---
description: Call a pool of models by one name in AI Gateway, with fallback ordering or smart routing, and change models without redeploying.
title: Route across a pool of models with model aliases
image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/changelog/post/2026-11-04-model-aliases/og.png?v=14e1fe116aa96905
---

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November 4, 2026

## Route across a pool of models with model aliases

[AI Gateway](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ai-gateway/)

Copy as Markdown| [View as Markdown](https://developers.cloudflare.com/changelog/post/2026-11-04-model-aliases/index.md)| [Agent setup](https://developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/)

AI Gateway now supports model aliases. A model alias is a pool of models that your application calls by one name, such as `custom/support-fast`. AI Gateway tries the models in the order you set and falls back to the next one if a request fails, or uses smart routing to choose a model for each request.

Because your application only references the alias, you can swap models or change the routing algorithm on your gateway without redeploying. Create and manage aliases on your gateway's **Routing** page, alongside dynamic routes.

To call an alias through the [REST API](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ai-gateway/usage/rest-api/), use its name as the `model`. For example, send this body to `/accounts/{account_id}/ai/run`:

```json
{
	"model": "custom/support-fast",
	"input": {
		"messages": [{ "role": "user", "content": "Reply with a short greeting." }]
	}
}
```

Include the `cf-aig-gateway-id` header to select the gateway where you created the alias. Aliases are scoped to individual gateways.

For setup instructions and routing options, refer to [Model aliases](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ai-gateway/features/routing/model-aliases/).

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