Source: https://aiprimetech.io/blog/getting-started/

May 16, 2026 · 5 min · Dev Guides 

# Getting Started with Claude API in 5 Minutes 

 A  By [AI Prime Tech](https://aiprimetech.io/)  · AI-assisted    

This is the fastest path from “I want to use the Claude API” to “I’m calling Claude Opus 4.7 from my own code.” Five minutes start to finish. No technical background required beyond knowing how to run a command in a terminal. 

## Step 1 — Sign up (60 seconds) 

Go to [aiprimetech.io/register](https://aiprimetech.io/register). Enter your email and a password. Confirm via email. Done — you’re in the dashboard. 

## Step 2 — Add credit (90 seconds) 

Click Add Credit in the dashboard. You have several options:  
- Credit card — instant, via Stripe. Minimum $5. 
- Crypto (USDT, BTC, ETH) — confirms in ~1-5 minutes via Oxapay. 
- Airwallex — for businesses needing a real invoice.  

$5 is enough for tens of thousands of Sonnet calls or hundreds of Opus calls. Credit never expires. 

## Step 3 — Generate your API key (30 seconds)  
- Click API Keys in the dashboard sidebar 
- Click Create New Key 
- Give it a name (e.g., “dev-laptop”) 
- Copy the key — it starts with apt- and you’ll only see it once  

## Step 4 — Make your first call (2 minutes) 

Pick your language. All three work identically — same models, same response format, same pricing. 

### Python (Anthropic SDK) 

```
pip install anthropic
```

```
import os
from anthropic import Anthropic

client = Anthropic(
    api_key="apt-your-key-here",
    base_url="https://aiprimetech.io",
)

response = client.messages.create(
    model="claude-opus-4-7",
    max_tokens=1024,
    messages=[
        {"role": "user", "content": "What's the capital of Nepal?"}
    ],
)

print(response.content[0].text)
```

### TypeScript / Node.js (Anthropic SDK) 

```
npm install @anthropic-ai/sdk
```

```
import Anthropic from "@anthropic-ai/sdk";

const client = new Anthropic({
  apiKey: "apt-your-key-here",
  baseURL: "https://aiprimetech.io",
});

const response = await client.messages.create({
  model: "claude-opus-4-7",
  max_tokens: 1024,
  messages: [{ role: "user", content: "What's the capital of Nepal?" }],
});

console.log(response.content[0].text);
```

### Plain curl 

```
curl https://aiprimetech.io/v1/messages \
  -H "x-api-key: apt-your-key-here" \
  -H "anthropic-version: 2023-06-01" \
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "claude-opus-4-7",
    "max_tokens": 1024,
    "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "What is the capital of Nepal?"}]
  }'
```

## Step 5 — Pick the right model 

AI Prime Tech supports all current Claude models. Pick based on the task:  
- claude-opus-4-7 — Hardest reasoning, planning, agentic loops. Most expensive. 
- claude-sonnet-4-6 — Great default. Production-ready balance of speed + intelligence. 
- claude-haiku-4-5 — Fastest, cheapest. Perfect for classification, simple Q&A, tool dispatch.  

## That’s it 

You’re now using Claude API at 60-80% off official pricing, with the exact same Anthropic SDK you’d use otherwise. Want to plug it into specific tools next? See our other guides:  
- [Hermes Agent setup](/blog/hermes-agent-guide/) 
- [OpenClaw self-hosted agent](/blog/openclaw-ai-agent-guide/)  

### Ready to start? Free signup, no card required. 

Make your first Claude API call in under 5 minutes. 

[Get Your API Key →](/register) 

[Claude](/blog/tag/claude/)[API](/blog/tag/api/)[Engineering](/blog/tag/engineering/) 

A

[AI Prime Tech](https://aiprimetech.io/)

AI Prime Tech publishes this blog. Articles are drafted with AI assistance; check version-specific details such as model IDs, prices and limits against the official documentation before relying on them. 

 Get cheaper Claude API access 

One API key for Claude Opus 5.5, Sonnet 5, Haiku 4.5 and Fable 5.1, plus GPT-6 models. Pay as you go, no subscription. [Get Your API Key →](/register)  

AI Prime Tech is an independent third-party API gateway. Claude™ and Anthropic® are trademarks of Anthropic, PBC. No affiliation or endorsement is implied.