Getting Started with OpenAI API via OpenRouter

If you want to experiment with OpenAI's powerful language models without dealing with their pricing or rate limits, OpenRouter is a great gateway. It aggregates multiple LLM providers and offers a single API endpoint.

Prerequisites

  • A free OpenRouter account (sign up at https://openrouter.ai)
  • An API key from your OpenRouter dashboard
  • Basic familiarity with HTTP requests (curl or Python)

Setting Up

First, obtain your API key. After logging in, navigate to the API keys section and copy the key.

Making a Request with curl

You can test the API directly from the command line:

curl -X POST https://api.openrouter.ai/v1/chat/completions \ -H "Authorization: Bearer sk-your-key-here" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "model": "google/gemma-2-9b-it", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Explain quantum computing in simple terms."}] }'

The response will be a JSON object containing the model's answer.

Example in Python

If you prefer Python, you can use the requests library:

import requests API_URL = "https://api.openrouter.ai/v1/chat/completions" API_KEY = "sk-your-key-here" def call_openai(prompt): headers = { "Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}", "Content-Type": "application/json" } payload = { "model": "google/gemma-2-9b-it", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": prompt}] } response = requests.post(API_URL, json=payload, headers=headers) response.raise_for_status() return response.json()["choices"][0]["message"]["content"] # Example usage answer = call_openai("What are the health benefits of meditation?") print(answer)

Tips & Tricks

  • Model Selection: OpenRouter supports many models (e.g., GPT‑4, Claude, Llama). Choose one that fits your use case and budget.
  • Rate Limits: Each model has its own rate limits. Check the docs for details.
  • Cost: OpenRouter's pricing is usage‑based. You’ll be billed in USDC based on token consumption.

Conclusion

OpenRouter provides a flexible way to access multiple LLMs through a single API. With just a few lines of code, you can prototype AI features for your apps. Experiment with different models and prompts to discover what works best for your project.

Happy hacking!