> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.vana.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Context Gateway

> ODL's commercial layer on top of the protocol, and the builders that consume it.

The **Context Gateway** is ODL's commercial layer on top of the open protocol. It is **not part of the protocol** and holds **no preferential role** in it — it uses the same permissionless surfaces any builder uses, so anyone could stand up an equivalent gateway (their own OAuth, their own USD billing). Direct SDK users bypass it entirely. It is a convenience, not a dependency — the way enterprise builders consume the protocol with familiar auth and fiat billing.

<Info>Not to be confused with the **RPC gateway**, which is the protocol's sequencer (it anchors transactions to L1 and settles escrow fees). The RPC gateway is protocol infrastructure on the decentralization roadmap; the **Context Gateway** is an unprivileged, replaceable commercial app. See the [DP RPC](/protocol-reference/dp-rpc) settlement note.</Info>

It exists so a builder who wants OAuth and a USD invoice does not have to hold tokens or sign EIP-712 payloads themselves; the Gateway translates between that world and the protocol's.

## What it provides

| Component        | What it does                                                                                |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **OAuth / OIDC** | Standard OAuth/OIDC login (`oauth.vana.com`) so apps integrate with familiar flows          |
| **Auth**         | Account and credential management (`account.vana.org`)                                      |
| **API**          | A REST surface over the protocol's data, permissions, and apps, with **fees billed in USD** |
| **Dashboard**    | App and API-key management for builders                                                     |

The Gateway's **USD billing is a separate rail** from the protocol's token [escrow](/protocol-reference/payments-fees). A builder pays the Gateway in fiat; the Gateway handles its relationship to the protocol. Direct protocol users pay the escrow rail in VANA or a whitelisted token.

## How builders consume the protocol

```mermaid theme={null}
flowchart LR
    vibe["Vibe app"]:::neutral --> connect["Vana SDK"]:::sdk
    ent["Enterprise<br/>(consumer brands)"]:::neutral --> connect
    agg["Data aggregator<br/>Prolific + desktop"]:::neutral --> connect
    connect --> gw["Context Gateway"]:::odl
    gw --> rpc["DP RPC"]:::protocol
    dlp["DLP app / data consumer<br/>AI lab"]:::neutral -->|Vana SDK| rpc

    classDef protocol fill:#DCE4FF,stroke:#4141FC,color:#11104a;
    classDef odl fill:#FCE0E8,stroke:#E5527A,color:#5a1228;
    classDef sdk fill:#FFF3D1,stroke:#E6A700,color:#5c4400;
    classDef neutral fill:#EEF1F5,stroke:#9AA4B2,color:#1f2937;
```

| Consumer                                         | Integrates via | Pattern                                                                     |
| ------------------------------------------------ | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Vibe app**                                     | Vana SDK       | Consumer app requesting user data through the Connect flow                  |
| **Enterprise** (e.g. apparel, automotive brands) | Vana SDK       | Branded apps requesting permissioned data at scale                          |
| **Data aggregator**                              | Vana SDK       | Collects data (e.g. via Prolific) requiring a desktop download              |
| **DLP app / data consumer** (AI lab)             | Vana SDK       | Builds on pooled [confidential compute](/applications/confidential-compute) |

## The SDK

There is one builder-facing library, `@opendatalabs/vana-sdk`:

* **Connect flow** — builders requesting access to individual users' data use the SDK's Connect/Direct flow (`createDirectDataController`, `useDirectVanaConnect`).
* **Lower-level primitives** — the same package exposes encryption, decryption, permissions, and identity primitives used inside apps, Personal Servers, and DLP applications.

<Info>**Status.** The Context Gateway, its OAuth/auth surfaces, and USD metering are live as an ODL product. The SDK is live.</Info>