Self-hosted API integration platforms for AI agents compared
Sapnesh Naik compares four API integration platforms — Nango, Composio, Paragon, and Arcade.dev — on their ability to run fully self-hosted for AI agents handling sensitive customer credentials.
Score breakdown
Most integration platforms keep their credential-storing backend closed source or enterprise-gated, meaning teams in regulated industries or with data-residency requirements have very few options for keeping customer tokens fully on their own infrastructure.
- 01Four platforms compared: Nango, Composio, Paragon, and Arcade.dev
- 02An integration platform holds OAuth tokens, API keys, returned data, and execution code — all sensitive assets
- 03Self-hosting tiers: free edition, enterprise-licensed, or not self-hostable at all
Sapnesh Naik's article identifies a core tension in AI agent infrastructure: agents and SaaS products need API integrations with customers' tools, but the platforms that handle auth, credential storage, and execution typically run on vendor-managed clouds. For teams in regulated industries (healthcare, finance, government), jurisdictions with data-residency requirements, or deployments on air-gapped networks, that arrangement is often ruled out entirely.
Of the four platforms reviewed, Nango is presented as the most capable self-hosted option.
The article introduces a three-tier framework for evaluating self-hosting: a free edition deployable without a sales call, an enterprise-licensed edition that runs in your cloud but requires a license key, and platforms that are not self-hostable at all. It also warns that license terms matter independently of deployment — a component may be MIT or Apache-2.0 while the credential-holding backend is proprietary, and some licenses prohibit embedding the tool in a commercial product.
Of the four platforms reviewed, Nango is presented as the most capable self-hosted option. It is open source under the Elastic License 2.0, covers 800+ APIs, and offers a free self-hosted edition via `docker-compose` for auth and the API proxy. Its Enterprise tier deploys the full platform using Helm charts on AWS, GCP, or Azure. Composio's GitHub repo contains only the SDK, with the credential runtime closed source and self-hosting enterprise-only. Paragon's full runtime can run in Kubernetes but requires a quote-based Enterprise license, and its closed-source images contact Paragon's cloud for license checks. Arcade.dev's engine is a closed-source binary, and its documented on-prem pattern still routes through Arcade's cloud.
Key facts
- 01Four platforms compared: Nango, Composio, Paragon, and Arcade.dev
- 02An integration platform holds OAuth tokens, API keys, returned data, and execution code — all sensitive assets
- 03Self-hosting tiers: free edition, enterprise-licensed, or not self-hostable at all
- 04Nango is open source under the Elastic License 2.0 and covers 800+ APIs
- 05Nango's free self-hosted edition deploys via `docker-compose`; Enterprise tier uses Helm charts on AWS, GCP, or Azure
- 06Composio's credential runtime is closed source; self-hosting is enterprise-only through sales
- 07Arcade.dev's engine is a closed-source binary, and its on-prem pattern still routes through Arcade's cloud
Topics
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