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What is openai-proxy?

justjavac/openai-proxy — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-05-18

★ 943TypeScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5Setup · moderate

In one sentence

A self-hostable proxy server that forwards OpenAI API requests, built for users in regions where direct OpenAI access is blocked or restricted.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((openai-proxy))
    What it does
      Relays OpenAI requests
      Bypasses access blocks
      Self hosted
    Tech stack
      TypeScript
      Deno
      Cloudflare Workers
    Use cases
      Region blocked access
      One line client config
      Personal deployment
    Audience
      Developers in China
      OpenAI API users

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Deploy a personal proxy so OpenAI API calls work from a region where direct access is blocked.

USE CASE 2

Route an existing OpenAI JavaScript or Python client through a proxy URL with a one-line config change.

USE CASE 3

Avoid account bans triggered by API access from a restricted region.

What is it built with?

TypeScriptDenoCloudflare Workers

How does it compare?

justjavac/openai-proxysilvertakana/worldwideviewportabase/portabase
Stars943874843
LanguageTypeScriptTypeScriptTypeScript
Setup difficultymoderatemoderatemoderate
Complexity2/54/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Requires deploying to Deno Deploy or Cloudflare Workers yourself since the public instance is shut down.

No license information is stated in the README.

So what is it?

openai-proxy is a small relay server that forwards requests to the OpenAI API, intended for users in China who cannot reach OpenAI's servers directly. The README is written in Chinese and explains that OpenAI has been known to ban accounts when it detects API access coming from Chinese IP addresses, so the author set up this proxy on a server located outside China. The proxy can be deployed in two ways: to Deno Deploy (a cloud hosting platform) with a one-click link, or to Cloudflare Workers by copying a provided script into that platform's editor. Both are free-tier cloud options that run the relay without needing a dedicated server. Once deployed, using it is a one-line change: in your code you point the OpenAI client library at your proxy's URL instead of the default OpenAI endpoint. The README shows how to do this for both the official JavaScript and Python packages. Note: the public instance the author originally ran was shut down after exceeding its free hosting quota. The README recommends self-hosting using the instructions provided. The project is written in TypeScript and runs on the Deno runtime.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to deploy this proxy to Deno Deploy using the one-click link.
Prompt 2
Explain how to point the OpenAI Python client at this proxy's base URL.
Prompt 3
Walk me through deploying the Cloudflare Workers version of this proxy.
Prompt 4
Help me self-host this proxy since the public instance is shut down.

Frequently asked questions

What is openai-proxy?

A self-hostable proxy server that forwards OpenAI API requests, built for users in regions where direct OpenAI access is blocked or restricted.

What language is openai-proxy written in?

Mainly TypeScript. The stack also includes TypeScript, Deno, Cloudflare Workers.

What license does openai-proxy use?

No license information is stated in the README.

How hard is openai-proxy to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is openai-proxy for?

Mainly developer.

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