API Keys

CheapestInference uses two categories of API keys:

• Consumption keys (sk_xxx) — used for inference requests. Created via subscription payments or from your credit balance.
• Management keys (mk_xxx) — used for programmatic account management (create keys, check billing, etc.).

All key management endpoints accept either an auth token or a management key in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN
# or
Authorization: Bearer mk_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Consumption keys

Consumption keys are the keys you use with the Chat Completions and Anthropic Messages endpoints.

There are two types:

Subscription keys

Created automatically when you subscribe. Each payment = one key with 30-day access.

• Rate limits set by plan tier (Standard or Pro)
• Independent expiration per key
• When a key expires, only that key is revoked

Credit keys

Created manually from the API Keys page or via API. All credit keys share your account’s credit balance.

• 60 RPM rate limit
• Usage deducted from your shared credit pool
• Never expire (as long as you have balance)

---

List consumption keys

GET /api/keys

Returns all consumption keys (subscription + credit) for the authenticated user.

Example

curl https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN"

Response

[
  {
    "id": "clx1abc...",
    "name": "prod-key",
    "keyPlan": "standard",
    "keyType": "subscription",
    "isActive": true,
    "subscriptionStatus": "active",
    "subscriptionExpiresAt": "2026-02-15T10:00:00.000Z",
    "createdAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z"
  },
  {
    "id": "clx2def...",
    "name": "mobile-app",
    "keyPlan": "credits",
    "keyType": "credit",
    "isActive": true,
    "createdAt": "2026-01-20T14:30:00.000Z"
  }
]

The apiKey field is never returned in list responses.

---

Create credit key

POST /api/keys/credit

Creates a new credit key that shares your account’s credit balance. Requires a credit balance > 0.

Request body

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
name	string	Yes	A label for the key (e.g. “mobile-app”)

Example

curl -X POST https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/credit \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "mobile-app"}'

Response

{
  "id": "clx3ghi...",
  "name": "mobile-app",
  "keyType": "credit",
  "apiKey": "sk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  "isActive": true,
  "createdAt": "2026-01-20T14:30:00.000Z"
}

Important: The apiKey value is only returned once — on creation. Copy it immediately.

---

Update key

PUT /api/keys/:id

Update a key’s name or active status. Deactivating a key immediately revokes it.

Request body

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
name	string	No	New name for the key
isActive	boolean	No	false to deactivate, true to reactivate

Example

curl -X PUT https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/clx1abc... \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"isActive": false}'

---

Delete key

DELETE /api/keys/:id

Permanently deletes a consumption key and revokes it.

Example

curl -X DELETE https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/clx1abc... \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN"

Response

{
  "deleted": true
}

---

Management keys

Management keys (mk_xxx) let you manage your account programmatically without a session token. Use them in CI/CD pipelines, scripts, or automated workflows.

List management keys

GET /api/keys/management

Example

curl https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/management \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN"

Response

[
  {
    "id": "uuid-here",
    "name": "ci-pipeline",
    "keyPrefix": "mk_a1b2c3d4",
    "isActive": true,
    "lastUsedAt": "2026-02-01T08:00:00.000Z",
    "createdAt": "2026-01-25T12:00:00.000Z"
  }
]

Create management key

POST /api/keys/management

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
name	string	Yes	A label for the key (e.g. “ci-pipeline”)

Example

curl -X POST https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/management \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "ci-pipeline"}'

Response

{
  "id": "uuid-here",
  "name": "ci-pipeline",
  "keyPrefix": "mk_a1b2c3d4",
  "apiKey": "mk_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0..."
}

Important: The full management key is only returned once. Store it securely.

Delete management key

DELETE /api/keys/management/:id

curl -X DELETE https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/management/uuid-here \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN"

Using management keys

Once created, use a management key as a Bearer token to authenticate any /api/* endpoint:

# List your consumption keys using a management key
curl https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mk_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0..."

# Check billing status
curl https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/billing/status \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mk_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0..."

# Create a credit key programmatically
curl -X POST https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/credit \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mk_a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8i9j0..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "auto-created"}'

Management keys cannot be used for inference. Use consumption keys (sk_xxx) for that.

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Key lifecycle

Subscription keys

Pay (Stripe/USDC) → Key created automatically → Use for 30 days → Key expires → Renew

1. Each subscription payment creates exactly one API key.
2. The key has its own 30-day period and rate limits based on the plan tier.
3. When a subscription key expires, only that specific key is revoked.
4. You can have multiple active subscription keys from separate payments.

Credit keys

Top up credits → Create credit key(s) → Use until balance runs out → Top up again

1. Top up your credit balance first (Billing page).
2. Create one or more credit keys — they all share your account balance.
3. Credit keys never expire; usage is deducted from your shared pool.

Rate limits

Type	RPM	TPM
Standard subscription	60	3,333
Pro subscription	200	13,333
Credit	60	—