Code to a different API endpoint quickly. They are lightweight, easy to understand, and get the job done for a single use case.
The moment you add a second model, a second team member, or a need to know what things cost, you need a real proxy. RelayPlane is MIT licensed, installs in one npm command, routes across 11 providers, and stores cost data locally. No Python, no Docker, no data leaving your machine.