> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.guardway.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Routing

> Routing strategies and rules that decide which provider handles each request.

## What this is for

The gateway picks a target provider for each incoming request using **routing rules**. Each rule has match conditions, a target, an optional fallback, and a routing **strategy** that decides what "best" means when more than one provider could serve the request.

Manage rules from **Configuration → Routing**. Rules are evaluated by priority; the first matching rule wins.

## Options

### Strategies

| Strategy           | Behavior                                                   |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Priority**       | First available wins. Default.                             |
| **Lowest Latency** | Routes to the provider with the lowest historical p50.     |
| **Lowest Cost**    | Routes to the cheapest provider for the requested model.   |
| **Least Busy**     | Routes to the provider with the fewest in-flight requests. |

### Match Conditions

Each condition is a `field` + `operator` + `value` triple. Multiple conditions on a rule are AND-ed.

| Field         | Operators                                    | Notes                                         |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
| **Endpoint**  | `equals`, `contains`, `starts with`, `regex` | Matches the request path.                     |
| **Header**    | `equals`, `contains`, `starts with`, `regex` | Matches a specific request header.            |
| **Model**     | `equals`, `contains`, `starts with`, `regex` | Matches the model id requested by the client. |
| **API Key**   | `equals`, `contains`, `starts with`, `regex` | Matches the API key id (not the secret).      |
| **Source IP** | `equals`, `contains`, `starts with`, `regex` | Matches the client IP.                        |

### Target and Fallback

* **Target** — pick a provider, then a specific model from that provider's enabled inventory or a free-text model name.
* **Fallback (optional)** — same shape as Target. Used when the primary target fails or is unavailable.

### Other rule fields

* **Rule Name** — display label (e.g. *Production Chat*).
* **Priority** — lower number runs first.
* **Enabled** — toggle a rule off without deleting it.

## How to configure

<Frame caption="Configuration → Routing">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/fcguardwayai/rJTQ_bXDRs9Cgazf/images/screenshots/platform/configuration/routing-list.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=rJTQ_bXDRs9Cgazf&q=85&s=e9b0053740b13bca6810007749f6c8b4" alt="Routing rules list" width="2534" height="1012" data-path="images/screenshots/platform/configuration/routing-list.png" />
</Frame>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Configuration → Routing">
    Open **Configuration → Routing** from the dashboard sidebar and click **Create Routing Rule**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Name the rule and pick a strategy">
    Set a **Rule Name** and pick a **Strategy**. Set a **Priority**; lower numbers evaluate first.

    <Frame caption="Create Routing Rule">
      <img src="https://mintcdn.com/fcguardwayai/rJTQ_bXDRs9Cgazf/images/screenshots/platform/configuration/routing-add.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=rJTQ_bXDRs9Cgazf&q=85&s=6eda42efaa6f77a774828cff8470d829" alt="Create Routing Rule dialog" width="1254" height="1370" data-path="images/screenshots/platform/configuration/routing-add.png" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Match Conditions">
    Add one or more conditions. For example, `Model contains flash` to capture every Gemini Flash variant.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the Target">
    Pick a **Provider**, then either select a model from its enabled inventory or enter a model name. Optionally set a **Fallback** provider/model for when the primary fails.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save and verify">
    Click **Create Rule**. The rule appears in the list. Send a request that matches the rule's conditions and confirm the gateway routed it to the expected provider in [Logs](/platform/logs).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Example

Send every Gemini Flash request to Google Gemini, falling back to Anthropic if Gemini is unavailable:

| Field           | Value                              |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| Rule Name       | `Production Chat`                  |
| Strategy        | `Priority — First available wins`  |
| Priority        | `1`                                |
| Match Condition | `Model contains flash`             |
| Target          | `Google Gemini / gemini-2.0-flash` |
| Fallback        | `Anthropic / claude-sonnet-4-6`    |

## Related

* [Models](/platform/configuration/models) — the model inventory each rule targets.
* [Providers](/platform/configuration/providers) — provider list and health.
* [Logs](/platform/logs) — verify which rule matched a given request.