Both govern AI traffic. One proxies model APIs at the HTTP layer; Aperture governs agents and users on your existing network.
| Aperture by OpenVLAN | Cloudflare AI Gateway | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Network-layer policy on your tailnet | HTTP proxy for AI APIs |
| Coverage | Every AI service, incl. web usage | APIs routed through the gateway |
| Agent identity | Per-agent network identities + ACLs | Gateway tokens per app |
| Non-API traffic (web chat UIs) | Visible & controllable | Not in scope |
| Internal model fleets | First-class (they're just nodes) | Edge-routed only |
| Caching / rate limiting | Pair with any gateway | Built in |
| Requires traffic re-routing | No — runs on existing tailnet | Point apps at the gateway endpoint |
Your AI usage is app-to-API, you want response caching and rate limits, and Cloudflare already fronts your stack.
You need visibility into all AI usage (browser included), policy per team, and identity-scoped access for agents reaching internal tools.
Aperture for discovery, policy, and agent identity; an AI gateway for caching and quotas on model calls. Common pairing.