The gateway architecture brings four benefits: all requests are written to the same log (including provider, model, status code, latency and token usage); routing policies are centralized in one place, and switching from a paid to a free route requires changing only one line of configuration; when a route fails, alternatives can be tried automatically; and multiple routes run on fixed-rate subscription logins rather than pay-as-you-go API keys, which is the source of the zero cost per token.