Open source · Self-hostable · MIT licensed

The API gateway
built for speed.

Whooper is an open-source API gateway that sits in front of your services and makes them faster. It proxies your requests, caches responses in Redis, and invalidates them on writes, so your app feels instant without you writing a single line of cache code.

~/whooper · proxy
# Forward any request through Whooper
$ curl http://localhost:3000/proxy/api/users
→ cached in Redis · 4ms · 200 OK

$ curl http://localhost:3000/proxy/api/orders
→ upstream fetch · 124ms · 200 OK · stored

Smart caching

Redis-backed response cache with per-route TTLs and automatic invalidation hooks.

Zero-config proxy

Point Whooper at any upstream. Routes, headers, and bodies are forwarded transparently.

Tag-based invalidation

Bust related cache entries on writes with simple tags, so no stale data sneaks through your gateway.

One service. Three jobs. Zero magic.

Whooper sits between your clients and your APIs. Redis holds the cache and the engine handles routing, proxying, and invalidation. Components you already understand.

  • Self-hosted, no lock-in

    Run Whooper on your own VPS, Kubernetes cluster, or laptop. Your traffic never leaves your infrastructure.

  • Cache that actually invalidates

    Tag-based invalidation lets you bust related cache entries on writes, so no stale data lives behind your gateway.

  • MIT licensed, forever free

    Fork it, modify it, embed it. No enterprise tier locks features behind a paywall.

Client
Whooper
Upstream API
Redis · cache layer

Drop it in front of any API.

Four steps from clone to production. No SDKs to install, no client libraries to upgrade. Just point requests at Whooper.

01

Clone & boot

Spin up the engine with Bun. It connects to Redis on startup. That's the whole runtime.

02

Define routes

Map upstream services to paths via the config or management API.

03

Send traffic

Point clients at /proxy/*. Whooper forwards, caches, and logs every request.

04

Invalidate on writes

Bust cache by tag, tune TTLs, and tweak routes live. No restarts required.

Ready to self-host your gateway?

Clone the repo, follow the quickstart, and have Whooper proxying live traffic in under five minutes.