# Introduction

> What ClaudeAPIKey.dev is, which endpoints it speaks, and how it differs from calling Anthropic directly.

_Source: https://aiprimetech.io/docs/getting-started/introduction/ · Home > Docs > Getting started_

ClaudeAPIKey.dev is an **Anthropic-compatible API gateway**. You point an existing SDK at one base URL, use one key, and reach Claude, GPT, Gemini and MiniMax models through the request format you already use.

- **Base URL:** `https://aiprimetech.io`
- **API formats:** Anthropic Messages **and** OpenAI Chat Completions
- **Auth:** `x-api-key` (Anthropic style) or `Authorization: Bearer` (OpenAI style)
- **Models:** 9, across Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and MiniMax
- **Billing:** Prepaid credits, or a flat-rate unlimited plan
- **Setup time:** Two environment variables


## What you get

| Area | What it means |
|---|---|
| Drop-in compatibility | The same request bodies, the same response shapes, the same streaming events as the official APIs. You change the base URL, not your code. |
| One key, many vendors | A single credential reaches Claude, GPT, Gemini and MiniMax. No separate accounts or dashboards per provider. |
| Both wire formats | `/v1/messages` for Anthropic-style clients, `/v1/chat/completions` for OpenAI-style clients — against the same models. |
| Tool compatibility | Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Aider, Zed, Continue, OpenCode and anything else that honours a custom base URL. |
| Pay-as-you-go | Prepaid credits that do not expire, or a flat-rate unlimited plan for a fixed window. |


## How it differs from calling Anthropic directly

Functionally it should not differ at all — that is the design goal. The differences that matter are commercial and operational:

- **Price.** Published rates run 60–80% below list for the Claude family. See [Pricing](/docs/billing/pricing/).
- **No waitlist or org approval.** An account and a top-up are all that is needed.
- **Payment options.** Bank card or crypto, including from regions where Anthropic billing is unavailable.
- **Routing.** Requests are distributed across upstream capacity with automatic failover, so a single upstream error does not surface as a hard failure.

> We are a reseller of API capacity, not Anthropic. If you need a contractual relationship with Anthropic itself, an enterprise SLA, or data-processing terms signed by Anthropic, use the official API. ClaudeAPIKey.dev is an independently operated API gateway. "Claude" and "Anthropic" are trademarks of Anthropic; we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic, OpenAI or Google.


## Which format should I use?

Use whichever your tool already speaks — both hit the same models and cost the same.

| If your tool is… | Use | Auth header |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code, Anthropic SDK, Cline, any Claude client | `POST /v1/messages` | `x-api-key` |
| Cursor, Continue, OpenAI SDK, LangChain, LiteLLM | `POST /v1/chat/completions` | `Authorization: Bearer` |


## Next steps

- [Quickstart](https://aiprimetech.io/docs/getting-started/quickstart/) — First working request in about a minute
- [Authentication](https://aiprimetech.io/docs/getting-started/authentication/) — Keys, headers and env vars
- [Models](https://aiprimetech.io/docs/getting-started/models/) — Every model id and what it costs
- [Claude Code](https://aiprimetech.io/docs/guides/claude-code/) — The most common setup
- [Pricing](https://aiprimetech.io/docs/billing/pricing/) — Credits, rates and bonuses


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_ClaudeAPIKey.dev is an independently operated, Anthropic-compatible API gateway. Not affiliated with Anthropic._