Agent Infrastructure
Evaluating
vLLM
vLLM is an open source engine for serving large language models in production. It runs open models on your own GPUs and exposes them through an OpenAI-compatible API, so one server can answer many users and applications at once.
The AIE Angle
Why vLLM made the cut
Ollama gets a model running on one laptop for one person. vLLM is what you run when a whole team, an application or a fleet of agents needs that model at the same time. It began at UC Berkeley and is now a PyTorch Foundation project, and most hosting providers that sell access to open models run it or something built on it. The engineering is in how it manages GPU memory and batches requests so the same hardware serves far more traffic than a naive setup would. For a business, the practical meaning is this: if you have decided to run an open model privately, from DeepSeek, Kimi, Nemotron or anyone else, vLLM is the standard way to turn a downloaded model into a service your software can call. It supports NVIDIA and AMD GPUs and several other accelerators. This is a tool for engineers, not for business users; expect someone to own the server, the GPUs and the upgrades. If you only need a model for yourself, start with Ollama or LM Studio and come back to vLLM when you outgrow them.
Independently tested. No pay-to-play.
The AI Toolbox is curated by practitioners who use these tools in real business workflows. We don't accept payment for placement or favorable reviews.
5 Ways To Use It
vLLM for business
- 1
Serve a private open model to an internal application or a team through an OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
- 2
Run agents against a model on your own GPUs instead of paying per token to a cloud provider.
- 3
Host a fine-tuned model that cannot leave your infrastructure for compliance reasons.
- 4
Benchmark how many requests per second your hardware can serve before committing to a model size.
Common Questions
vLLM FAQ
The questions business professionals most often ask about vLLM.
What is vLLM?+
vLLM is an open source serving engine that runs large language models on your own GPUs and exposes them through an OpenAI-compatible API. It is designed for production traffic rather than personal use.
How is vLLM different from Ollama or LM Studio?+
Ollama and LM Studio run a model on one computer for one person. vLLM runs on a server with GPUs and is built to serve many users and applications at once, which is why hosting providers use it.
Is vLLM free?+
Yes. vLLM is open source under the Apache 2.0 license. You pay for the hardware or cloud GPUs it runs on, not for the software.
Do I need an engineer to run vLLM?+
Yes. vLLM is installed and operated from the command line and needs someone who can manage GPU servers, drivers and updates. Business users should call it through an application rather than run it directly.
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