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Tyk API Gateway

Tyk Gateway is the cloud-native, open source, enterprise-ready API and AI Gateway supporting REST, GraphQL, TCP, gRPC and MCP (Model Context Protocol).

Built from the ground up, as the fastest API Gateway on the planet since 2014.

Tyk Gateway is provided ‘Batteries-included’, with no feature lockout. Enabling your organization to rate limit, auth, gather analytics, apply microservice patterns and more with ease.

There are three different ways you can try Tyk:

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 </br>Everything you need to manage APIs using Tyk Open Source. Follow the simple Get Started guide below 👇


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 </br>The Enterprise API Management platform: Management Control Plane with GUI & Developer Portal.
 </br>Tyk Self Managed


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 </br>The Enterprise API Management SaaS platform: hosted Management Control Plane with GUI & Developer Portal.
 </br>Tyk Cloud 

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Getting Started

Tyk Cloud is the easiest way to set up Tyk. Tyk hosts and manages the full stack for you, so you do not install anything. You can sign up for a free trial of Tyk Cloud and get started in minutes. If not, you can follow the instructions below to get started with Tyk on your own infrastructure.

Run the open source Tyk Gateway with Docker in under 2 minutes. You need Docker and Docker Compose.

Follow the Tyk Open Source Gateway quick start. It shows you how to:

1. Create a Gateway configuration file (tyk.conf).
2. On Linux, create an apps folder where the Gateway saves your APIs.
3. Create a Docker Compose file that runs Tyk Gateway and Redis.
4. Start the Gateway with docker compose up -d.

Confirm that the Gateway runs. Send a request to the hello endpoint:

curl localhost:8080/hello

Output:

{"status":"pass","version":"5.x.x","description":"Tyk GW"}

Next, create your first API with the Tyk Gateway API.

Try full API Management Lifecycle

To evaluate the enterprise API management platform on your infrastructure, use Tyk Install. It runs Tyk Gateway, Tyk Dashboard, the Developer Portal, Tyk Pump, Redis and PostgreSQL with Docker Compose, and preloads sample APIs and policies. You need a licence. To get one, request a Tyk Self-Managed trial.

git clone https://github.com/TykTechnologies/tyk-install
cd tyk-install/docker/self-managed
cp .env.example .env   # add your licence keys to .env
cd ../getting-started
bash start.sh

For the full steps, see the Tyk Self-Managed quick start.

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Other Installations are available:

1. Docker
2. Kubernetes with Helm (tyk-oss chart from Tyk Charts)
3. Ansible
4. Red Hat and CentOS
5. Ubuntu
6. Compile Tyk from Source

Getting started with AI Gateway for LLM and MCP

Tyk Gateway governs MCP traffic from AI agents, applying authentication, rate limiting and per-tool access control to every JSON-RPC call. Tyk AI Studio handles LLM management, with model routing, budgets and guardrails across providers. Start at the AI management overview.

Open Source API Gateway Features

Use any protocol: REST (with native OpenAPI support), SOAP, GraphQL, gRPC, TCP, and MCP.

MCP Gateway: Put the gateway in front of remote Model Context Protocol servers so AI agent traffic is authenticated, rate limited and auditable. Tyk parses JSON-RPC 2.0 and applies policy per tool, resource and prompt rather than treating MCP as opaque HTTP.

API to MCP: Generate an MCP proxy directly from a REST API in Tyk Gateway, without building or hosting a separate MCP server.

Industry Standard Authentication: JWT, bearer Tokens, Basic Auth, Client Certificates and more.

Open API Standards: Import your Swagger and OpenAPI Documents (OAS 2.X and OAS 3.0.1) to scaffold APIs in Tyk.

Ultra performant: Low latency, and