Provider environment
Execution environment (E-class) describes where and how an inference provider runs. You assign one class per provider in Connections. The Platform API uses E-class to match API key environment floors.
Environment class is a policy label you choose for routing. Steinkauz AI does not certify that a provider objectively matches a class. You decide how each connection should be treated for your active organization.
This classification describes the environment of an AI provider connection. It is separate from the Steinkauz AI deployment options, which describe where the Steinkauz AI application and its data services run.
Levels
| Class | Label | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| E0 | Unclassified | Unknown or unreviewed custom endpoint |
| E1 | Public managed | Public cloud SaaS (OpenAI, Anthropic, customer-owned Vercel AI Gateway, …) |
| E2 | Enterprise managed | Enterprise-managed cloud with stronger data terms |
| E3 | Private cloud | Private cloud with provider tenant/project isolation (Azure OpenAI, Vertex AI, Bedrock, …); a provider isolation label, not a Steinkauz AI deployment |
| E4 | Customer hosted | Customer-hosted infrastructure (self-hosted compatible API in your VPC, vLLM, …) |
| E5 | On premise | On-premise or air-gapped deployment |
Ordering is strict: E0 < E1 < E2 < E3 < E4 < E5.
Per provider (Connections)
Each integration (including a customer-owned Vercel AI Gateway as a single provider) has its own execution environment. That value reflects how much you trust this connection for sensitive workloads.
- BYOK: Set the environment on each provider you enable. See BYOK provider configuration.
- Customer-owned Gateway: The Gateway entry has one environment for all traffic routed through that Gateway. For finer control, combine it with other BYOK providers and your routing matrix.
When you add a provider, Steinkauz AI suggests a default environment based on provider type (for example public APIs default to E1, Azure OpenAI to E3, unknown OpenAI-compatible URLs to E0 until you classify them).
Enforcement
Each request is checked against the connection’s E-class, the key’s minimum environment and the tenant routing matrix before provider egress. Classification is an administrator declaration, not independent certification.