𝘃𝗟𝗟𝗠 𝘃𝘀 𝗦𝗚𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴
If you’re self-hosting an LLM, you will hit this choice sooner or later.
vLLM or SGLang?
Both are open source. Both batch requests on the fly, cache memory, and give you an OpenAI-style API. On paper they look almost the same. The difference is in what each one cares about most.
vLLM started with PagedAttention. It splits the model’s memory into small blocks and places them anywhere on the GPU, so very little space goes to waste. Over time it has grown into the safe, broad choice: lots of models, lots of hardware, many LoRA adapters, and the biggest community.
SGLang started with RadixAttention. It keeps past requests in a tree. When a new request shares the same start, like the same system prompt or the same chat history, it reuses that work and only computes what is new. That makes a real difference for chat apps, agents, and RAG, where many requests begin the same way.
So my simple rule:
Lots of repeated prompts and multi-step flows? Try SGLang. Need wide model and hardware support with less friction? Start with vLLM.
And please don’t pick based on someone else’s benchmark chart. Both take one command to start. Run your own traffic through both and look at your own numbers.
I made this visual to break down the differences side by side.
🎉 zero-to-sglang’s written course is complete!
We spent 3+ months to build a solid, and free path into AI infra. Thanks to every co-author and learner!
Start learning—and keep going as an open-source contributor.
View it on GitHub:
https://t.co/MtH1TfUeiN
https://t.co/AJYDhWoETP