Picking a single chat completions API for OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini

Integrating OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini via a single gateway using the OpenAI chat completions dialect is more efficient than using three native SDKs. A backend proxy allows for centralized model mapping, retries, token limits, and cost checks. This approach ensures credentials remain off the client and aliases resolve predictably. While direct provider integration is best for specific features, a unified runtime simplifies development for engineers, reducing implementation time from a fortnight to a single afternoon.