Authentication

Pass your API key via the x-api-key header on every request:

x-api-key: sk-ar-YOUR_KEY_HERE

The base URL is: https://api.cheapai.cc

Header Format

All API requests must include the x-api-key header. The key starts with the prefix sk-ar- followed by a unique identifier.

curl https://api.cheapai.cc/v1/messages \
  -H "x-api-key: sk-ar-YOUR_KEY_HERE" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json"

Anthropic SDK

When using the official Anthropic Python or TypeScript SDK, set the api_key and base_url parameters:

from anthropic import Anthropic

client = Anthropic(
    api_key="sk-ar-YOUR_KEY_HERE",
    base_url="https://api.cheapai.cc"
)

OpenAI-Compatible Mode

For tools that use OpenAI-compatible endpoints (Cursor, Continue, etc.), configure the base URL and pass your key as the API key:

OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-ar-YOUR_KEY_HERE
OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://api.cheapai.cc/v1

Security Notes

  • API keys are shown only once at creation time. Store them securely.
  • Never expose keys in client-side code or public repositories.
  • Use per-key budget limits to control spending.
  • Revoke compromised keys immediately from the API Keys page.