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

---

Consumption keys

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

There are two types:

Subscription keys

Minted from a pool (Unlimited) subscription. After you reserve one or more time blocks via POST /api/pools/:id/subscribe, create a key with POST /api/keys/subscription.

• Unlimited usage during your reserved time blocks, no budget cap, 1 concurrent request per key
• Independent expiration per key, tied to the subscription’s billing period
• When a key expires, only that key is revoked

See Unlimited Subscriptions API for the pool subscribe flow.

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

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "clx1abc...",
      "name": "prod-key",
      "keyPlan": "pool",
      "keyType": "subscription",
      "apiKey": "sk-...",
      "isActive": true,
      "subscriptionId": "sub-uuid",
      "subscriptionStatus": "active",
      "subscriptionExpiresAt": "2026-02-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "createdAt": "2026-01-15T10:00:00.000Z",
      "lastUsedAt": "2026-01-20T08:00:00.000Z"
    },
    {
      "id": "clx2def...",
      "name": "client_42",
      "keyPlan": "credits",
      "keyType": "credit",
      "apiKey": "sk-...",
      "isActive": true,
      "maxBudget": 25.00,
      "rpmLimit": 60,
      "tpmLimit": null,
      "createdAt": "2026-01-20T14:30:00.000Z",
      "lastUsedAt": null
    }
  ]
}

The full key (apiKey) is included in list responses for the show/copy feature in the dashboard. Treat list responses as sensitive.

---

Create subscription key (Unlimited / pool)

POST /api/keys/subscription

Creates a new API key for your active Unlimited (pool) subscription.

Request body

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
subscriptionId	string	No	Target a specific subscription. If omitted, uses the most recent active subscription.

Example — create key for most recent subscription

curl -X POST https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/subscription \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mk_your_key"

Example — create key for a specific subscription

curl -X POST https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/subscription \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer mk_your_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"subscriptionId": "subscription_uuid"}'

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "key-uuid",
    "apiKey": "sk_pool_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
    "isActive": true
  }
}

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

This endpoint is for Unlimited/pool subscriptions — the current subscription product. Reserve time blocks via POST /api/pools/:id/subscribe first, then create the key here.

---

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. “client_42”)
maxBudget	number	No	Per-key budget in USD (omit for shared pool)
rpm	number	No	Requests per minute limit (default: 60)
tpm	number	No	Tokens per minute limit

Example

curl -X POST https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/credit \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "client_42"}'

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "clx3ghi...",
    "name": "client_42",
    "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

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "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

{
  "success": true,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "uuid-here",
      "name": "mgmt_key_01",
      "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. “mgmt_key_01”)

Example

curl -X POST https://api.cheapestinference.com/api/keys/management \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_AUTH_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "mgmt_key_01"}'

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "id": "uuid-here",
    "name": "mgmt_key_01",
    "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.

---

Key lifecycle

Subscription keys

Subscribe to a pool (reserve time blocks) → Create key (POST /api/keys/subscription) → Use during reserved hours → Key expires at period end → Renew

1. Reserve one or more time blocks on a pool via POST /api/pools/:id/subscribe.
2. Create one or more keys for that subscription with POST /api/keys/subscription.
3. Each key gives unlimited usage during your reserved blocks (no budget cap, 1 concurrent request).
4. When a subscription key expires at the end of the billing period, only that specific key is revoked.
5. You can hold multiple pool subscriptions to cover more time blocks, each with its own keys.

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	Throughput	Concurrency
Pool (Unlimited) subscription	Unlimited during reserved blocks, no budget cap	1 concurrent request per key
Credit	60 RPM	—