Protect API keys in your own application
- Create keys in the API Models console and keep them in server-side environment variables or a secret manager.
- Never place an API key in browser JavaScript, mobile application bundles, public repositories, screenshots or support chats.
- Use separate keys for development and production so you can revoke one environment without interrupting another.
- Rotate a key immediately if it may have been exposed, then review account usage records.
Support needs the request ID, timestamp, model ID and sanitized error. It does not need your full API key or complete sensitive prompt.
Use the HTTPS API endpoint
The public Base URL is https://api-models.com/v1. Configure clients to verify TLS certificates normally. Do not disable certificate validation to work around a local network or proxy error.
Set explicit connect and request timeouts. For streaming responses, verify that your HTTP client and any reverse proxy do not buffer the complete response before delivering tokens.
Design for provider and model variability
Model APIs can differ in latency, rate limits, supported parameters and temporary availability. Production clients should classify errors before retrying.
| Response | Typical action | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | Fix the request body, path or unsupported parameter | Retrying the same invalid request |
| 401/403 | Review the key, token group and model permission | Sending credentials to public channels |
| 429 | Use backoff, lower concurrency and check balance or quota | Immediate unbounded retries |
| 5xx | Retry a limited number of times and use a tested fallback | Assuming every model supports an identical fallback payload |
Verify usage and billing with exact model IDs
Before sending production traffic, confirm the exact model ID and current price on the live pricing page. Keep your own request-level metrics and compare them with console usage records. Investigate unexpected growth by model, key and time window.
For a practical cost evaluation method, read the AI API pricing guide.
Contact a real support channel
API Models publishes email, Telegram support, a user community and an update channel on the contact page. For account or billing issues, use a private support channel rather than the public community.
Before regulated, contractual or sensitive workloads, review the current terms and privacy policy, then contact support to confirm any requirement that is not explicitly documented. Do not infer a certification or data-handling commitment from marketing copy.